In the grand scheme of the horse show industry, trainer, Anthony Leier is still in his infancy. At the age of twenty-seven, Leier didn’t start showing until age fifteen after watching his mom, Cammy Leier, show appaloosas for years, especially in the longe line.
After attending college for just one year, Leier dropped out and moved to College Station, Texas to start his career as a horse trainer.
However, starting late and still being young has been an easy obstacle for Leier to overcome.
By the end of 2015, Leier Performance Horses had already amassed 100 World/Reserve titles in just six years of operation. And, that list continues to grow.
One of the events Leier is most known for is the longe line and for a good reason. From 2010-2015, his non-pros clinched the World or Reserve World Championship titles in the Non-Pro Hunter Longe Line at the Appaloosa World Show and have also secured Reserve World Championships in the Non-Pro Western Longe Line for the past three years.
Over the past seven years, Leier himself has enjoyed the World or Reserve World Championship spot in the Hunter Longe Line at the Appaloosa World Show and has clinched both top spots twice.
He has also clinched World and Reserve World Championships in the Western Longe Line.
And that is just the tip of the iceberg.
On Monday, October 16, Leier will compete in the Open English Longe Line Stakes at the All-American Quarter Horse Congress.
A show he has never attended.
GoHorseShow sat down with Leier to pick his brain about what he looks for in a longe line prospect, who he credits for his unprecedented success and his hopes for the Congress.
What he looks for
It may sound surprising or counterintuitive, but when Leier is seeking out a longe line prospect, he prefers stallions.
“Studs have no fear, and they are easier than the geldings,” he said. “They are also generally stronger. I notice that geldings tend to get a little flighty and spooky while fillies will either love their job or hate their job. I truly believe stallions make the best longe line prospects.”
When looking at yearlings in the pasture, Leier cited a couple of things he likes to see. “I like the yearlings that are usually at the back of the pack that don’t have a lot of rush in them. The ones that have a strong top line and can carry themselves while floating across the pasture with their nose out with some maturity in their body, those are the ones I want to bring in.”
Leier was quick to point out that the key to a successful longe line program is one that doesn’t burn the yearlings out.
“You can burn them out so quickly,” he said. “In my program, I do a lot of short lessons, they aren’t longed every single day, and I don’t tie them down. I like for them to naturally carry themselves, so they go on to be successful under saddle.”
Leier addressed the elephant in the room regarding the controversy about the longe line class “ruining” yearlings.
“If you take ten two-year-olds that haven’t been longe lined, statistically only half of them will make it as a two-year-old prospect. It’s no different than taking ten longe line prospects; only half of them will make it. Almost every longe liner I have won with has gone on to win titles under saddle, so the notion that the longe line ruins them just simply isn’t true if the horse is in the right program.”
Who he credits
Like anyone who has reached a high level of success, Leier says he wouldn’t be where he is today if not for a few people (and four-legged animals).
“Honestly, I really have to give a lot of credit to my mom who was the one who got me involved in the longe line and taught me all about it from the beginning,” he said. “She taught me to treat each horse as if they were your own and that honesty and dedication will get you far in this industry.”
Leier also credits Nancy Magnussen, who took him in and “really helped jumpstart my career.”
“I can’t thank Nancy enough for taking me in as a young new trainer and starting my career off with some of the best stock in the industry.”
Speaking of stock, Leier also credits his success to the horses he has had the opportunity to train and show.
“Horses teach us more than we know, and the yearlings I’ve been given the opportunity to train and show have been more than a blessing. They’ve made me and have gotten me to where I am today.”
What his hopes are
In fact, one of those yearlings is the reason this year will be the first time Leier attends the All-American Quarter Horse Congress.
He will be showing The Best Bet Yet, a 2016 ApHC stallion by Too Sleepy to Zip and out of Impulsive Bet (by Impulsive Zipper) and owned by Kevin Griner of Metter, Georgia.
“Sammy” has already proven himself a force to be reckoned with winning both the Appaloosa Nationals and coming home with four trophies from the NSBA World Show in Open and Non-Pro Hunter Longe Line.
Despite past success with the colt, Leier said his first hope is to have a clean go.
“Longing yearlings is like longing a squirrel,” he said laughing. “Once they get out there on that line, you have no clue what is going to happen. So first and foremost, I just hope to have a clean go.”
His second hope is to prove that color has no bearing on whether a horse is a good one or not.
“Coming from showing Appaloosas my whole life, where, let’s face it the industry is a lot smaller than other associations, I think people think since we don’t have a lot of quantity, we don’t have quality. I want to show the world that a good horse is a good horse.”
Of course, everyone wants to win the Congress and when asked what winning the Congress would mean to him, Leier said, “Wow. If I won the Congress, it would be such a huge personal accomplishment. Coming from working three part-time jobs when I first started training and everything I have been through to get here. It would be a great achievement.”
Good luck, Anthony!
Click here to view his ads in the Congress issue of GoMag
Photos © Terri Cage, Larry Williams
About Chenay: A Tucson, Arizona native Chenay started riding Pony Hunters at 6 years old until she found a passion for Paint horses in 1993. She began showing at APHA approved shows in November of that year and continued on with a successful Youth career until 2000. She went on to graduate from the University of Arizona in 2006 with a dual Bachelor of Arts in English and Creative Writing. Today, she lives in Yucaipa, California with her husband, son, and lots of animals, including a rescued APHA mare.
