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by Gary Dearth
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rett Becker is one of the most successful trainers of western pleasure horses in our breed, but prior to training and showing many National Champions he had humble beginnings. “When I started as a kid I just wanted a trail horse,” says Brett. “I went to Murrel Lacey’s and even though I just wanted to ride on the trail, I was exposed to the show horse side of things there. I bought my first horse for $150 at Murrel’s 4-H auction. Before I knew it, I was showing against Toni Lynn Isola and all those kids that were at Murrel’s with their expensive *Bask sons and daughters.” Brett’s unanimous Scottsdale Champion Western Pleasure win with Kheanne (*Khadraj NA x TN Katiki by Versace) last month illustrates both his skills as a trainer and how much the quality of his mounts has improved. Kheanne is an exceptionally beautiful bay mare known for her consistency and quality of movement. She already has an extensive show record that includes last year’s National Reserve Championship in western pleasure at the Canadian Nationals. “I bought Kheanne from Gordon Potts for the Pitassis as a
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three-year-old,” Brett said. “He showed her to a U.S. National Top Ten in the threeyear-old western futurity for owner/breeder Trina Neufeld of Scottsdale, Arizona. My client Brooke Pitassi saw Kheanne at Nationals that year and went nuts over her. She came back to the barn and said, ‘We’ve got to get this mare.’ I tried her and we bought her. The next year she was Canadian National Champion Junior Western and U.S. Top Ten. Brooke was Canadian National Reserve Champion in amateur in the hackamore and then won the maturity at U.S. Nationals. Kheanne was also Top Ten in the junior western at U.S. Nationals the next year.” When Kheanne shows, it looks effortless, and as Brett says, “You can tell her what to do and she just flows around the arena. You don’t have to give her big signals; I just guide her off my legs. She never gets startled by anything. The thing I like most about her is she is so slow-footed. She is not quick in her movement or demeanor. She has a nice, slow, natural rhythm about her. Even at a gallop she doesn’t get quick.” Brett
Kheanne (*Khadraj NA x TN Katiki) was unanimous 2017 Scottsdale Champion Western Pleasure with Brett Becker, pictured opening page and facing, and Brett's son Hayden rode her to the Championship in Western Pleasure JOTR 14-18, above. Kheanne is owned by Becker Stables. Right: Brett, at the age of 13, on his first horse Olinkas Shampen (*Pentagon x Sanshab by Shabwa), whom he bought from Murrel Lacey for $150.
is proud when he talks about his son Hayden showing Kheanne to Champion in the Western Pleasure JOTR 14-18 at Scottsdale this year. “Somehow, one day my son decided he should get to show her,” he said. “He wanted to show her in the open but I suggested that he should start with the classes where you don’t have to run.” While Kheanne has been showing, she has also begun a breeding career via embryo transfer. “Kheanne looks a lot like her mother, TN Katiki by Versace. With her pedigree in mind, I went to Sundance Kid V (Desperado V x Sweet Shalimar V) for her first two foals,” says Brett. “She had a colt and a filly last year by him and they are both very nice. My wife Marjie and I own the filly. When Steve and Karen Freeman saw
the filly as a newborn they bought the colt in utero. He was born a week later — they were twin embryos. She had a Trussardi (Stival x Precious As Gold) filly this year that is over the top. She has an extremely short ‘dishy’ head and is huge. This year’s filly belongs to Bob and Julie Pomeroy, previous owners of Kheanne, whom they purchased from the Pitassis. I immediately bought another breeding to Trussardi because this filly is such a freak. I also sold some embryos out of Kheanne for this year. Larry Jerome bought two embryos, and Judy Mittenthal is going to breed her to her stallion Justin Mac V (Maclintock V x Jortalia V). I am also going to breed her to Onyx A (Sundance Kid V x Aliage SSA). Since Kheanne is going to be busy breeding she will probably just go to Youth Nationals with my son Hayden. She’ll get a break and then go to U.S. Nationals.” 3 b KHEANNE b WORLD
It is interesting that Larry Jerome, the longtime owner of *Khadraj NA, has acquired embryos from Kheanne for his breeding program. “I have always loved this mare,” he said. “One of the stallions I’m using is Puccini J (WH Justice x Miss Giovanna). I haven’t made up my mind who I will use for the second embryo. She is a unique mare who has the genetic potential to have great foals. Kheanne is a well-balanced horse with a superb mind and she is extremely athletic. She is western pleasure perfection. That was a very tough class at Scottsdale, and that was one of the greatest rides I have ever seen in a western class. If you look at the judges’ cards you will see that the only horse the judges agreed on was Kheanne. She was beautiful and artistic. Naturally I was thrilled because she is a *Khadraj daughter. She has his look and is a tremendous credit to his legacy.” Any horse breeder will tell you that success is equal measure inspiration and good fortune. As Trina Neufeld said, “I traded some mares for some breedings and the *Khadraj breedings turned out to be the most exciting of the ones I received. Kheanne is the great western horse I aspired to breed.” 4 b KHEANNE b WORLD
Kheanne’s 2017 filly by Trussardi.
As successful as Brett has been in western, he actually started out in the English division. “When I worked for Gordon Potts I hardly ever rode anything western,” he says. “I broke every horse on the farm to drive every winter. He taught me to never give up. Everybody I worked for was a good learning experience. You pick out pieces of it that become part of your puzzle.” “I can’t say that I taught him a lot other than how to work,” says Gordon. “Brett has developed his own style and system. He is extremely comfortable with it and fluent in his delivery. In the last ten or fifteen years, he has gotten really good at working with his horses, not against them. I’m not surprised by his success because he has such a good work ethic. He’s creative and he truly cares for his horses and loves them. He keeps working at it until he gets it.” Of course, another key to the success of Becker Stables is his partnership with his wife Marjie. “My greatest strength is Marjie,” Brett says. “She starts every horse here
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and gives them the best foundation. They all know what they are supposed to do because she gives them plenty of time. As a result, when I get them I can start asking more of them.” Brett’s longtime friend and mentor, Bill Melendez, remembers the serendipity of Brett and Marjie meeting while they both worked for him. “I got a call from Brett asking to come back to work for me,” says Bill. “I didn’t think it would work because Marjie and Brett together would be like fire and gasoline … but they ended up being a phenomenal complement to one another.” “We both have strengths and weaknesses,” says Brett. “And we know what those are and we are willing to let each other help out with those things.” That also sounds like a recipe for a happy marriage. In addition to the Beckers’ success in training, they are proud of the horses that they’ve bred, including such National Champions as Versaciano (Versace x SDA Lady Jabask) and Ladys Dance (Sundance Kid V x SDA Lady Jabask), who has been multinational champion hunter. “Marjie was Canadian National Champion Junior Horse with Ladys Dance in 2011, then our daughter, Alana, was National Champion in walk/trot in 2013,” says Brett. “That mare went on to win the ‘triple crown’ in open hunter with Marjie in 2014. Marjie had shown her mother, SDA Lady Jabask (GG
Top left: Kheanne was 2012 U.S. National Champion Western Pleasure AAOTR Maturity with previous owner Brooke Pitassi. Bottom right: Brett rode Kheanne to capture the 2016 Canadian National Reserve Championship in Western Pleasure, for then owner Julie Pomeroy.
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Jabask x SDA Bey Elegance), ten years earlier and was National Champion open hunter with her and she has produced three National Champions. We also bred Summer Holiday (Versace x My Holiday), who was U.S. and Canadian National Champion Junior Western. My Holiday also produced other National Champions for us. Our breeding advice to our clients has also resulted in many National winners. For instance Sally Leonardini bred Aura Spring (VP Aurabs Legacy x Calibers April) with us and produced Lets Get Loded (by LBA Lode Star), Geta Lode Of This (by LBA Lode Star), Sheza Loded Lady (by LBA Lode Star) and Aur U Ready Tu Rumble (by CA Hermoso). Those four foals won 47 national championships, and all of them were trained and shown by us. We have started breeding Sheza Loded Lady now and I was top ten on her second foal last year. So now we are starting to move to the next generation. The Whitakers bred Aliage SSA to Sundance Kid V on my advice and the result was Onyx A. He’s a great horse, and we will continue to breed to him. “It’s fun breeding the mares and seeing what the foals are when they are born and then watching them grow up,” 6 b KHEANNE b WORLD
Marjie Becker aboard Sweet Thingg (KM Bugatti x SDA Lady Jabask), 2016 Canadian National Champion Hunter Pleasure Junior Horse, bred and owned by Becker Stables.
continues Brett. “Through the training process I get to help them reach their full potential. And I enjoy it when someone else succeeds on a horse I bred. It’s a lot more fun when it starts at ground zero at your house. “I also like finding youngsters that I think can be good. I’ll stick them out in the field and let them grow up, like the horse that I won the Scottsdale Signature Western on this year, Khredential (Khash PGA x Aphrodite FA). I bought him as a yearling and he grew up here. His dam also produced Kharismatic PGA. Watching all the young horses growing up at Sheila Varian’s really helped me develop an eye. Another good example is Justin Mac V. I traded Sheila a broodmare for Justin Mac V when he was a two-year-old.” It’s clear that Brett and Marjie enjoy what they do. “We have a good time,” Brett says. “It’s rewarding when it all works. And when it doesn’t you just have to work harder or you need to step back and figure out why it didn’t work. Sometimes you have to take a hard look at yourself or the horse and figure things out. “In Kheanne’s case, she has been really special and very easy. She is a good girl all the time and really great to show — the kind of horse who makes you look good, whether you’re a trainer or a breeder.”
Top: Summer Holiday (Versace x My Holiday), 2011 U.S. and Canadian National Champion Half-Arabian Western Pleasure Junior Horse, bred and owned by Becker Stables. Middle right: Versaciano (Versace x SDA Lady Jabask), 2010 U.S. National Champion Hunter Pleasure Junior Horse with Brett Becker, bred by Becker Stables. Left: Alana Becker and Ladys Dance (Sundance Kid V x SDA Lady Jabask), 2016 U.S. National Champion Hunter Pleasure JOTR 13 & Under with Alana, 2014 U.S. National Champion Hunter Pleasure with Marjie, 2013 Canadian National Champion Hunter Pleasure WalkTrot with Alana, and 2011 Canadian National Champion Hunter Pleasure Junior Horse with Marjie, bred and owned by Becker Stables
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Clockwise, from top left: Marjie with SDA Lady Jabask (GG Jabask x SDA Bey Elegance), 2003 U.S. National Champion Hunter Pleasure; Brett and Marjie's youngest son Levi Becker; Brett with his Greenwing Macaw; Becker Stables in Grass Valley, California.
BECKER STABLES Brett and Marjie Becker 13227 Elster Place 路 Grass Valley, CA 95949 530.477.5588 路 info@beckerstables.com 路 www.BeckerStables.com
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