Wesley Stallings – S2 Performance Horses
by Susan Winslow
Trainer Wesley Stallings has horses in the blood. His ancestors were cattle ranchers and horse breeders who can trace their roots back almost two hundred years in Texas. His parents, Michelle and Ronny Stallings, are legendary in the annals of American Paint Horse Association (APHA) competition. Ronny bred and showed World Champion APHA horses for decades and served as an APHA Director for almost twenty years. Wesley was raised on horseback, and since his earliest days his goal was to follow in his father’s footsteps and become a leading trainer in his own right.
Based out of the old Babcock Ranch that is now Mal Anderson’s Breakin Hearts Ranch in Gainesville, Texas, this hard-working owner of S2 Performance Horses is doing just that. At the age of 30, he is already a seasoned horseman who started his career early and very differently than the kids who showed Youth, did a couple of years of Amateur competition and then went pro. He says, “We were a horse show family, and this was a business to me since I started working beside my dad growing up. I played some sports in middle school and I was a club youth roper, but I didn’t have a pleasure horse of my own as a kid. My dad was a horse trainer, so we didn’t really have show horses for ourselves. But I started riding with my dad when I was 11 and I rode the show horses and the open horses. I was an assistant trainer before I was 16 and I worked for a lot of different people since then. My dad’s pretty much out of it now, although he’s raising a few foals, but he was the best, and I’ve just known since I was a kid that I wanted to be just like him.”
Building on the lessons of integrity, developing a keen eye for a good horse and the value of hard work learned by his father’s side, Wesley is steadily building his business one satisfied client at a time. He says, “I’ve always had a passion for the horses and competition, and I was fortunate enough to learn from some of the best as I was coming along; guys like my dad, Lynn Simons, Floyd Danley and Scott Suggs. All of them taught me so much. I was barely old enough to have my license when I was already out there as an apprentice trainer. Except for a year-and-a-half when I was a long-distance trucker, this is what I have always done and I love it.”
Reflecting on his experience as a trainer in his own right, he says, “When I started, I was very fortunate to have as a client Amateur Desarae Gilley and A Sudden Legacy. They were 2012 Reserve APHA World Champions in Classic Amateur Trail and they’ve been incredible. I hauled her for about a year, then picked up another client and recently picked up a third. I’ve got seven horses in the barn and it’s been really good.”
While he hopes one day to have a fifty stall barn brimming with horses and clients, Wesley is grateful for the opportunity to spend quality one-on-one time with both his clients and their horses. He says, “With seven horses in training, it really does allow me to put a lot of time into each of these horses to make that horse becomes as good as they can possibly be.” He believes strongly in making sure each horse is tuned to the perfect pitch for each show, so when his clients head to the ring, they’re calm, relaxed and prepared.
He says of his program, “Because I’m a smaller-size program, I am able to spend more time giving my clients and their horses one-on-one attention. I work with both my riders and their horses to develop goals for them, and I am able to personally put in the time to work with the rider and the horse to prepare them for competition. At the shows, I can give my full attention fully to each my clients to make sure they are ready for the experience, and enjoy it. This is their hobby, and it’s my job to make that experience the best it can possibly be for them. I really enjoy that challenge. I’m a low-key person, so I don’t get too nervous. I also know that when we get to a show, I’ve put in the time and effort to make sure those horses are at their best, fresh and ready to go. I also help my riders to go into the ring with the confidence that comes with knowing they are well-prepared. I do my homework at home with the horses, so when we get to a show, it’s just fine tuning and fun. When your horse and rider are both calm, relaxed and ready, they can put in a winning performance.”
This dedicated young trainer is seeing big results from his program. Although he is modest about his own accomplishments, Wesley is quick with praise for his riders and their horses. He says, “I can honestly say that our horses and riders are really, really good. Desarae Gilley won her first buckle last year and my youth exhibitor, Emily Drew, went to the World Show with her horse Cadets Honor and won seven buckles. She was also High Point English Youth, 13 and Under, at the APHA Youth World Show. Those are huge accomplishments. As of mid-September, I’ve got the Number One Youth in the Nation and my Amateur rider is Number Three. I’m very proud of them. But the best thing is while my riders and their families have worked hard to reach these goals, they have had fun getting there. That’s really important to me. One of my clients comes from California and a new client I’m excited to be working with, Buna Mandell, is from North Carolina. She rides 14-18 Pleasure with her horse Sippin Cuervo and I see great things ahead for them. Coming from so far away, it takes a lot of dedication to their sport for riders like these, but no matter where my clients come from, I appreciate their hard work and the effort their families make for them to participate in this sport. It’s my job to make that experience the best it can be for all of them.”
Nick Drew, the proud father of Emily, has high praise for Wesley’s approach, “The level of preparedness that Wes and the S2 Performance Horse team bring to the show arena is unlike anything we have experienced before…..Cadets Honor (Pancho) goes to each show ready to give 100% of his effort and much like a high-performance athlete, he has been made ready by his coach or trainer to go out there and win. He also seems to really enjoy their relationship. Emily, Pancho and Wes do a tremendous amount of work outside of the show at the S2 Performance Horses facility which enables Emily to be able to focus once she is at the shows and not have to worry about trying to ‘fix’ any issues on her horse; the hard work has been done ahead of time. She can spend the time working patterns for herself or having fun with her co-riders in her 13 and Under classes or horse friends she has made over the years. We are very fortunate to work with Wes and he has given 110% of his effort to making sure that our child is well-prepared and that she feels safe with his program. Be it at a show in Waco, or a show across the country in New Jersey, Emily can fly in and know that she has everything she needs already there at the show to have fun, love her horse and be competitive…….very competitive…….”
Wesley believes every detail of a rider’s performance is important to earning that coveted win. He says, “In our lessons, we work on perfecting the little things. If you break down your ride into all those little details and improve them one at a time, it’s more effective than trying to throw it all at your rider at once. The good thing about setting goals is that one day you look back and it’s great to think, ‘Wow, I did it!’ There’s a great sense of satisfaction in that.”
Although his days are full and he spends long hours on the road hauling to shows, Wesley wouldn’t change a thing. “Except I’d love to expand my business,” he says with a laugh. “I really enjoy working with my riders and their horses, and I would like to also help people who are getting into this sport or looking for the next ‘right’ horse to find the right horse for them.” In addition to working on putting his riders in the winner’s circle and building his business, Wesley balances his life in the equine industry with activities that are very different from riding. “In the horse business, you don’t get a lot of days off, but when I do get some free time, I play golf, and race go-carts. Golf is really relaxing, and racing go-carts is a blast,” he says.
When asked what’s next for him, Wesley gives a refreshingly honest answer, “This is an unusual industry. I’m just grateful I’m doing something I wanted to do ever since I was a kid out there helping my dad. I also have to thank my girlfriend, Theresa Martz. We’ve been together eight years and she has provided great support to me in making S2 Performance Horses run smoothly.”
Despite the pressure and lifestyle commitment that comes with any job in the equine industry, Wesley still greets every day with an enthusiastic, positive outlook. He says, “First, you have to love what you do. There are so many people out there that have supported me, believed in me, and pushed me to be my best and they were always there. Too many people to name but I hope they know how much it means to me. My goal is to just keep moving forward, keeping my head down and doing the best job I can do for my clients and their horses to keep them winning and having fun.”
Click here to read the complete article from the Equine Chronicle November/December 2013 Issue, Vol. 16 Number 7.
For more information on Wesley Stallings and S2 Performance Horses in Gainesville, Texas, visit him on Facebook. Telephone: 913-787-2561; email: wbstallings10@hotmail.com.
