Horse and Owner Reunited at 2013 Congress After 20 Years Apart

By: Ingrid Lecot

Long story short, after years of leasing horses and showing on the AQHA show circuit, the horse I was leasing got injured. Then, my parents and I finally made the decision to buy my own horse. However, we had a limited budget. Kellie Hinely, my trainer at Trendsetter Performance Horses in Chino Hills, CA, was very helpful as we looked for a new mount.

I needed an all-around horse that could help me achieve my goal of qualifying for the AQHA Youth World Show. We couldn’t have a project; the horse had to be ready to go start showing immediately. We came across Bright Seeker Bars, aka “Alex,” at Zanetti Performance Horses in Petaluma, CA. He was a mature horse that had been out of the show pen for a couple of years.

At 18 years old he was very accomplished. He won many all-around awards at many shows, so we knew he could do the all-around events for me. My family and I drove up to the Zanetti’s barn and gave him a try. We got along well, and I was surprised to see that he was very fit and muscular for his age. Within a week, we did a pre-sale vet check, and he passed. Then, the next weekend, he was trailered down the California coast to Chino Hills.

I went to the 2012 Sun and Surf Show in Del Mar, CA a week after I got him and ended up being named the Reserve Novice Youth All-Around Champion. After that, we continued to have great success throughout the 2012- 2013 show season.

In June of 2013, I received a friend request and message on Facebook from Heather Lynn Werkema Smith who asked if I rode Bright Seeker Bars. I replied and eventually over several messages I found out that she was the very first owner of Alex. She told me that she had ridden Alex when she was a child. We talked over the summer, and eventually I told her how I was going away to college in September of 2013. I would need to sell him after the 2013 AQHA Novice Youth Championship Show in October. She told me that it was always her dream to have him back home with her in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

By June 2013, I qualified in the Horsemanship, Trail, and Western Riding classes for the 2013 AQHYA World Show in Oklahoma. Heather wanted to come down to watch me compete and reconnect with Alex. However, at the last minute, she was unable to. She did make sure to watch me on the live stream online! When I got back home from the AQHYA World Show, she contacted me and said she really wanted to go through with purchasing Alex and picking him up at the Quarter Horse Congress. However, I had to leave for college and take on my spot as a student-athlete on the Baylor Equestrian Team. I am so thankful to my mom and trainer, Kellie Hinley, for arranging this purchase and his transportation while I am attending school.

I showed Alex at my last show in Las Vegas, NV. at the 2013 Novice Youth Championship Show – West. Alex and I did very well. We were sixth in Performance Halter Geldings, twelfth in Western Riding, and 23rd in Horsemanship out of some very big Novice Youth classes. It was a great way to end my last show with my horse.

It was very sad that the first time I had seen my horse in a month was also going to be the last time as well. It was the hardest goodbye I have ever had to say. I saw him leave for California to go back for two days and then head to the Congress to be with his new owner. However, I know he could not be going to a better home.

Alex was delivered to the Congress last week where he and Heather were reunited after 20 years apart. Heather will continue to show him at some local shows for a bit, and then eventually retire him at the same place where he started.

I want to thank everyone who has helped Alex and I along the way including: Kellie Hinley, Deann Hudson, Ashley Merchant, Melissa Zanetti, and finally my parents. It’s now time for another challenge and for me to be my best in Horsemanship for the Equestrian Team at Baylor University. I am really excited for what the future holds. To Alex: Thank you for being the best horse I have ever had the opportunity to ride and own! Now it’s on from the cushy sunny life in Southern California to the hearty winters in Michigan. But life will be good in your new heated stall and inside area. Heather, enjoy!