Breaking into the upper echelons of professional horse training isn’t easy, especially for east coast riders who aren’t from horse families. Jeremy Gates ’99 is proving that hard work and determination can overcome geographical boundaries and a later introduction to the horse industry. His career boasts one of the highest scores in a National Reining Horse Association (NRHA) event, as well as world and reserve world championship titles.
"I had never ridden a reiner before coming to school. It opened up a whole new world of opportunities,” he said.
Gates started riding at 13 after his family moved to Arcade, New York. He needed a job, and the barn at the end of the road needed help. His first chore was cleaning stalls. Not content to watch from the sidelines, he soon negotiated a deal to work in exchange for lessons. Eventually, he bought a horse and competed at local open and 4-H shows.
As high school graduation approached, he considered two options: law enforcement or horse training. He chose the latter, enrolling in SUNY Morrisville’s equine science & management program. He joined the school’s Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA) Western team and spent three summers riding in the school’s colt-breaking and showing program run by instructor Spike Holmes, who has since retired.
“Those summer experiences were a representation of what it was going to be like in the real world after graduation,” Gates said. “It was much more than riding horses. It was an immersion into what it takes to be a trainer, from cleaning stalls to feeding and working horses and packing a trailer to go to a show after a long day in the barn.”
Those summer experiences were a representation of what it was going to be like in the real world after graduation.
His commitment was apparent.
“Jeremy always showed a lot of interest in learning and had a really good work ethic,” Holmes said. “He would listen to constructive criticism and had a natural talent.”
Gates originally wanted to be an all-around trainer. That meant he would teach riders to compete in multiple Western events shown on the rail and on a pattern, but also included reining — a fast-paced precision event with crowd pleasing spins, rollbacks and slides. Although he learned a lot about the sport of reining while at SUNY Morrisville, he felt it was his weakest event.
Holmes connected Gates with renowned Maryland-based trainer Dutch Chapman where Gates worked as an assistant for three years. He soaked up as much as he possibly could from his new mentor. Under Chapman’s guidance, Gates earned his first national award showing Ms. Peppy Mint Chic for owner Terri Key. Together, they were crowned the NRHA Limited Open Reserve World Champions, which is based on total money earned throughout the year. The pair also finished in the Intermediate Open Top Ten.
“I had no prior knowledge or contacts that could help me advance in the industry before college,” Gates said. “School helped me get connected to the right people to advance my career.”
In 2004, he moved home to New York to work for Stony Ford Ranch in Campbell Hall. He has sinceput the facility on the map. In 2008, he won his second NRHA World Championship riding Peptos I Brow for the farm. He also purchased and trained Lil Dreamin Magnum for owner Kathy Biesecker. Gates showed the stallion to a $108,000 in earnings and earned his highest score at one show — a 79.5 and a 77 for a composite score of 156.5 under two judges.
In reining, every horse and rider starts with a score of 70. There are eight maneuvers that must be completed in a prescribed pattern. Judges score each maneuver individually from -1.5 to +1.5. A zero on a maneuver is considered average. It’s very difficult to earn a perfect score on every single maneuver.
“It’s probably one of the highest scores ever marked in the East and few people in the country have marked that high,” he said.
He won the Level 2 Novice Horse Open Reserve World Championship with Watchitgalsgottagun in 2017, and his total NRHA career earnings now stand at $328,301.
“He is dedicated to trying to improve and that’s the secret to successful horse training. There’s never a pinnacle, there is always something new to try,” Holmes said. “In the show pen he is being rewarded for all his hard work.”
Gates remembers where his success started. He has leveraged his connections in the industry to promote SUNY Morrisville, enabling its faculty to appear on RFD-TV, the nation’s first 24-hour television network featuring programming focused on the agribusiness, equine and rural lifestyle, along with traditional country music and entertainment.
He has also been a great supporter of Morrisville, purchasing foals from the school’s breeding program and hiring students as interns.
Giving back to the larger reining horse industry is important to Gates. He currently serves on the Central New York Reining Horse Association Board of Directors and runs the Northeast Breeders Stallion Auction. In 2018, the fundraiser raised $51,000. In 2019, bids increased to $81,999.
Giving back to the larger reining horse industry is important to Gates. He currently serves on the Central New York Reining Horse Association Board of Directors and runs the Northeast Breeders Stallion Auction. In 2018, the fundraiser raised $51,000. In 2019, bids increased to $81,999.
By taking a leadership role in the local reining horse club, he is helping raise awareness of the quality of trainers and events on the East Coast. The area was once a hotbed of activity for the sport, which moved west to Ohio, Texas and Oklahoma. Those efforts help support the trainers of today and those studying at SUNY Morrisville who want to stay in the state and have a fruitful career.
“Serving on the board is important to me because it’s important for us to have high-quality shows with big cash payouts that we don’t have to travel all over the country for,” he said.