“We both love the horse industry,” says Amanda Jackson of Prodigy Futurity Horses, when asked why she and her partner Mark Katafiasz decided to start their own training operation. “Its always changing, the horses keep getting better and better. How many people get to have their hobby as their job? We get to spend everyday together doing what we love to do. It doesn’t get much better than that!”
This couple of two years are young trainers who enjoy starting and showing western pleasure futurity horses. They currently work out of one of their customer’s Joe Mizzi’s breathtaking new facility, Painted Plantation, located in Newport, Michigan.
Jackson and Katafiasz prefer training futurity horses. “Starting colts and making them into show horses is what we both enjoy the most,” Jackson said. “We both grew up doing the all around events, so, we both like the trail and western riding. I also did the 3 Day Eventing back in high school, but I always came back to the young futurity horses. We both think we have a well rounded background, but these days, everything is so specialized that you have to focus on just a certain aspect of it.”
Mark and Amanda’s parents got them involved with horses at an early age and both consider their parents their strongest supporters. “They were always there for me growing up showing horses and did everything possible for me to be able to have and show horses,” Amanda said. Mark adds, “My parents, too. They are very hard working, honest, simple people. I have great respect for that. Both of our parents have been married 30 years or more, and that says something about their character because that doesn’t happen very often anymore.”
These 29 year-olds have developed a strong training foundation by working for some of the top people in the industry. In the past, Mark has worked for Shorty Parks, Doug Rath, Tom Robertson, Christa Baldwin. Amanda trained for John Dean, Scot and Stephanie Kyle, Wayne Davis, Cole Baker, and Stanley and Susan Scott.
Florida native Jackson and Michigan native Katafiasz are a good match for each other. Amanda tends to be the more quiet serious type, while Mark has a more social, laid back type of personality. “Amanda is a very hard working, and talented person that is lots of fun and she grows on you,” Mark said. Amanda adds, “I think I’ll have to pull out the list I wrote a while ago to remember what I like about Mark,” she laughs. “But, seriously, he is really funny and has a great personality. He keeps me from working too hard.”
This past winter, Joe Mizzi finished his facility, Painted Plantation, and the couple moved up to Michigan and started working out of his farm. They train Mizzi’s futurity horses, and they are also accept outside horses. “We thank Joe very much for allowing us to start up and work out of his place,” Amanda said. “Joe always has a very positive attitude. He sees the good in everything. He is very patient and understands that you can’t always put a time line on horse training. He listens to advice that we give which makes it very easy to take his horses and make the best possible plan for them.”[NPI
Float=”left”]/Media/4/jpg/2010/7/b22a47c8-c974-06c0-bca5384b2a2bebe1.jpg[/NPI]Mizzi has an amusing story about how he got involved with horses. He was the president of his country club, and one of his friends said he needed to find another hobby besides golf. He was a 6 handicap, but golf was making him miserable. “My friend said that I should try riding horses or buy a race horse,” Mizzi said. “That is how it all got started. Then, my hobby turned into a business.”
Mizzi, a 54 year-old grandfather of three, adds, “I just love Paint horses. The way they look in the pasture. Their disposition, personalities and how approachable they are–my horses have to be beautiful and safe since my grandchildren are around them. Paints are a perfect fit for our program.”
Mizzi mentions that he heard about Mark through a friend of his wife’s (Pamela) and decided to go check him out at a show in Michigan. “When he won his pleasure class, I knew that he was good enough to help me with my horses. He is a good kid. He is an excellent trainer and Amanda is the showman, so they work well together.”
Jackson and Mizzi mention that this year they have an awesome group of futurity horses. Amanda finished at the Tom Powers with a Reserve in the Intermediate Maturity, and a top 5 finish in the 2 Year-old Intermediate Western Pleasure. Mark finished in the Top 5 in the Limited 2 Year-old and Maturity Western Pleasure classes. In many of these events, they were the only paint horses in the class. The two-year old they showed at the Tom Powers was a Quarter Horse, Formally Yours, owned by E and G Ranch of Ocala, Florida. This couple also has a 3 year-old for the Maiden Slot and a 2 year-old for the Color Slot at Reicherts, and 2 year-olds entered at the Congress.
Between the two, the couple have won several awards in the show arena. Amanda was the 2009 NSBA Intermediate Rider of the Year. She has won the 2’s, 3’s and Maturity Western Pleasure at major futurities like the Tom Powers, Southern Belle, and Reichert. Mark has won and received top tens at the major futurities. He has coached many youth to wins and high points at the Paint Congress and major futurities.
Mark and Amanda’s plan is to work really hard and continue to grow their business. Mizzi’s future goals is to produce some of the top western pleasure futurity horses in the country. This financial advisor turned horse breeder would like to thank Garth Gooding, Scott Suggs, Andrea Simons and the crew at BSB R11 for all their help getting his breeding program off the ground.
If you would like to find out more about Mark and Amanda’s training services, please contact Mark at 419-450-6565 or Amanda at 903-436-7200. To learn more about Joe Mizzi’s Painted Plantation, please check out his website at www.paintedplantation.com.
Photos of Mark and Amanda and Painted Plantation courtesy of Digital Horse Services.
