Jinxx went from racehorse to eventing horse in seven weeks' time.

© Christina Smith/Winter Lioness Studio

By Andrea Caudill, AQHA

AMARILLO, TX–MAY 18, 2025–In seven weeks, Jinxx went from racehorse to eventing horse.

Everyone knows the versatility and good mind of the American Quarter Horse, but this bay son of Texas Icon is an exceptional example. A four-generation homebred for the Fales family of Coolidge, Arizona, Jinxx was bred and raised by Ralph and Carrie, and trained by their son, Matt.

They also stand his sire, Texas Icon, a son of Corona Cartel and Jennifer Kate who earned $111,105 on the racetrack. He has sired the earners of more than $1.8 million, including Old School Icon ($143,068).

Jinxx was the first runner out of his Fales-bred-and-raised dam Cant Buy Love, a winning daughter of FDD Dynasty who unfortunately passed away due to complications of foaling.

The Fales’ involvement with this tail female line traces back four generations to the Rocket Wrangler mare Budget Balancer, and they carefully raised the young colt as an orphan.

Jinxx shown winning an Allowance Race at Turf Paradise. © Coady Media

Jinxx was a useful runner who lit the board in seven of 16 career starts, including making two stakes appearances, and earned $33,047.

He raced twice in 2025, showing marked improvement, but his February 10 race would be his last appearance as a racehorse.

Despite the challenges that can come from being raised as a bottle baby, Jinxx was still a fast horse with the kind of personality that drew every horseperson to him.

“He is respectful, smart, and tractable – he is just a doll baby,” Carrie said.

The 2020 gelding was still doing well in his career as a racehorse, but the Faleses want only what’s best for their horses. Jinxx was completely sound and could’ve continued earning paychecks on the track, but they knew his ultimate purpose would be better served elsewhere.

“There was never any question (for us),” Carrie said. “I knew there were other, better things out there for him. I thought he’d have more fun with his own girl to feed him peppermints and provide him everything he could ever want.”

His new girl is Katie Fales, a multi-purpose horsewoman who as a Thoroughbred jockey guided the earners of more than $2 million, knows how to guide a horse through a cross-country course, and is an active participant in helping racehorses transition into a show career.

As racehorses leave the track and move on to new careers, it helps more than just the horses themselves. It is difficult to pinpoint how much the equine industry contributes to the economy, but the American Horse Council’s 2023 Economic Impact Study pegs a value of more than $177 billion, with more than 2.2 million jobs linked to the industry.

A racehorse is a valuable asset while competing, but when they leave the racetrack and find a new career with other horsemen, their contribution continues, as those owners provide feed, care, training, and competition with their horse.

Eventing is an equine triathlon that requires the horse to perform a graceful, controlled sequenced dressage test, then carefully navigate a show jumping course, and then go on to grittily gallop cross country, navigating and jumping challenging obstacles out on the course. It is a sport that can take a horse years to learn – but Jinxx was willing to just dive in.

“These Quarter Horses, I don’t know why more amateur owners don’t own them,” Katie said. “They’re just golden from Day 1. There’s this myth they’re downhill and short moving. There are lines that are bred that way, but these racing bred Quarter Horses have to be built for a longer stride, and to be quick and athletic.

To leave the gate, they have to be quick with their feet, and we have to have that with jumping. Those horses, when they leave the gate they tap the ground, and when they’re jumping they tap the ground in just the same way. Quarter Horses are very capable of jumping, but people just don’t look at them enough.”

Katie had only had the gelding for a few weeks after he left the racetrack, taking him over a few little fences and playing around. When her barn headed to Galaway Downs to a cross country event, she put him on the trailer so that he could experience a horse show.

When Katie’s main mount suddenly came up with a temporary soreness and was unable to show, she looked at Jinxx and thought, “Well, why not?”

The horse stepped up to an unbelievable degree. He cheerfully did his best to complete the dressage test, and then ate up the fences with a clear show jumping round and a cross country ride with no faults or time penalties. Jinxx placed fifth at the event, and was one of only five horses in the Top 10 to finish solely on his dressage score with no penalty scores of any kind.

“Jinxx is one of the most honest horses I’ve ever sat on,” Katie said. “He just has a willingness. These Quarter Horses don’t have a lot of ‘No’ to them. They’re built to want to say ‘yes I’ll try that’ first. Other breeds will often lead with an ‘Eeee, I don’t know about that…”. But the Quarter Horse says ‘oh this is fun.’ A very willing attitude. The breed as a whole really wants to please and I think that’s what makes them so versatile.”

Katie plans to continue developing Jinxx in his new career, and he will have a large fan base cheering for him.

“I’m just so proud of him,” Carrie said. “Anything they throw at him he’s like ‘Ok.’ Every day she calls me and says, ‘This is such a nice horse.’ I knew he was that kind of horse, and it’s fun to watch them.”

Second-Career Stars is an ongoing series on retired racing American Quarter Horses in new careers. If you know of a horse that should be featured, write to acaudill@aqha.org. AQHA News and information is a service of the American Quarter Horse Association. For more news and information, follow @AQHA Racing on X and on Instagram, "like" Q-Racing on Facebook, and visit www.aqha.com/racing.