Correct, balanced and elegant are just a few words that Alexandra Chavez uses to describe her new American Quarter Horse stallion, The Born Legacy. The 2013 bay stallion, by Good I Will Be and out of Pretty Hot And Sonny, will serve as the cornerstone of Chavez’s Western Pleasure and breeding programs.

It should come as no surprise that The Born Legacy is a special horse. He comes by his talent honestly.

His sire, Good I Will Be is a three-time AQHA and National Snaffle Bit Association World Champion. He has sired four AQHA World Champions, three Reserve AQHA World Champions and several Congress and NSBA World Champions. His get have lifetime NSBA earnings in excess of $291,187.

His dam, Pretty Hot And Sonny is by Hot Pretense and out of Sociable War Beauty. As a yearling she earned over $7,600 by winning Longe Line classes at the Tom Powers Futurity, Reichert Celebration, Erie County Futurity and the Wisconsin Flag City Futurity, claiming the NSBA High Point Longe Line title.

Michelle Johnston of Five J’s Ranch located in Mansfield, Georgia, raised The Born Legacy after purchasing his dam in the Rita Crundwell dispersal sale. She did a lot of research and was looking for a mare bred to Good I Will Be that she felt would go on to cross well on her American Paint Horse stallion, Whata Vested Asset. Pretty Hot And Sonny was her first choice and that didn’t change after Johnston saw the mare in person.

“The Born Legacy (aka Dutch) was always a very soft and affectionate colt, he is kind with a big heart and the best disposition,” Johnston recalled. “He was really playful and would show off in the pasture with his buddies. They would be running and he was always in the rear of the bunch. I think he thought he was going fast, but never really had that high third gear. It was always a smooth, cadenced, balanced lope.”

Johnston said the youngster always had a certain self-confidence about him, not afraid of anything, just very curious, but never spooky.

Since the Johnstons breed and show APHA Michelle decided it wasn’t feasible to add an AQHA stallion to their breeding program so she began to market Dutch to a select group of trainers she felt would give him the best advantage for success in the show pen and ultimately as a sire. In October 2014 she offered him to nine leading trainers including Ty and Karen Hornick of Jamestown, Ohio. Johnson sent them a short clip of Dutch running free in the pasture and Karen responded immediately.

“The first time I saw Dutch was on a video, he was loping in a pasture and it looked so easy for him,” Karen Hornick said. “I replayed that video over and over, I was just so drawn to this horse.”

However, with the Congress quickly approaching the Hornicks had other things on their minds so it wasn’t until December that Ty Hornick and his customer finally got the opportunity to travel to Georgia to see Dutch.

They went. They saw. They called and said they had to have him. On New Year’s Day Dutch passed the vet pre purchase exam with flying colors and he was off to Ohio. The Hornicks began riding him that winter and knew immediately he was something special.

“Dutch was first ridden here in January and his first steps were effortless. He cracked off loping so sure of himself with no hesitation.” Karen Hornick recalled. “As a stallion he respected our space, but took every chance to be pet on.”

Alexandra Chavez had also seen that video of Dutch as a yearling and was just as drawn to him as the Hornicks had been. After eight months of riding Chavez finally had the chance to see Dutch, by then Ty Hornick’s Masters Western Pleasure nominee, in person at the NSBA World Show in Tulsa, Oklahoma and was presented with the opportunity to purchase him. She jumped at it.

“He’s great minded, particularly for a stallion,” Chavez said. “He really is a gentle giant, so willing and eager to please. He just loves his job.”

When it was time to find the perfect show partner for her new stallion, Chavez turned to Maggie Grandquist to take the reins and continue the youngster’s training. The Born Legacy will make his debut in the 2016 Hylton Maiden 3 & Over Western Pleasure at the Virginia Classic in April. After that he will compete in Green and Novice classes throughout the year. Sharnai Thompson will show him in 3-Year-Old Non-Pro classes and Troy Lehn will get started on the stallion’s All-Around career. After this show season Chavez plans to stand The Born Legacy to a limited group of mares in 2017 at Highpoint Performance Horses in Pilot Point, Texas.

Last fall Chavez purchased the Pilot Point farm Steve Heckaman has been working out of, from Dr. Jan Kengis, of Waukesha, Wisconsin, and renovations have been taking place ever since. The farm features an 18-stall show barn, an eight-stall mare barn, a large covered arena, an outdoor arena and plenty of turn out pastures. She hopes to be able to move in by April.

Chavez will also show her new partner, Zippin A Breeze, raised by Dan and Kathryn Frederick, in 3-Year-Old Non-Pro Western Pleasure this year and Grandquist will show him in 3-Year-Old Open Western Pleasure. Zippin The Breeze is a 2013 sorrel gelding by Invitation Only and out of Zippin The Breeze. The new teams have already recorded wins in Amateur and Junior Western Pleasure the Prairie Classic in Oklahoma City last month and Zippin A Breeze was the 2016 Dixie Nationals 3-Year-Old Open and Non-Pro Western Pleasure Champion and won circuit championships in Junior and Amateur Western Pleasure.

Though she has a great passion for showing horses Chavez said her greatest accomplishment is her family. She lives in Paradise Valley, Arizona, with her husband, Eric, a retired baseball player, and their children: Diego, 10; Dolce, 7; and Cruz, 6.