Page 104 - SPEEDHORSE April 2018

SUPPORTING THE SPORT
Steadfast study and all-out dedication nurtured the seeds of Walt and Janice Knorpp’s industry achievements.
by Diane Rice
Ac
build on. But achieving success in the racehorse industry with virtually no horse knowledge or background takes years of study and dedication. It also takes the ability to ask questions, listen to opinions, form your own philosophy, and take risks. Finally, achieving true success takes an innate desire to serve and to form lifelong friendships with clients and competitors alike.
Walt and Janice Knorpp have achieved that level of success despite their horseless backgrounds.
A
A
A
A
A
S
c
Y
c
h
h
h
hi
ha
a
a
i
i
r
r
r
e
e
e
d
d
v
v
v
de
i
i
i
e
n
n
ng
en
n
n
g
g
s
o
o
ou
s
s
u
u
u
u
u
g
g
c
c
cc
gh
h
f
c
c
e
e
e
f
f
s
s
s
o
o
s
s
s
i
or
r
r
t
i
in
t
n
n
t
th
h
h
t
t
o
o
o
h
h
h
s
s
s
e
e
e
r
e
e
e
w
r
r
w
w
a
a
ac
c
ce
h
h
h
e
eh
o
o
h
h
oh
o
o
or
h
h
a
a
r
rs
av
s
se
v
ve
e
ei
e
eg
i
i
g
g
n
n
nd
r
r
d
d
ro
o
o
u
u
u
w
w
w
s
s
s
t
t
t
n
n
n
u
r
r
ry
y
y
i
u
up
p
W
i
is
s
s pW
a property and casualty insurance agency but decided he didn’t want to run it. He asked Walt Jr. to step in, and the rest, as they say, is history.
Walt Jr.’s insurance business included a few ranch-owning clients who had horses they also wanted insured, so Walt stepped up and learned the equine side of insurance in the mid- to late 1970s. “I got to where I enjoyed it, and it looked like a good niche market to get into,” he says.
“I initially got into primarily the show Quarter Horses. Then I decided that I probably enjoyed the race end of it, so I got into that. We did it as part of Knorpp Insurance Agency, and then I
SE
ER
RE
EN
N
a
al
l
D
DI
t
t
e
er
B
IP
PI
B
IT
T
Y
h
with horses and have a firm equine foundation to
r
Margaret Kelly Knorpp in 1940 in his present hometown of Clarendon, Texas. The oldest
of three children, Walt has one sister, Karen Knorpp Rose, and a brother, Todd. Surprising for small-town Texans, none of the Knorpp family was involved or interested in horses.
Walt attended Texas Christian University
in Fort Worth and the University of Arizona in Tucson, majoring in banking and finance. But before he graduated, his father called asking him to come home. Walt Sr., a banker, had bought
h
.
.
K
Kn
n
o
or
r
p
pp
pJ
Jr
r
.
.
w
wa
as
sb
b
o
o
r
rn
n
t
t
o
o
W
Wa
a
l
l
t
t
e
e
r
ra
a
n
n
d
d
102 SPEEDHORSE, April 2018