Page 102 - April 2016

WYATT AND ZACK STINEBAUGH
Twin 16-year-old juniors at McNeil High School who live in Austin, Texas
by Tracy Gantz
Twins experience life differently from the rest of us. At least until they go their separate ways as adults, they are usually defined together. Wyatt and Zack Stinebaugh make the most of the advantages, developing similar inter- ests while also reveling in their differences.
“Although it is annoying that people assume we are identical in our personalities and every- thing we do,” said Zack, “it’s nice to be twins because we have been around each other since birth and are similar to typical brothers. It’s also kind of cool to be a twin, considering how rare it is and also to meeting other twins.”
Wyatt and Zack are the sons of trainer John Stinebaugh and Deanna Ricker LaPlante. Both of their parents love animals and have instilled that love in their sons. Wyatt and Zack are members of their high school’s horse judging team, and their current riding horses are racehorse-bred JMS Star Eyed Jack and Sweet Southern Man.
“We have both been surrounded by horses from birth,” said Zack. “We have owned Shetland ponies, miniature horses, and now Quarter Horses.”
The twins have spent plenty of time at the racetrack.
“We have practically grown up at Ruidoso Downs and Sunland Park,” said Wyatt. “Both tracks feel like a second home to us. We have raced at Retama Park, Ruidoso Downs, Lone Star Park, in Louisiana, and in Florida.”
The twins regularly witness the All American races, as well as the Rainbow Futurity and Derby.
Wyatt’s personal favorite racehorses include CC Carter, Tres To Midnight and Double Down Special, the latter a millionaire trained by their father. Double Down Special was a world-record holder who won the 2010 All American Derby and Ruidoso Derby.
“He was an extremely personable, unique, and interesting horse who was unmatched in speed,” said Wyatt.
Zack’s favorites include No Dice Special, WR Golden Eagle and Komayne Splash. No Dice Special and WR Golden Eagle were both graded stakes winners.
The brothers live with their mother in Austin and during the summers work for their father, who is based in San Antonio. Wyatt and Zack hope to begin breaking yearlings soon.
Beyond racehorses, they excel at raising and showing pigs and will be officers in the McNeil FFA for 2016-17. The twins have put in a busy winter at a variety of stock shows, including those in Houston, Austin, and San Antonio.
Their efforts have yielded many top honors, though they have had to weather their share of setbacks. They raised four pigs in their second year, but lost Winston, a Yorkshire pig, to a burst colon, while another Yorkshire, Dusty, had a defect that limited his ability to produce muscle. Their other two, Robb, a blue-butted cross, and Bear, a Duroc, placed in the STARR of Austin Rodeo show.
Wyatt and Zack are showing five pigs this year and named two of them for trainers—the crossbred John after their father and a Spotted Poland China named Bryan after Bryan Muse. They showed Bryan and another pig at the San Antonio Stock Show in late February.
The teens have had to work hard bringing back their Hampshire pig Noel from an illness that put him behind in development compared with his brother, Kagara.
“Noel has a great personality and is irresist- ible,” said Wyatt. “Our pigs are trained to the point where they almost act like dogs.”
When they aren’t showing pigs or working for their father, Wyatt and Zack put in plenty of time with their studies. They love history and English classes, and they are both such good students that they are already completing advanced placement classes that will earn them college credit.
Foreign languages intrigue Wyatt and Zack. They participate in their school’s German
club, and Wyatt is in his third year of study- ing German. Zack is learning German as
Wyatt and Zack at an earlier age and more recently with with their father John Stinebaugh
well as Spanish. They took a weeklong trip to Germany this past winter with their German teacher to practice the language and to learn about the culture.
As if that didn’t keep them busy enough, the teens enjoy rock climbing and swim- ming, and they have become accomplished skateboarders. Wyatt creates custom skate- boards, and Zack is learning vert skate- boarding, the dramatic X-Games style of skateboarding in which the athlete takes the board up a vertical incline.
Their many interests give them a good foundation, which they plan to expand upon when they attend college. Right now they are considering Texas A&M University, probably to pursue careers in agriculture. While neither has decided yet upon what specific field they will enter upon graduation, horses will very likely play a large role in both of their lives.
100 SPEEDHORSE, April 2016
Zack & Wyatt in the winner’s circle at Los Alamitos with Justa Royal Winner, trained by their father John.
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