Page 91 - Speedhorse May 2019

“What we do in our breeding program, I try to pick out some stallions and the mares that we have, that would be acceptable to
a different hobby. We kind of cater to the barrel racers,” Kenneth said, “so we breed to stallions that the barrel race people really like, just in case they can’t run.”
“There isn’t a lot of in-between in the race horse business. Either they are fast or not fast enough,” Donna said. “We don’t believe in tearing them apart in hopes of them getting faster, or better. We accept their capabilities and realize that there is a ‘Plan B’ for a good-minded, correct, athletic horse. We would rather quit early in the training process and allow them an opportunity to go in to a new career.”
Kenneth Weeks has a pretty simple philosophy when it comes to training. He runs each horse three times. If the horse fails to hit the board in those three outs, he finds another profession for the horse - whether it be barrel racing or some other endeavor
“You can only do so much,” Kenneth said. “And all horses are not going to win races. Instead, we find another job for them. Just because that horse can’t be a race winner, doesn’t mean he can’t be a winner doing something else.”
Q: What are you looking for in a potential barrel racer?
DONNA: I don’t think we start out trying
to breed the best barrel prospect. We start out breeding good minded, conformationally correct horses. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. We do buy quite a few each year at the yearling sales. Most of the barrel prospects we offer come out of our race horse program. We feel like that
is the only way we can really know what we are selling to the public. We know their history. Most we will have had since they were a yearling. KENNETH: I grew up riding barrel horses. I trained several and sold some good ones. At the end of the day, you don’t know what that horse is going to be until you see what kind of heart he’s got.
Q: You also own and run your own Quarter Horses. How many starters do you currently have in the barn? DONNA: At the beginning of each year we normally start out with 60 head in training and by April have narrowed the selection down to around 45-50. Kenneth never likes to have more than 60. It’s easier to provide “hands on” care and attention with a limited number of horses.
KENNETH: I see a lot of people starting in the business. They start out with just a few and then they get too many. I think quality any day of the week over quantity. There’s not a day that goes by that I don’t look at and put my hands on every horse every day.
Q: What made you both to decide to get into the horse industry?
DONNA: I don’t think we had a choice, honestly. Of course we did, but this is what we love. This is what we eat, breathe, and sleep. That’s kinda who we are.
Q: Running a horse farm is a 24/7/365 endeavor. What’s it like doing so as a married couple?
DONNA: Speaking for myself, that’s all I’ve ever been interested in, is the horses. When
we met, it was just perfect. That’s all he was interested in, too. It just worked out. He trains them. And when he gets finished, I tell him,
as long as they meet our requirements. Most of those horses that I do sell, they do come out of our barn, they do come out of our program - at least 90 percent. Because that way we know what we’ve got. We know what we’re offering to the public; we know their history. KENNETH: It’s a big deal every week, for me, no matter if I go home for one afternoon, I try to go home to be with my family. Usually I try for two days. It’s about a 5 1/2 hour drive from every racetrack. And it gets expensive. But, I value family over anything. If your family’s not doing well, you’re not going to do well in your business or anything else. If your family life is good, you’ll prosper, I believe.
Q: What’s the best horse you think you’ve ever produced or trained, and why?
DONNA: When talking about one of our favorite horses, BJS Magic Wings would prob- ably come to mind. Claimed for $5,000, he then became a multiple stakes winner and a World Record Holder with a 118 speed index. KENNETH: I’ve had several. He [BJS Magic Wings] has a special place in my heart. I claimed him from a trainer who wanted him to be an
870 horse because he was such a big horse. He put the horse in for $5,000. I was the only claim on the horse and people thought I was crazy. Three weeks later, I put him in a stakes race and he runs second and gets beat by a nose - 220 yards. I also claimed another horse when he
was eight years old, Heza Dashing Dream, for $3,500. He won over $130,000 I think. I took care of him, he ran till he was 11 years old, and everybody thought he was washed up.
Q: What’s the biggest misunderstand- ing people have about what you do for a living?
DONNA: It’s a huge sacrifice. It’s a huge sacrifice for him, because we do have a home, we have two homes in Alabama, over 100 head of cattle and just a lot going on, and he’s gone all the time. Just the tremendous amount of work and dedication that goes into it. People go to the track and go, ‘Ooh, pretty horses,’ but there’s so much work involved. It’s 24/7, and honestly you’re only as good as your help. It’s like any sport: the better you try to be, the more work you have to put into it.
Q: Any advice for someone looking to enter the horse industry?
DONNA: Find the right trainer. Find a trainer you can trust. You have to have a good rapport with your trainer. Find a trainer who’ll tell you your horse isn’t good enough to race even when you want them to be good enough. You have to have someone who’ll be brutally honest with you, because in the long run, it’s going to save you money.
KENNETH: You may hurt their feelings to begin with, and I’ve had people pick up horses from us. Knock on wood, so far, I’ve not had one horse that I told an owner to pick up that went on to be something. You’ve got to give respect to earn respect.
BJS Magic Wings, who Weeks claimed for $5,000, is one of their favorite horses. The gelding earned over $182,000.
SPEEDHORSE, May 2019 89
THE BACKSIDE