Pat Heeley and Certainly Not

Tom Powers introduced a Maiden 2-Year-Old Western Pleasure Stakes Class for graduates of his Yearling Sale at his Michigan futurity in 2013 and Pat Heeley, of Van Meter, Iowa, won that class. He won it again in 2014 – both times aboard horses owned by Scott and Linda Berwick, of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada,

This year Heeley hopes he has another winner in Certainly Not (Luca), a 2013 bay gelding by Certain Potential and out of Multiple AQHA Congress Champion, Radically Fired Up.

“It took me quite a while to figure out who I wanted to show in the Powers Stakes Class,” Heeley says. “But over time, Luca’s size and strength really began to stand out, along with his natural ability and talent.”

And Heeley has plenty of talented 2-year-olds from which to choose.

He owns and operates Heeley Pleasure Horses with his wife Sara, and the program focuses predominantly on 2-year-olds and futurity horses in the Western Pleasure discipline. This year the Heeleys have 25 total horses in training, and 18 of them are 2-year-olds.

According to Pat and Sara, each horse in their 2015 training program has something special to offer…starting with Certainly Not, owned and bred by Sara’s mother, Susan Knapp.

Pat, Sara, Hudson and Hayes Heeley

“We have found that the cross between Certain Potential and Radically Fired Up produces some really great movers and overall amazing show horses,” Knapp says. “Luca has an extremely strong show presence about him.”

The Heeleys are also preparing several other 2-year-olds for various futurities throughout the year.

Sara plans to show RR Dont Get Me Wrong (Sophie), a 2013 bay mare, sired by Certain Potential and out of Touchable Asset, owned by Pat’s father, Don Heeley, of Lindsay, Ontario, Canada.

“Sophie will be shown by Sara in the 2-Year-Old Non-Pro Western Pleasure Class at the Quarter Horse Congress,” Pat explains. “She is a very pretty mare and Sara looks really good with her.”

Sara says she is looking forward to showing RR Dont Get Me Wrong, because the first time she rode the mare, the two of them clicked. She is also quite impressed with the overall look and appearance that the mare has, along with her good disposition.

And Susan Knapp will be showing One Code Of Red (Ava), a 2013 bay roan mare sired by VS Code Red, out of Reserve Congress Champion, Only And Forever.

“I knew right away that Ava would be the perfect fit for Susan,” Pat says. “The mare has a very laid back personality, natural self carriage, and a level topline.”

Knapp, a multiple World and Congress Champion exhibitor, will make her debut aboard One Code of Red in the 2-Year-Old Non-Pro Western Pleasure at the Tom Powers Futurity while Troy Compton will show her in the Sale Stakes Class. Then Knapp plans to show her at the National Snaffle Bit Association World Championship Show in August and at the Congress in October.

Sara Heeley and RR Dont Get Me Wrong

“This mare is very sound minded and trustworthy,” Knapp says. “As a rider in my 60s, I do not get on and show just any 2-year-old.”

Pat is particularily excited about his 2015 Congress Masters Western Pleasure entry. He has selected Hashtag Huntin, a 2013 blanketed dun Appaloosa stallion, owned by the Berwick family. Hashtag Huntin is sired by Chocolatey and out of Reserve Congress Champion, Whos Cheating Who, also owned by the Berwicks.

This year, Sara is also piloting a 2011 sorrel mare, Im Lazy (Hannah), owned by Susan Knapp. Im Lazy is sired by No Doubt Im Lazy and out of Shes On Holiday. This mare is currently ranked top three nationally in the Green Western Pleasure. She will be attending all of the major shows this year, participating in the Green Western Pleasure with Pat, and the Amateur Western Pleasure with Sara.

After the Iowa Seven-Day-Run, Im Lazy will be sent to Chad Evans in Colorado to start her Trail career. Sara thinks that the mare looks to be a very good prospect for the discipline and they are hoping she will make her Trail debut at the NSBA World Show.

“Until Hannah came along, I have not been able to find a horse that I really enjoy showing like I did with my past show horses, Cool Krymsun Lady and Certainly A Good Bar, but this mare has made showing fun for me again,” Sara says.

Over the years, the Heeleys have earned many titles and accomplishments in show industry.

Pat is an AQHA Congress Champion, Multiple NSBA, PHBA, ApHC World Champion, and has numerous futurity wins to his credit. He has trained many World Champions, Reserve World Champions, and Top 10 horses in the Open, Non Pro and Youth Western Pleasure and Western Riding events.

Sara is a Multiple NSBA World Champion, AQHA Congress Champion, PHBA Reserve World Champion. She too has won numerous futurities.

Susan Knapp and Heavenly Mac

The Heeleys agree that their biggest accomplishment does not relate to the show pen. They take the most pride in raising their two sons, Hudson and Hayes.

“Motherhood is the best thing that has ever happened to me. There is never a dull moment with my boys,” Sara says.

Looking back, Sara shares the story of when she first caught a glimpse of Pat at a horse show in 2007. She remembers asking someone who “that guy” was. Although, it was not until a couple of years later when the two of them finally crossed paths.

In January of 2009, during a show in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Mitch Adkins introduced Pat and Sara to each other for the first time. From that moment on, the two lovebirds were inseparable. They became engaged in September of 2009 when Pat asked Sara to marry him at Niagara Falls. After Pat’s Visa was approved, the couple tied the knot on May 21st, 2010 at the Temple of Performing Arts in Des Moines, Iowa.

On Oct. 10, 2012, the Heeleys’ first child, Hudson, was born.

“Four days after Hudson was born, we headed off to the Congress. He was the most easy-going baby,” Sara shares.

Their second son, Hayes, arrived on Feb. 10.

Sara Heeley and Im Lazy

“We didn’t think there was any possible way we would have another baby as laid back as Hudson, but Hayes is exactly the same way,” Pat says.

Originally from Canada, Pat also has a 7-year-old son, Aiden Heeley, who lives in Ontario, Canada. The Heeleys regularly travel there to visit with family and friends.

Sara’s parents, Bill and Susan Knapp, live just down the road from the Heeleys. Knapp Quarter Horse Farms is is focused on breeding, raising and training AQHA Western Pleasure and All- Around performance horses.

The horses begin their Western Pleasure training with Pat during their 2-year-old year. Afterwards Jason Martin, of HighPoint Performance Horses, generally continues their training for all-around training as 4 or 5-year-olds.

Most of the young horses bred by Knapp Quarter Horses are out of the two elite mares, Multiple Congress Champion, Radically Fired Up, and Multiple World and Congress Champion, Cool Krymsun Lady.

Although Knapp is excited about showing her new 2-year-old this year (One Code Of Red), she will always be most excited about showing her all-time favorite horse, three-time Congress Champion and Reserve World Champion, Heavenly Mac (Mac). Knapp and Mac are hoping to vie for the AQHA Superhorse award at the World Show this year.

“Mac is a once in a lifetime horse,” Susan says. “He is so forgiving and kind. I will never find another horse like him again. Mac will be with us for the rest of his life. I will make sure he is happy until the day he dies.”

Susan says it’s also wonderful to share the love of horses with both of her daughters. Her youngest daughter, Anna Terry, also operates a horse training facility, Zuidema Show Horses, located in Cummings, Iowa, with her boyfriend, James Zuidema.

The Heeleys 23-stall barn is located on 1,000 acres of rolling land in Van Meter, Iowa. Between the indoor arena, outdoor arena, miles of green pastures and plenty of wooded trails leading to the nearby river that they sometimes ride through, there is never a boring moment.

“Repetition, consistency and aiming to keep things relatively simple is what we strive for in training our young horses. We pay attention and wait for the horses to tell us when they are prepared to progress to the next step, instead of forcing them onward when they are not ready,” Pat says.

Sara agrees.

“If the horses are not 110 percent prepared, we will just wait and show them the following year,” she says. “There is absolutely no benefit in pushing them if they are not ready.”

The Heeleys are eager to see what this show season will bring.

“All in all, we have an outstanding set of customers this year. Our new assistant trainer, Drew DeBuhr, is doing a fantastic job. And without our wonderful barn manager, Steven Davidson, Heeley Pleasure Horses wouldn’t exist,” Sara says. “This looks to be an exciting year for us, both in and out of the show pen. We are blessed to have each other, our family, and a career that we both love and enjoy.”