Heath Wilkerson – A Lifetime Passion for Horses

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34 – July/August, 2017

BY SUSAN WINSLOW

Multiple World and National Champion Heath Wilkerson has loved horses since he can remember. This dedicated professional horseman is a leading trainer and competitor in the Quarter Horse and Appaloosa world, and horses are in his blood. Growing up in Pennsylvania, he was on horseback at the age of two. His mother, Brenda Wilkerson, bred and raised Appaloosas and stood a Leopard Appaloosa stallion for many years that produced show mounts for Heath and his siblings. He recalls, “We’ve always had horses, and I just loved competition. We were a traditional family in that my Dad always worked very hard to support our family and our horses. My Mom got us all into riding when we were very young, and she instilled a love of horses in all of us. We always did the Apps. When I was growing up, we did local shows and the occasional big show in Columbus, which wasn’t too far from home. I had some success, and, when I was 16 or 17, people started sending their horses to me for training and it kind of took off from there.”

Heath has worked for his father’s company installing gas lines, but his passion has always been figuring out and training horses. He took the same strong work ethic he learned from his Dad and applied it to his career in the horse industry. His dedication to his craft has paid off. Today, he and his clients have earned well over 100 World and National Championship titles. He says, “My Dad’s going to be 75 this summer, and he still works as hard as he did when I was growing up. Everybody has always looked up to my Dad. He’s such an honest, sincere guy, and such a hard worker. He supported our family and the horses for all of us, and my Mom was just so into it. We all followed. She still comes to all the shows, and it’s great to have her there with us. They’re both an inspiration to me, and they always supported my passion for horses, training, and competition. I owe a lot to them for where I am today.”

While he hasn’t strayed far from his family’s roots in the horse world, Heath certainly kicked it up a notch when he turned pro in 1989, and he and his clients started winning at the elite level. In 1999, Heath was honored by the Appaloosa Horse Club as Trainer mof the Year. Most recently, Heath had a very successful 2016 Appaloosa World Show, winning a World Champion title in the Open 3-Year Old Western Pleasure Maturity with Hashtag Huntin. He also won a World Championship in Open Ranch Trail with Don’t Look Away and a World Championship in Open Ranch Riding, again with Don’t Look Away. Other titles he’s won include 2015 Reserve National Champion in Senior Trail with Don’t Look Away, 2014 World Champion in Senior Trail with Enchanted Paradise, and 2014 Reserve World Champion in 2-Year-Old Western Pleasure Futurity with Colored By Vino.

Click here to read the complete article
34 – July/August, 2017