New Ventures – Three Exciting Partnerships Launch in 2019

Click here to read the complete article
186 – May/June 2019

BY DELORES KUHLWEIN

Life is all about change. Those who not only embrace it, but who kindle the spark of transformation, and take one more step toward fulfilling their dreams. Three newly formed teams have begun their latest and varied journeys towards achieving some big goals in 2019.

Read on as we take a closer look at the new partnerships of Empyre Show Horses with Brad Ost and Troy Lehn; Holbin Show Horses with Chris Holbin and Shannon Curl Holbin; and KRT Show Horses, with Kent Ray Taylor, presented by Blake Weis.

EMPYRE SHOW HORSES
Brad Ost and Troy Lehn

Most horse trainers were once horse-crazy kids, just like their clients, and it was no different for both Brad Ost and Troy Lehn of Empyre Show Horses in Pilot Point, Texas. Brad grew up in Idaho showing 4-H livestock and horses while reading articles and dreaming of the red dirt arenas in Texas. “I told my mom that, when I grew up, I wanted to be a horse trainer in Texas. I’m not sure she truly believed me, but I never really strayed from that dream. I moved here when I was 21 and have had the pleasure of working for some of the most talented horseman in the industry, including Bruce Vickery, Charlie Cole, and Jason Martin to name a few,” he explains.

Troy began in a similar way, begging his parents for a horse until they finally broke down and got him into a lesson program at the age of six. He showed POAs until his last three youth years and then moved on to Quarter Horses. He says, “Dean Bogart, Gary and Kelly Roberts, Doug Huls, and Stacy Huls were all big influences in my life until I crossed paths with Alex Chavez. I trained privately for Alex for almost five years before starting Empyre Show Horses with Brad.” Brad and Troy’s shared training philosophy is another common thread that brought this duo together. “We both look for the same type of horse, and we really agree on the preparation that it takes to get a horse to the show pen,” Troy explains. “This isn’t an easy business, and we both didn’t want to do this on our own. We like having each other to fall back and rely on in different situations.”

“When the timing felt right, we decided to take a swing at our personal careers and created Empyre Show Horses,” Brad adds.

Everything fell into place, including being able to secure their spot as the only trainers in the private facility owned by Troy and Carrie Oakley in Pilot Point. Since then, they’ve been able to begin fulfilling their client’s needs along with attempting to achieve their own goals. “The fact that there are two of us really helps. One of us can always be there to assist, answer questions, give lessons, and be with our clients when it comes show time,” Troy says. While success is on their list of aspirations, it’s accompanied by the most important element: happy clients. “It’s really important to us that our clients are pleased with our services,” Troy says. “When it comes to horse shows, we really want our clients to have a great time and enjoy themselves. After all, this is a hobby, so we want to make it fun!”

Click here to read the complete article
186 – May/June 2019