Page 124 - April 2017

“I love watching the horses go on and be successful. To see an owner watch a horse that they’ve bred and has become successful, there’s nothing like it.”
As people with great love and passion for the horse racing industry, we all know the commit- ment required to bring these equine athletes to the peak of their performance. But, what about those people who continuously strive to be greater? Those who go that extra step? The ones who won’t settle? Harvey Baeza is one of those dedicated individuals who has a lot of insight into what normal life is for someone who works 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Harvey says he is not a complicated person, but that what he does is complicated in that as well as working in the oil field business full time, he is always at a race meet.
Q. When were you first introduced to Quarter Horse racing?
A: Probably 1976 or 1977. My dad was training at match races, so I grew up around him training match horses. Horses have always been a part of our lives here and in Mexico.
Q. Why did you decide to become a trainer? Was there any person who was a major influence in your life?
A. I’m competitive. I love the competition, espe- cially if it involves horses. If you don’t love the horse itself or the horses you’re around, if you don’t have a love to do the best thing for them, you won’t last. You have to be competitive and survive the bumps in the road. My dad was a huge influence in my becoming
a horse trainer. I didn’t train my first horse with his help, though. If anything, he just told me that, if I was going out on my own, I better know what I was doing. Especially back then, because match racing was a whole different ball game.
Q. Do you train Thoroughbreds as well as Quarter Horses?
A. I trained Thoroughbreds in the past and some- times I would train one as a favor for an individual. I’ve had some successful Thoroughbreds that I’ve trained, and they either ran out or they got claimed when the time was right. Now, I only train Quarter Horses.
Q. How do you manage a full time job plus training horses and make them both run smoothly?
A. My title for Basic Energy Services is Area Manager and I manage the Midland, Texas yard. I’ve been with them going on 20 years. Managing that yard is no different than training horses in that you have to hire and put your confidence in good people. I’ve been very lucky to have good people in both areas of work. For example, I still have my first groom that
I hired on 14 years ago. His name is Ramone Estrada and he’s still with me. My second or third groom I hired after I started growing my business. He is still with me, as well. Of course, I hired other new people as well through the years. Like for the Remington Park meet, I have a married couple who have
worked for me the last four or five years who stay at Remington Park and don’t go with me to New Mexico because they live in Oklahoma City. I know I can count on all of them to work for me and that makes me capable of being able to do what I do.
There are many people, peers, that don’t know that I have another job. When they find that out they’ll say, “No wonder I never see you during the week.” But like anything else, you don’t want any unnecessary attention drawn to yourself. I like to stay low key and off of the social media, Facebook, Twitter, etc. My employers in the oil industry don’t care for that type of attention and neither do I. Plus, I have customers from the oil field that I train horses for, so it goes hand in hand.
Q. How is your job with Basic Energy Services similar to your job as a horse trainer?
A. My job is a 24 hour, 7 days a week, 365 days a year job. I always have my phone on and I’m always available, which can sometimes bother some of the people I’m around, but I have to be available if a cus- tomer needs equipment or if anything else is needed. And it’s the same in the horse business. You can’t turn your phone off and not be accessible to your barn and to your owners. Another thing about the oil field and the training of horses is that you have to network. You have to help each other. You can’t do it by yourself. It would be very hard to try and do it alone. Right now
I have a couple of saddle horses out at G.R. Carter’s place. He was nice enough to allow me to paddock them out there, and it’s close enough that we can swap pony horses out, and things like that make a difference.
A TRAINER’S PERSPECTIVE
Harvey Baeza by Marie Littlefield NAME: Harvey Baeza
HOME BASE: Odessa, Texas
YEARS OF EXPERIENCE: 14
STATES IN WHICH YOU RIDE: New Mexico, Oklahoma, and occasionally Texas
FAVORITE HOBBY AWAY FROM THE TRACK: “Enjoy spending time with friends and relaxing.”
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SPEEDHORSE, April 2017
Marie Littlefield
THE BACKSIDE