Casey Wright (born September 1, 1981) is an American

horse trainer A horse trainer is a person who tends to horses and teaches them different disciplines. Some of the responsibilities trainers have are caring for the animals' physical needs, as well as teaching them submissive behaviors and/or coaching them for e ...

based in Reagan, Henderson County, Tennessee. Wright became notable for training, riding, and showing the

Racking Horse The Racking Horse is a horse breed derived from the Tennessee Walking Horse, recognized by the USDA in 1971. It is known for a distinctive singlefoot gait. In 1971, the Racking Horse Breeders' Association of America, headquartered in Decatur, ...

Gold Plated SD, who won a World Grand Championship in 2003. However, he is best known for training and riding the

Tennessee Walking Horse The Tennessee Walking Horse or Tennessee Walker is a breed of gaited horse known for its unique four-beat running-walk and flashy movement. It was originally developed as a riding horse on farms and plantations in the American South. It is a ...

I Am Jose I Am Jose (foaled October 8, 2008) is a Tennessee Walking Horse stallion and three-time World Grand Champion. He is the first stallion and second horse to win the World Grand Championship three times. I Am Jose is black with a star on his forehead ...

, who won three World Grand Championships in consecutive years, 2013 to 2015. Wright was also named Trainer of the Year in 2013.

Personal life

Wright was born September 1, 1981, and lives in Reagan, Henderson County, Tennessee. He has a brother named Michael, who is also a

. He and his wife Lindsey have a daughter and son, Emma and Ryder.

Career

Wright operates a training stable in Reagan, Tennessee, with his brother Michael. Casey Wright trained the

Gold Plated SD, who won the Four-Year-Old World Championship in the 2002

Racking Horse World Celebration The Racking Horse World Celebration is the largest show for the Racking Horse breed. It is held annually in late September at the Celebration Arena in Priceville, Alabama, a few miles outside Decatur. The Celebration encompasses over a week of ni ...

. The following year Wright and Gold Plated SD won the World Grand Championship. Wright later trained and rode the three-time World Grand Champion Tennessee Walking Horse stallion,

. I Am Jose and Wright won the four-year-old

stallion A stallion is a male horse that has not been gelded (castrated). Stallions follow the conformation and phenotype of their breed, but within that standard, the presence of hormones such as testosterone may give stallions a thicker, "cresty" nec ...

World Championship at the 2013

Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration The Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration (TWHNC), sometimes known as the Celebration, is the largest horse show for the Tennessee Walking Horse breed, and has been held annually in or near Shelbyville, Tennessee since its inception in 19 ...

. Wright and the horse's owners, Billy and Debbie Woods of

Lexington, Tennessee Lexington is a city in Henderson County, Tennessee, United States. Lexington is midway between Memphis and Nashville, lying south of Interstate 40, which connects the two cities. The population was 7,956 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat ...

, made the decision to enter I Am Jose in the open World Grand Championship, which he won on Wright's birthday. I Am Jose, who beat a class of 8 horses to win, also made history by being the first four-year-old to win the World Grand Championship since

Shaker's Shocker Shaker's Shocker was a Tennessee Walking Horse stallion who won his breed's World Grand Championship in 1966. Life Shaker's Shocker was foaled in 1962, by World Grand Champion Mack K's Handshaker and out of My Darling. He was bred by Tom Barham o ...

in 1966. Wright was also named Trainer of the Year by the Walking Horse Trainers' Association. The next year, Wright entered I Am Jose in the World Grand Championship and won again, becoming the first repeat winner since

Go Boy's Shadow Go Boy's Shadow was a Tennessee Walking Horse stallion who won two World Grand Championships in the years 1955 and 1956. He was the last horse to repeat win in his breed for nearly fifty years. Life and career Go Boy's Shadow was a black stallio ...

in 1955 and 1956. The 2014 competition was made somewhat harder on the horses by the fact that it had rained for 5 hours by the time the class was called, making the arena footing slippery. Wright said, "It was a little bit slick, but it was pretty firm up in under it." In 2015, Wright and I Am Jose won their third consecutive World Grand Championship in front of a crowd of 15,000. They are only the second horse and rider team to do so, after The Talk of the Town and his trainer Steve Hill in 1951–1953. In 2016 the Woods put another horse, Pocket Time, in training with Wright. He and Pocket Time won the Two-Year-Old Championship in the National Trainer's Show.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wright, Casey Tennessee Walking Horse breeders and trainers People from Henderson County, Tennessee 1981 births Living people