14 SIDELINES APRIL 2014
FOR HORSE PEOPLE • ABOUT HORSE PEOPLE
Continued on page 16
Story and Photos by Doris Degner-Foster
For Julie Winkel, it’s all about the horse.
She explains that her concern for the horse’s well being was
impressed upon her at an early age by her parents. “To this day
they are the people who are most influential in my riding because
they are real horsemen and they always put the horse first.” They
still ride and compete regularly, her mom barrel races and her
father is a team roper.
Concern for horses is evident in Julie’s extensive involvement
in the industry. Not only is she is a trainer, R rated judge, and
horse breeder, she chairs or is on numerous committees for the
United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) and United States
Hunter Jumper Association (USHJA), and she still finds time to
write a conformation clinic column every month for a magazine.
Growing up on a Nevada ranch as one of four children, she
said they did not have the financial means for formal lessons.
Her family raised and trained ranch horses, and the common
sense approach proved to be a good foundation. Julie’s effort to
understand the horse is evident when she reminds students to
think about how a horse sees a jump, pointing out that a horse’s
line of vision is different from a human’s.
“I knew I wanted to be a trainer since I was five years old, and
when I was 15 I started my own business by teaching lessons
locally.” Julie read voraciously and learned as much as she could
on her own. When she was only 18, she called the legendary
George Morris and told him he needed to come out to Reno and
teach her and her young students. George was persuaded by the
eager teenager and traveled to Nevada to do the clinic.
Julie later became acquainted with Joe Fargis, best known
e
for his individual Olympic gold medal in 1984 aboard the
Thoroughbred mare, Touch of Class. Joe is known for his simple,
basic training emphasizing forward straightness in the horse. She
says, “Joe is the ultimate horseman. Not only is he a superb rider
and superb athlete but as classy of a person as they get and loves
horses more than anything. He has been a huge influence on me
and remains today a very good friend and someone that I highly
respect in every way.”
Julie has been successful at the top level, winning several
grand prix and hunter championships with horses she had trained.
“Every horse I have ever had the opportunity to encounter has
taught me a lot about horses. They’re all different, you just have
to learn to listen to them to see where they might blossom and
have their best chance of being successful. It’s not always what
we want, sometimes you’ve got to figure out what they might be
best at.”
A turning point came in Julie’s career in 1992 when she was
asked to judge at the first Capital Challenge horse show. She
had been judging for only a few years and was concerned that
she might not be experienced enough to do a good job at such a
prestigious show, but she accepted the job. It turned out to be a
real springboard for her career. She says about the opportunity,
“It was a risk but it was like other risks that I’ve taken in my career
that have paid off because they were things that have scared me
enough to say, ‘Hey, I’ve got to do this. I’ve got to get better, I’ve
Julie Winkel - Putting the Horse First
Julie paces off a jump as her clinic students work on the course
in the background.
Caitlin Russell listens to Julie’s instructions.
