The Leckey Family

AQHA and NSBA trainers Mitch and Jennifer Leckey will be relocating their Leckey Quarter Horses training operation to Ocala, Florida, where they will also manage the Bradac Ranch South.

“We are all excited about entering this new chapter,” says Kerry Bradac, who made the announcement today.

Mitch and Jennifer Leckey started training in Ocala and worked for Tim and Lou Petty from 1998 to 2002, when they moved to Richmond, Indiana. Over the past 17 years they have trained and coached multiple AQHA and NSBA World Champions, Quarter Horse Congress Champions and major futurity winners.

Mitch, Jennifer and their son, Chase, will move from their current Richmond, Indiana facility to Ocala at the conclusion of the 2015 Quarter Horse Congress. In their new role they will train Bradac-bred foals as well as maintain their own training operation.

Jennifer Leckey & Hot Diggity Joe
Photo by KC Montgomery

“We feel so blessed to have the opportunity to return to Ocala, where Chase was born, and our hearts feel at home,” Jennifer says. “ We are very excited that many of our long time customers will be making the move to Florida with us and embarking on this new adventure. We will be accepting a very limited number of new outside training horses so we can focus on the promotion of the Bradac Ranch.”

Mitch and Jennifer, both AQHA Professional Horseman, have trained or exhibited such accomplished show horses as Won Last Stand, Suddenly Its Time, Chips Original Cookie, Al Wanna Be First, Certain Potential, Gotta Dig It and Mr Magnolia Zip.

Mitch rode No Doubt Im Lazy to an AQHA World Championship in 2-Year-Old Western Pleasure in 2008 and followed that up with a Congress Limited Open Western Maturity Championship in 2010.

Jennifer studied Graphic Design at Western Kentucky University. She received her AQHA judge’s card in 2010 and is also carded by the NSBA.

The Leckeys with the Bradacs and Hot Diggity Joe at the Florida Winter Circuit Photo by Shane Rux

“Throughout my show career, Mitch and Jen were always trainers I admired. Their knowledge and expertise will be a tremendous asset to our program,” Kerry Bradac says. “I also want to wish Sean Knowles and Anna Ingram all the best in their new venture. They have spent the past two years helping get our program started in Ocala. We are very appreciative for everything they have done for us.”

Foals from the Bradac program have had wins or Top 10 placings at the Quarter Horse Congress and the AQHA, NSBA, PHBA, ABRA, IBHA World Shows as well as at the Canadian Nationals, Tom Powers Futurity and Reichert Celebration.

Kerry and Scott Bradac established the Bradac Ranch in southwestern North Dakota in 1995. In 2012 they relocated their breeding program to an 80-acre facility in the heart of Ocala’s horse country. The ranch boasts three barns with a total of 45 stalls, pastures and turnout and a 150-foot by 200-foot outdoor pen.

Bradac Ranch South is also the home of AQHA stallions Hot Diggity Joe and Open For Suggestion.

Hot Diggity Joe at the AQHA World Show
Photo by KC Montgomery

Congress Champion Hot Diggity Joe is a 1998 sorrel stallion by Blazing Hot and out of Jodie Fivette. He has over 400 AQHA points and placed in the Top Five at the AQHA World Show numerous times, including a fifth place finish in 2008 with Jennifer Leckey in the irons. Joe is a World and Congress Champion sire and his foals have earned numerous futurity championships. With 219 foals (89 of show age) his get have earned 1,800 AQHA points and over $20,000 in NSBA earnings. At the 2015 NSBA World Show, Hot Diggity Joe foals earned Reserve Championships and Multiple Top 10 placings in Hunter Under Saddle, Equitation and Longe Line.

Congress Top 10 Western Pleasure Champion Open For Suggestion is a 2007 red roan AQHA stallion by Open Range and out of Fancy China (by Zippo Jack Bar). His oldest foals are 3-year-olds this year.

For more information on Bradac Ranch contact Kerry Bradac at (406) 670-2497. For more information on Leckey Quarter Horses call Jennifer at (765) 277-6461or Mitch at (317) 626-7196.