Oklahoma’s Casey Hicks’ first year training horses on his own paid off after proving himself at the 2017 AQHA World Show, winning the senior heeling reserve world title aboard Bourbon Street Chrome, a 7-year-old chestnut gelding by Custom Chrome out of Toulouse Lena, owned by Jack Bogart, also of Oklahoma.

“It’s always been a goal of mine to do good at the Quarter Horse World and I had never placed in the top three at the World Show,” Hicks said. “Sixth was the best I had ever done. I have been trying for several years to win a buckle and a trophy from the World Show and that was the first one that I won, and I’m really proud of it.”

Hicks has been training horses for several years, and 2017 was the first year that he went out on his own in the business.

“I had worked for another gentleman for a few years, and had trained horses for a long time and shown for a long time,” Hicks explained.

Bogart sent Hicks the gelding to finish and ride at the World Show.

“He raises and breeds a lot of great horses,” Hicks explained. “I got Bourbon Street Chrome late last fall to get finished and then he let me ride him at the World Show last year. There have been several guys who rode that horse and, luckily, I guess I was the one that ended up with him and had some success.”

Additionally, Hicks also struck silver with a stand-out performance with a 4-year-old gelding named El Nino Cat, by Cats Merada out of JB Smart La Nina.

“I ended up winning three trophies last year,” Hicks said. “I was reserve in the senior heeling, reserve in the junior heading riding a horse named El Nino Cat, and I was third in the junior heeling riding El Nino Cat.”

What buckle would it take for Hicks to trade out his reserve champion buckle? “I would probably say an AQHA World Champion buckle or, I guess if I can say that I’ve won Cheyenne (Frontier Days), I’d probably wear that one. That would be a pretty big win.”