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Providing a client with a product that fits their needs at a price they can afford is always a prudent business decision. It keeps the customers happy and coming back for more. This is the philosophy at Legacy Arabians, where they handle mainly youth and amateur riders from working families.

Their clients want to be competitive and have a companion horse to be a part of the family. Kathie Williams-Baity has found this niche that has challenged her, and encouraged her to work tirelessly for her clients. With high expectations from her riders, and in a market where top horses are sold before ads even appear, she has to be extremely creative to find talented horses to continue her legacy of selecting winners.

This is not always easy and many of her horses have needed extra care to bring out their hidden talents, or they have to be reworked from a previous show career, which did not meet expectations. This is where Kathie's talent shines. She is dedicated to her horses and riders, and committed to their success and it certainly shows when fourteen of the sixteen horses taken to Region 9 brought home forty Top Fives and twenty Regional Championships and Reserves.

The commitment is primary in their success. This commitment to the riders, horses, grooms and trainers and to each other has consistently put Legacy Arabians at he top. As you walk by the stalls you will see the mothers, fathers, friends and children unloading, putting up drapes and hanging buckets. You will hear a child call “mother” and five women will turn to answer, regardless of whose child it is. Dads hang electrical wires and fans; older riders teach younger riders; beginners carefully tote coats and hats and polish boots, tending to the last minute details of being a part of a winning team.

The Legacy Family long ago realized that their success is dependent upon each other. Together they support each other through tough times and great times. Do they fuss, Kathie says “Yes they certainly do, but more often, down the stall isles you will hear the music of a team with lots of cheering and laughter.” Sometimes when the breaks don't come her way, Kathie will close her eyes and listen to the laughter and the hubbub that makes this group what it is, and she knows they are in their rhythm and it is the music of her dreams.

There is something magical when all the hard work and dedication pay off. It happens when you are lucky enough to be able to watch your child or friend the moment their number is called and watch the expression change as they grasp the meaning that their goal has just been accomplished. You will recognize that this is truly an unforgettable moment and it makes it all worth while. They can ignore all the tears cried over “what might have been”, and ignore the long hours of extra work. At this moment time simply stands still for a second as they begin to realize what they have accomplished.

The riders of Team Legacy once again are so determined this year. Their philosophy during lessons is simple; you must try harder, work harder and practice more. Work, teach, train is the Team Legacy mantra. This year their hard work was obvious as they had their best regional show ever.

Katie Springer is one determined young rider. She came to Legacy at a show and said “I want to learn. Please teach me!” It didn't matter that she lived five hours away. It didn't matter that she had never been to a regional show. It didn't matter that she had to leave her home and come live at Legacy and she knew no one. All she wanted was a chance.

Katie can ride, she is a natural and had good training in the past. She has great parents and a loving grandfather committed to her success. So she packs up and comes to Legacy suitcase in hand to learn to ride and compete on her new horse, and her goal is to be one of the best in Region 9. She knew she was struggling with a difficult goal. She had owned Beau only a week and she knew the competition at Region 9 was some of the best in the nation! Just a chance - that was all she asked!

Katie was at the barn putting in a full days work everyday. She bathed horses, she lounged, she rode, she leaned and then took a short break and then did it all again. She finished every day hot, tired and dirty, with a smile on her face.

Her first day of competition at the show was about as brutal as it could be. Beau was unsure of his arena, and still unsure of his new rider. Katie was so disappointed, she was out of the ribbons, but determined to keep at it. “Do I still have a chance?” she asked. She kept at it and not only did she win a Top Five on Beau Prieto in Country English Pleasure, she also won a Top Five in hunter pleasure on Mounstruck. Katie finally got her chance, she got her ribbons and earned the respect of all her new Team Legacy friends.

Tara Remphrey couldn't wait to canter. She told Kathie emphatically, with her hands on her hips, she had been walk-trotting all her life and this year she was going to canter, finally! The issue with Tara is that it takes a whole village just to keep up with her. She and her buddy “Dirty Don” Don Nada+//, have won at every show they have been to this year. This eleven-year-old likes to canter so much that she has won every highpoint she has entered. She won the highpoint at Mayfest and won $1,000, which made mom and dad very happy and it went straight towards her show bill! She won a highpoint at Freedom Classic and she won a jacket at Cowtown for the highpoint prize there.

Don doubles in hunter and western, he also shows sidesaddle, equitation and horsemanship and above all he loves Tara. He lays his 16-hand body down in his stall and Tara lays all over him. She dotes on him with carrots and treats and scratches him on all his favorite spots. After a long hard day of showing Tara comes and asks Kathie, with a huge smile, to lift her on his bare back and they ride off, Tara in flip flops, Don in a lead rope and halter. She says they just need some time to play and relax!

She must have the recipe for success; Don Nada and Tara were named Reserve Champion and Top Five or better in all their classes except one. Tara doesn't care that she is the youngest in 13 & under, she is happy that she finally gets to canter!

Janelle Gillingham is in her final year in the youth division and is riding to win. She and her new horse Berry Last One have won several thousand dollars in scholarship money. This year alone winning $2,000 at the Freedom Classic and another $1,000 at the Mayfest Challenge. Region 9 was their first regional championship as Berry Last One won the Show Hack and was named Reserve Champion in Native Costume.

Janelle hopes to train professionally some day and she is well on her way having won more regional and national titles than can be listed. Currently she is Kathie's right hand, as she assists in the training of her own horses as well as her sisters and mothers. The Gillingham Family currently show and train five horses with Legacy Arabians.

Carly Gillingham says she's sitting back and letting her sister take the glory since it is Janelle's last year showing as a youth. She is one smart rider herself and she is just waiting while Janelle works out the kinks in all the new horses and then she has years left to claim the glory for herself! It sounds too good to be true this generous act of kindness, her sisters success at her own expense, but despite what she says she has had an outstanding year too. She won $6,000 in scholarship money at the San Antonio Livestock show and at the Mayfest Challenge she even beat her sister. She was riding her new horse GV In Between Dances and won their first championship in Country Pleasure JTR beating nineteen other horses. At Region 9 she and Klassified were named Reserve Champions in the tough Half-Arab English division with ten horses showing and The Premier came through for her with a Top Five in costume. If this is Carly's idea of waiting then what does the future hold?


As for Mom, what does she get for all the effort, outfitting both daughters to compete against each other? She is not left behind and with all the love and support from her daughters she was finally pushed into a class at Region 9 and she looked great taking her Top Five ribbons. Working full time as a nurse, she still finds the time and the money to compete and continue their family passion. This is what they live for and total commitment is their motto, “where there is a will, there's a way!” Says Susan

Max Fryer is all boy! He has a “need for speed” and he and his Half-Arab English and Costume horse Little Miss Muffit are always a crowd favorite. Max is in his first year out of walk-trot and he has by passed canter and gone straight to hand gallop with a vengeance in Native Costume. Max and Muffit brought home the championship ribbon from Freedom Classic this year in a tough 17 & under class edging out his Team Legacy buddies for the top spot. As the youngest rider in the Half-Arab English at Region 9 they triumphed with a Top Five win. DH Ozark+// and Max competed in the Country Pleasure JTR and together they looked the handsome pair as they rode their Top Five victory pass.

DH Ozark+// now twenty one years young has a special place in all their hearts and what more can you say about such a gifted horse. This year Austin Williams was Region 9 champion in Show Hack JTR and truly had one of the most beautiful rides they have ever witnessed. All three judges agreed and again Ozark was named unanimous champion. Lindsay Williams was reserve champion with Ozark and he amazed Kathie by still bringing home the Sweepstakes money with two reserve championships in the open divisions. “Ozark never misses a step. To me he will always be the definition of what a great Arabian should be,” says Kathie. “He continually amazes me with his heart, beauty and athletic ability. At 21 years, his charisma and beauty grow stronger. He has raised both Lindsay and Austin to the accomplished riders they are, and yet he still patiently accepts yet another young rider.”

Hanah Wimberly, in her first regional competition in Country English Pleasure Walk-Trot with Ozark was named Top Five and Reserve Champion. “He is a treasure as he pricks those ears forward, trots down the rail and proudly takes his young rider to the winners circle.” Ozarks' total for Region 9 was five championships or reserves with four different riders.

Austin Williams happily waved good-bye to his sister Lindsay. She is finally out of the youth division and on to college. With a big mischievous grin on his face he turned to Kathie and said “It's my turn!” Austin tired of sharing horses with his sister after all these years gets the spotlight all to himself and he is riding with a vengeance. He started the year by winning the Overall Highpoint Champion at he Freedom Classic and winning thousands in scholarship money and along the way winning the lovely Lois Finch Bronze. He went straight to the Houston Livestock Show where he won the Overall Highpoint and another thousand dollars in prize money.

He has some fancy new horses that have the crowds cheering him on. Matease his Half-Arab English horse has been champion & reserve in every show this year and won Region 9, but the horse of his dreams is Flame Ison. This bright fiery chestnut stallion, purchased only thirty days before regionals, has trotted right into Austin's heart. Struggling to learn his new friend, he rode daily. When Kathie first purchased him she grabbed Austin out of school and told him “You'd better learn quickly, he's just too good to not try to qualify, you can learn him at the show!” Austin, thinking his mother had finally gone crazy, kept saying he didn't think he could show him so soon.

Kathie decided at the last moment to head for the Alamo show in San Antonio. With time against them, they knew they had to get him ready. There was just something about this stallion, they knew that if they just couldn't keep their eyes off him, that others would feel the same. His attitude was wonderful and the more you asked the more he gave. They pulled into San Antonio at midnight. Austin had several quick lessons and then Flame went on to win almost every class he entered and qualified for Region 9 and Youth Nationals as well.

Flame didn't disappoint them at Region 9 either, in fact he earned everyone's respect. This gentle stallion is so strong and powerful, yet he lets Austin hop on bareback and they ride together all over the show grounds. They took him to the regional show just to see how he would stack up against the competition and what adjustments they would have to make in his training to be ready for the next years competition. They truly believed he was starting too late to be competitive at this year. Kathie said “You should never discount heart. As you sit on Flames back and trotting down the tunnel into the ring, you can feel him grown with every step he takes and when he hits the arena, he commands everyone's attention. This horse defines showing, as he trots along the rail, tail flying, he knows he was born to show and he simply loves it. The judges loved him too. He was named Region 9 Champion five times, with three of them being unanimous.”

Together he and Austin won every costume class unanimously and he Top Five'd all his English Classes. Austin was still grumbling though, because his sister Lindsay just wasn't going to let him have all the glory and she got to ride Flame to championships in Purebred Park and English Pleasure AOTR and finished off with a Top Five in Sidesaddle!

“Legacy's success was much more than I expected,” says Kathie “I try to stay focused and pay attention to all the details and be absolutely certain each horse and rider are prepared to be the best they can be. It is so rewarding to have them recognized for all their efforts. Even though our riders are taught to ride the best they can and we teach them to not focus on the competition entirely, usually one child is left out. So this year it was a wonderful gift to me that every young rider hit the winners circle.”

“They all support each other, they work and play hard and this year they all won. I couldn't be more proud of my riders and their beautiful horses, not just for the wins, but more importantly for the life lessons that our Arabians continually pass on to us all.”

For more information about Legacy Arabians program contact Kathie Williams-Baity, 9300 FM 1641, Terrell, TX 75160 or call 972-564-3736 or 214-748-1588.

9300 FM 1641 Terrell, Texas 75160 | 972-679-5720 | info@legacyarabians.com