Tampa equestrian pins hopes on Seattle Slew granddaughter
By ROWENA PLETT
Reporter / photographer
Let there be no doubt, Gina Hett of rural Tampa loves horses. She is a wife and mother, but she also is an equestrian. In other words, she loves to ride horses. Her house is full of equine paraphernalia.
Gina is not a cowgirl. She doesn't rope cattle or participate in women's ranch rodeos. However, she is a serious and passionate barrel-horse racer.
The young, energetic mother of two is a member of a three-state area, as well as a national, barrel-horse association and has been racing for almost six years. She has participated in many jackpot contests in Kansas and also in association-sponsored races in Wichita, Topeka, and Oklahoma.
Gina's favorite horse, Kati, whose registered name is "Kisses for Kati," is the granddaughter of Seattle Slew, a 1977 triple-crown winner. Only 15 horses have achieved that distinction. (A triple-crown winner is one who has won the Kentucky Derby, Preakness, and Belmont races.) Kati also is the great-granddaughter of Easy Jet, another former famous race horse.
Gina sold several horses and her car to come up with the money to purchase the horse. She bought Kati a year ago from her trainer and mentor, Carol Tracy of Wichita, who has won several world titles. Gina takes Kati to Wichita almost every Friday evening to participate in a training session.
Although Kati was run as a race horse for two years — she has a tattoo under her upper lip to prove it — Gina is finding that Kati is an excellent barrel-horse.
The six-year-old mare is high-strung, according to Gina. "I am too," she said. She noted that most barrel-horse racers prefer geldings (castrated males), but she enjoys the mare.
The two have learned how to work together, but that wasn't always the case. There was a time last fall when Gina became depressed because it seemed her horse wasn't responding to her. She was ready to sell her back to her former owner. However, Tracy, her trainer, taught her how to calm down and also calm her horse.
She learned that to spur Kati to action, she simply has to make a kissing sound and off she goes. A slight tug on the reins or touch of the feet controls the movements of the horse.
"You can dance with horses," she said, demonstrating how she guides Kati to turn, move sideways, backward, and forward.
Gina works with Kati as often as five days a week on a practice course near her farm home. She runs the horse in circles to calm her before taking her around the barrels.
She gets up early before a competition to prepare for the event. She watches tapes and runs the course in her mind over and over again. She focuses on negotiating turns.
"Before the race, I take a minute to pray, 'Let me have a nice, smooth run,'" she said. "If I forget, I usually have a bad run."
In coming months, Gina plans to compete in the Winter Spectacular Barrel Race at Tulsa, Okla., and a Barrel Bash in Topeka.
She is excited about the possibilities that lie ahead, considering Kati's track record so far. In the first week Gina owned the horse, she placed a surprising second in competition. A month later, she was overwhelmed to have won her first belt buckle after being reserve champion in the third division at the Heartland National in Wichita. She finished one second behind the champion, a 12-year-old girl who has won five world titles. (Heartland National includes five states and brings out more than 500 riders.)
She has a second horse, Fly, a four-year-old quarterhorse in training. The gelding has shown steady improvement in competitions during the past few months. Gina is excited about him, as well. She often rides two horses in the same competition to increase the odds of winning.
"Horse"
A daughter of George and Earline Hardey, now residents at Marion County Park and Lake, Gina grew up at Florence and has always had an interest in horses. During junior high and high school her nickname was "Horse."
Her interest in horses was sparked by visits to the Richard Wyss farm near Florence and to her aunt's farm near Kansas City. Both raised race horses.
She got her first pony at age three or four.
"Skipper liked to buck, so my parents sold him and bought me another horse named Pokey," she said. "He was ornery and liked to roll over."
He was sold, too, and Gina spent five years without a horse.
"It just killed me," she said.
She continued to beg for a horse, and on her 12th birthday, her wish came true. Okie was a Palomino which she owned for 18 years. Photos and paintings of him hang in her home. He was one of those she sold to buy Kati.
After Gina married Troy Hett of Marion, they moved to a farm at 2792 Mustang Road about five miles southeast of Tampa. They had breeding horses for several years.
They now have seven horses, and, of course, they all have names. In addition to Kati and Fly, there's Chief, an 18-year-old horse in retirement; Nikki, Gina's "engagement ring"; Lane, a young paint still in training; Penny, a one-year-old with Easy Jet blood; and Master, a miniature quarter horse who "was born on the farm, runs the whole roost, and is a member of the family."
Gina has qualified for World Championship competition twice. She and Troy are hoping to attend the World competition in October in Augusta, Ga. She will compete with two horses.
"Troy is so supportive of me," Gina said. "Without that, I wouldn't be able to do it. He is my best friend."
The couple have two young sons: Tristen, 6, and Jace, 3.
Gina acknowledges that she has a long way to go to be a top performer. "My goal is to do a little better every time I compete," she said.
With Kati, she is convinced that she can compete with the pros.
