by Brittany Bevis

If it weren’t for a torn rotator cuff at age 26, Wade Spell, the Paint horse industry’s resident jokester, may have instead become a professional baseball player for the St. Louis Cardinals.

However, due to that fortunate accident, the Paint horse community has had the opportunity to witness the career growth of one of the most promising up-and-coming trainers in the industry.

While growing up in St. Louis, Missouri, Spell was part of a household where showing horses was a family affair. Spell said his aunt, Linda Spell, was very involved in horse showing and would haul him to a small local show almost every weekend, during the summer months.

Wade’s parents, Beverly and Bill Spell, have been in the industry for more than 50 years and still own a boarding barn, which offers trail rides on their 40 acre ranch, also in St. Louis, Spell said.

Spell said one of his first memories of riding horses was on those very same trails, where Bill would ride double, with his three year-old son Wade in his lap.

Spell said his first horse was a blue roan appaloosa pony named Smoky. Even though the duo only competed in western pleasure classes Wade said, “we rode the feet off that horse.”

After Wade outgrew Smoky, his father gave him a palomino ranch horse to start showing in western pleasure, he said.

Despite the fact the old palomino had “front feet that pointed east and west,” Wade began showing him at local and open shows and was immediately hooked.

Wade began his career training horses when he was about 14 years-old. Young Spell would come home after baseball practice and ride four or five horses a night, at a hefty price of $5 a ride, he said.

Following high school, Wade went to the University of Missouri on a baseball scholarship and then transferred to the Southeast Missouri State University, where he graduated with a marketing degree. Although Wade received a job offer fresh out of college, to work for Anheuser Busch, he said he decided to try his luck at training horses.

“I really don’t know why I decided to train horses,” he said. “Showing horses is almost like being addicted to a drug … it just costs a lot more.”

Wade said even if he went to a show and lost badly, by the time he was driving home he was already thinking about the next show to go to.

Spell made the progression into the Paint horse industry with the help of Jeff Fisher and Elizabeth Roberts, who introduced him to influential people in the industry, he said.

“It is amazing how much people will help, if you ask,” he said.

Because Wade had a late start after graduating from college, he said he decided to strike out on his own instead of becoming an assistant for a trainer who was already established in the business. Wade said being able to interact with trainers like Karen Hornick, Randy Wilson and Jon Barry taught him a lot about training horses in a short period of time.

Wade said the current focus of his business is training horses to compete in hunter under saddle and western pleasure competition. Surprisingly, Wade said he enjoys watching hunter under saddle the most and if the outfit wasn’t so ridiculous, he would show in the class himself.

Wade, a self-proclaimed comedian, said, “I am not secure enough in my manhood to do that yet.”

Wade said most people would probably be surprised to know that he actually has a serious side and can become very emotional while watching his clients compete.

“I like to joke and play around with people and some guys frown on that,” he said. “But the whole reason we do this is to have fun.”

Wade said one of his weaknesses is that he gets very nervous when watching his youth kids and novice-amateurs show.

“I can’t handle it, it drives me nuts and I almost have a heart attack when they come around on the rail,” he said.

A goal that remains close to Wade’s heart is to see one of his favorite customers, Beth Buechler, a 45 and over amateur, win a big prize at a prestigious horse show.

“She has stuck with me from the very beginning,” he said. “If she left me, I would probably quit the business.”

Buechler owned one of the horses that Wade credits for much of his success. Spell rode Buechler’s horse, Docs Jet Settin Gal, to a World Championship title in two year-old western pleasure in 2005.

Another horse Wade said helped him gain recognition in the Paint industry was Shez Eye Candy, a mare that placed third at The Equine Chronicle Color Classic in 2006.

Aside from numerous titles, Wade said his biggest accomplishment has been staying in the business for the last 14 years. He said the fact that he can still wake up every morning and be happy to go to the barn is more important to him than just winning.

Wade said although it may sound corny, the people in the industry he admires most are his parents.

“They have been doing this for more than fifty years, they are still making a living, they work hard seven days a week and they have taught thousands of people how to ride,” he said.

Wade said his program is successful because he makes sure the horses are prepared for the show-pen, allowing his customers to relax and enjoy themselves in a lower pressure situation.

Some of the best advice Wade has ever received is to “always take care of your core customers, because they will take care of you in the long run,” he said.

Wade said some of his core customers have been with him since he started training horses over 14 years ago. Wade said he believes that his biggest challenge as a horse trainer is to effectively match the right horse with the right person.

“Just because you spend $100,000 on a horse, doesn’t mean you will win,” he said. “Personalities have to mesh.”

Some of Wade’s goals for the future include a desire to become an accredited judge, to focus on the quality of his training horses rather than quantity and eventually start a family.

Currently, Wade Spell Pleasure Horses is located in the heart of St. Louis, Missouri just one mile from Lambert airfield. The facility is home to a 40 stall barn and indoor and outdoor arenas, which are surrounded by 35 acres of natural trails.