Page 89 - December 2016

WACEY CAPPS
A 16-year-old 10th-grader at
Vinita High School in Vinita, Oklahoma by Tracy Gantz
Before Wacey Capps got his first pony, Even though Wacey is only 16, he already
Popcorn, he would ride sheep and calves,
so it’s not surprising that riding plays such a major role in his life. Though Wacey contin- ued to ride a few steers in youth rodeos, he has found teaching young Quarter Horses to be much more rewarding.
“I love the adrenaline rush you get when you get on the babies for the first time and when we ride them out in the pasture for the first couple of times,” said Wacey.
The entire Capps family is immersed in the Quarter Horse industry. Wacey’s parents, Bobby and Stacey, break and train racehorses, while Wacey’s younger sister, Josey, is an accomplished barrel racer. Seeing racehorses go on to second careers has given Wacey a perspective that some- times not even adults have into the importance of early equine schooling.
“My mom and dad’s horse racing career has influenced me a lot,” said Wacey. “My sister has influenced me a lot, too. Seeing her be success- ful in barrel racing has given me a reason to take more time and break horses for more than just the racetrack. The foundation has to be built to make a horse successful on the track and to go on and be competitive after their racing career is over.”
has plenty of experience breaking horses and galloping at the racetrack. When he was only 10, he started Scrudat, a horse Stacey trained at the track who later developed into Josey’s primary barrel horse. Scrudat became a true family project because Josey did most of the work to transition him from a racehorse into a barrel horse.
Meanwhile, Wacey began helping his father even more with the breaking and training.
“My mom and dad started giving me one colt a year to break when I was 10,” said Wacey. “Last year, my dad broke his leg really bad and we had a lot of babies in the barn. I would ride colts every day after school until around 9 or 10 at night, helping him catch up. We break probably 30 to 40 yearlings a year.”
Bobby and Stacey have praised Wacey’s ability to be quiet with a young horse and get the animal to trust him.
“But, I think I am pretty good at getting bucked off,” joked Wacey, who fortunately
has not had any major accidents. “My mom is pretty proud that I don’t have any interesting stories to tell about my galloping experiences. To her, that means so far I’ve been pretty safe.”
At only 10 years of age, Wacey started Scrudat, a horse his mother Stacey trained at the track and who later became his sister Josey’s primary barrel horse.
One horse who holds a special place
in Wacey’s heart is CR Tuckernuck, win- ner of the 2015 AQHA Distance Challenge Championship-G1.
“He had to overcome a lot in that race,” said Wacey. “He is part of our family.”
Though breaking horses and galloping at the track consume much of Wacey’s time, he keeps up with his schoolwork and other activities. In school he enjoys modern world history, where his class is studying the World Wars, and he is
a starter on the junior varsity basketball team, playing both point guard and shooting guard.
Wacey is active in his local FFA group, serving as an officer. He would like to eventu- ally become a state officer. He is currently on the cattle grading and speech teams. Wacey
has applied his racing knowledge on the speech team, working on a speech about Quarter Horse racing and how to get the same kind of coverage for Quarter Horses that Thoroughbreds have.
His FFA experience will stand him in
good stead for college. Wacey hopes to attend Oklahoma State University and get into veteri- nary school there. Given how much he already knows about horses, he would seem a natural.
CR Tuckernuck holds a special place in Wacey’s heart. He is pictured here (center in cap) after the 2011 gelding won the 2015 AQHA Distance Challenge Championship-G1 at Lone Star Park.
SPEEDHORSE, December 2016 87
YOUTH INDUSTRY PROFILE