Misty Coats, recently named executive director of the Louisiana Quarter Horse Breeders Association, brings years of industry experience to her new leadership role as she prepares to guide the organization and its members through the 2026 season.

© Ann Switalski

By Martha Claussen

ALEXANDRIA, LA–APRIL 15, 2026––Last month, the Louisiana Quarter Horse Breeders Association (LQHBA) announced that Misty Coats has been named executive director of the state-bred association.

Coats is the first female executive director of LQHBA and its 1,700 members. She served as assistant executive director for the past two years working with Bruce Salard, who began his tenure in 2019. Well-liked by the Louisiana Quarter Horse community, Coats has a very busy year ahead but looks forward to leading the association and greeting the membership on Saturday, April 18 at the annual Membership Meeting and Awards Banquet.

The energetic Nebraska native, who will celebrate her 50 th birthday on July 19, took the time to answer some questions about her role and future goals.

Misty and husband Greg.photo courtesy of Misty Coats

What brought you to LQHBA?
Even though I officially joined LQHBA in 2024, I began my affiliation with them in 2019 when Salard was looking for some assistance for the annual LQHBA yearling sale. He called Spence Kidney and Jeff Tebow at Heritage Place in Oklahoma City, where I held the position of Consignment Administrator, managing consignments for each of the four sales held annually, including the highly respected Heritage Place Yearling Sale with 900-plus-head passing through the sale ring.

Mr. Bruce and I got to be friends and a couple of years ago, Bruce confided that he was thinking about retirement and wanted to know if I had some ideas about possible replacements. I wasn’t sure if I was qualified, but I certainly enjoyed my experience at the LQHBA Yearling Sale each year and thought it might be an interesting career opportunity.

Obviously, it was a major change to leave Oklahoma and make Louisiana my permanent residence but my husband, Greg, who is a retired marine, was amenable. It certainly has been a very rewarding path for me, personally and professionally!

Misty, Sonya Melder and Steve Whittington.© Ann Switalski

After two years serving the association as assistant director, what observations have you made?
What has impressed me most since being assistant executive director is the incredible team working at the LQHBA office in Alexandria. Full-time employees, Sonya Melder, Christina Chaidez, and Steve Whittington as well as our part-time associate Lisa Williams, do a tremendous amount of work for our members.

Just to name a few of their responsibilities, breeder’s awards, Louisiana-bred certificates, nine different race payments for Louisiana-bred Futurities, Derbies, and Oaks, hair testing, annual membership banquet/election, and the LQHBA scholarship fund. The entire office staff relocates to Kinder for five days to handle the myriad of duties required in a two-day sale with over 500 yearlings. Many states across the US have different offices for these tasks; the staff at LQHBA takes great pride in taking care of our members and should be commended for their commitment.

As far as our members go, it has been a pleasure getting to know so many of them and see their passion and loyalty to Louisiana racing and breeding.

The Board of Directors serves LQHBA greatly. How much are you looking forward to the existing and new board members?
I am very fortunate to work with a tremendously dedicated board of directors who are each committed to improving racing and breeding in Louisiana. The landscape has changed over the years, but these men and women don’t keep their blinders on; they explore new ideas and work together to make our association better.

It’s a great combination between the old school, the young, and anyone in between. What many people don’t realize is that these are professionals with full-time jobs and farms to run, yet they care deeply about horses and support the Louisiana racing industry.

You and your husband moved from Oklahoma; what are you enjoying most in your spare time?
It certainly has been limited with the day-to-day- duties at the LQHBA office and attending the AQHA, ARCI conventions as well as industry meetings for HBPA, LSRC and individual tracks. However, Greg and I bought a home in Pine Prairie, a 45-minute commute from Alexandria and have enjoyed time on the lake with friends and visiting different parts of Louisiana.

We are both fitness fanatics, so exercise in our home gym is important, and attending CrossFit classes when I am in town. Exercise keeps “my mind right” and with the delicious Cajun food in Louisiana, which we both enjoy, it is a necessity! As far as favorite so far, it’s hard to beat Crawfish Etouffee!

If members are interested in reaching out, what is the best way for them to contact you?
I want to be totally accessible to our members and certainly encourage them to call me at the office or email me with their ideas and viewpoints. We may not be able to implement every suggestion, but I want them to know that the entire LQHBA staff respects their commitment to Louisiana Quarter Horse racing. It is a pleasure for me to lead this fine organization!

While many of us will not be able to keep up with Misty Coats at the gym or in CrossFit competition, you can be assured she will give her all to support the breeders, owners, trainers and jockeys throughout 2026 and beyond!

About the Louisiana Quarter Horse Breeders Association (LQHBA)
The Louisiana Quarter Horse Breeders Association (LQHBA) is the state racing affiliate of the American Quarter Horse Association. It is also the official registry for accredited Louisiana-bred racing Quarter Horses and is recognized by the Louisiana Legislature and the Louisiana State Racing Commission. Since its inception in 1966, the association has developed many programs to further breeding and racing in Louisiana. Last year in Louisiana horsemen competed for over $23 million in purses, and breeders; incentives for mares and stallions of accredited Louisiana- bred foals totaled approximately $4.4 million. LQHBA oversees the annual LQHBA Yearling Sale and Fall Mixed Sale and has raised and donated close to $1 million to support its Louisiana youth scholarship program.

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