A young Heather enjoyed
showing both
English and Western!

Heather Koone Leclair is originally from Morganton, North Carolina. Morganton is located in the scenic foothills of Western North Carolina. Heather’s parents Bob & Mary Koone will tell you that she was born with a love for animals and especially horses. Heather started taking English and Western riding lessons as a youth and from the moment she sat on a horse she was hooked. Heather bought her first horse, “Shoni”, when she was twelve years old and feels that her first horse taught her respect and responsibility at an early age, as she had to save every penny for this very important purchase. As a teenager she enjoyed trail riding with friends in the nearby Blueridge Mountains and competed in timed events such as team penning and running barrels.

During Heather’s senior year in high school she was part of an internship/work program. This program allowed her to receive credits by helping at a local stable caring for halter horses. While interning at B & B Stables, owned by Bruce & Leslie Baker, Heather learned a great deal about how to properly take care of show horses. This was when she realized she wanted to pursue a career that involved her equine friends.

After graduating from Freedom High School with honors, Heather decided to attend The University of Findlay in Findlay, Ohio because of their intensive equestrian program. While attending the university Heather met her husband-to-be Jared Leclair, who was also a student in the equestrian program. After Heather graduated with an Associate of Science degree specializing in Western Equestrian Studies, Heather and Jared made their first move into the “real world”.

Together they traveled back to Jared’s “neck of the woods” when he accepted the head trainer position at Quarter Mount Farm in Paxton, MA. Heather was also hired as an assistant trainer & assistant breeding manager. Quarter Mount Farm, owned by Steve Simon, was quickly gaining national recognition as the home of Custom Crome, a future NRHA million dollar sire. While at Quarter Mount Farm Heather had many responsibilities including assisting in all aspects of the training and breeding operation at this prestigious reining facility. After three years at Quarter Mount Farm, Heather was rethinking her decision to become a professional horsewoman.

Heather and Jared finding a little time to relax on horse back!

In 2004 Jared was offered a position at McQuay Stables. During the move Heather made a life changing decision. While Jared followed his dream of becoming a top NRHA trainer, Heather realized that being a support to Jared was probably more important than being a professional trainer herself. At that time Heather accepted a position at Just Stitch It, a local embroidery company, where she worked for two years. She learned a great deal about running a mainstream business and became acquainted with many people in the equine industry. One of the people that she met was her next employer Collene Burnell-Giesbrecht. Collene needed a personal assistant to help with her sales representative position for Ariat, a well-known boot and apparel company. After trying on a pair of Ariat boots, Heather decided to take the job. Over the next year she enjoyed learning about the many aspects of promoting a product and working with Western & English Apparel retail stores.

2007

January 2007 marked the end of Jared’s third year as an assistant trainer at McQuay Stables and the beginning of a bright future for Heather and Jared as owners of their own reining operation, Leclair Performance Horses, located at Legacy Ranch in Pilot Point, Texas. While Jared trains and shows, running that side of the operation, Heather is always in the background, "taking care of business". She now utilizes the skills she learned while working on her equine business management degree to make certain that Leclair Performance Horses operates smoothly and successfully. Heather hasn’t completely given up her boots and can often be found down in the barn brushing/saddling/washing horses or riding her horse whenever she gets a chance. She hopes to show in Non Pro classes in the future and will continue to take care of the business details of the operation so Jared may focus on showing and training. Her goals are to ensure that Leclair Performance Horses becomes synonymous with “committed to excellence in the reining horse industry” and to become a top contender in the Non Pro division.