Page 174 - June 2018 Speedhorse

Meeting the Committee
JESSICA PAGE
Courtesy APHA -- APHA members share a love of the Paint horse, and they are also alike in that no one APHA member is the same as another - they
all have a different story to tell. Two such members are Jessica Page of Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, and Michelle Fleming of Coweta, Oklahoma; both are avid Paint horse enthusiasts and members of the 2018 Racing Advisory Committee.
How long have you been involved in the racing industry in general and Paint racing specifically?
Jessica: My involvement in the racing indus- try started in 2009 by complete accident. My parents purchased Uh Huh Judy for me in the fall of 2008, with hopes of him becoming my college rodeo back-up horse.
In December 2008, our cousin called saying
we needed to think about putting him back on the track. I was completely against him returning to the track because he was training incredibly and seemed to be enjoying his new job as a barrel horse. After several days of discussions, I reluctantly agreed to send him to the track but only if he would run one time. Unknown to me at the time, this decision would forever change my family’s lives.
Michelle: I have been involved in the Paint racing industry since 2010 when my parents pur- chased their first off-the-track horse, Domestic Diva (Dos Poruno-Domestic Disturbance). She was two at the time, and I took her to college
for a colt-breaking class. I really dove into the Paint community when I moved back home
from college. I started working at Wright Farms, managing the breeding operation, and have been there for almost six years. We breed, raise and run Paint racehorses. My parents also began breeding a couple of Paint mares around the same time that I started at Wright Farms.
Tell us about some of your favorite Paint horses.
Jessica: Over the years, I’ve had several horses I’ve been very fond of, but my favorite is my first race horse, Lajollas Lil Ms Big. This gritty little
Meet Jessica Page and Michelle Fleming from APHA’s Racing Committee
mare is all heart, full of try and an attitude to match. My all-time favorite horse to watch race is Painted Turnpike. It is magical to watch Painted Turnpike run, and I love being part of his fan club.
Michelle: I am partial to our horses that come from the farm or ones that I have started on bar- rels. Super Glide Harley and Lajollas Mr Big Stuff are two of my all-time favorites. They ran against each other on the track and both made really nice horses in the arena. Super Glide Harley (Awesome Chrome-Biker Chick) won around $116,000 on the track and has a second career as a rope horse. Lajollas Mr Big Stuff (Royal Quick Flash-MCM Evelyn Lajolla) won around $150,000 on the track and is a 1D/rodeo money-earner barrel horse.
What is your favorite Paint racing memory?
Jessica: I have several favorite Paint racing memories, but I have two that stand out. March 27, 2009 was my family’s very first race with Uh Huh Judy, who won by over a length. To say we were hooked was an understatement - we were obsessed! Fast forward to March 19, 2016, with my second favorite memory of when Lajollas
Lil Ms Big and I had our first win and our first picture taken in the winner’s circle. Nothing can ever replace the feeling of your first win. It is a special moment for sure!
Michelle: My favorite memory would have
to be winning the 2015 PBRIP 4- & 5-Year-Old Barrel Racing Futurity at the APHA World Show on Lajollas Mr Big Stuff. I bought him straight off the race track as a 4 year old and we worked hard to be ready in time for the futurity. That was one of my biggest goals: to train and win a futurity. What made it even better is that I was four months pregnant with my son. Mr. Big took me further than I ever expected.
Why do you enjoy breeding Paint horses?
Jessica: I enjoy Paint breeding because of the people involved, and I just love Paint horses. I think there is a real need for young breeding programs like mine and Michelle’s, to breed a
MICHELLE FLEMING
mare for a diverse career after racing, maybe even a more successful one.
Michelle: I love breeding season and breeding Paint horses is so exciting. Not knowing if you’re going to get color or not, and when you do get color, they light up the pasture. I love seeing all the new foals and choosing the stallions to breed back to. It’s exhausting, but well worth it to see that foal crop grow and run.
Why do you love Paint racing?
Jessica: My love for Paint horse racing started the day Uh Huh Judy won his first race because the horse brought my entire family together. The more involved I get with Paint horse racing, the larger my family grows. It’s not just about the horses, it’s about building and growing lifelong relationships with fantastic people.
Michelle: The American Paint Horse Association is working extremely hard to grow their barrel racing and racing programs, and it’s an amazing thing to be a part of. There is so much out there to win on the track or in the arena.
Why should others get involved in Paint racing?
Jessica: I think others should get involved because, 1) it is more affordable, 2) we need more people in Paint racing to keep the racing industry alive, and 3) because the Paint racing people who are involved become part of your family. Paints are amazing animals and the feeling you get when you step into the winner’s circle is indescribable. Michelle: Paint racing is growing and the resale of off-the-track Paint horses has increased greatly. I think people are seeing what a Paint horse can do - they can win! The American Paint Horse Association is incredibly dedicated to their members as well. The association is working with breeders, owners and competitors to help them and improve what we can to make it the best it can be. Being a part of an association that is so dedicated to moving forward and helping their members, I don’t know why anyone wouldn’t want to be a part of it.
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