Paint Horse community supports injured trainer with on-line benefit auction

FORT WORTH, Texas--Members of the Paint Horse community have united in a collaborative effort to raise funds, through a benefit auction on HorseCity.com, to help Mike Hachtel of Collinsville, Texas, who suffered extensive injuries in a serious riding accident recently. Hachtel is a well-respected and successful trainer of American Paint Horses.

The American Paint Horse Association (APHA), HorseCity.com and several of Hachtel's friends and fellow Paint Horse enthusiasts are teaming up to host a week-long on-line auction Sept. 13 - 20. The auction will feature a wide variety of donated equine items. Log onto HorseCity.com/mike, and make your bids to help support this cause. You can also log onto horsecityauctions.com and click on the heading "Mike Hachtel Benefit" to participate in the auction. These links will be active prior to the auction, so check back frequently in the coming days.

In addition to participating in the auction, people may make monetary donations to the fund, which is being handled through APHA's Heritage Foundation. If you would like to send a donation, contact Audrey Choate at (817) 834-2742, extension 410.

More than 500 people have made product and service donations for the auction, as well as monetary contributions.

Garth and Sonnesa Gooding, of Fennville, Mich., along with other long-time friends, Long-time friends Tim and Shannon Gillespie of Appleton, Wisc., and Garth and Sonnesa Gooding of Fennville, Mich., are spearheading the fund-raising effort through promotion and coordination with HorseCity.com and APHA.

"We just felt it was the easiest way for the whole horse community to come together and help him," said Garth Gooding in reference to the on-line fund-raiser. Items to be auctioned include horses, tack, horse care products, supplements, custom show clothing, certificates for bedded stalls at several major shows and stallion breedings. Also auctioned will be graphics design and advertising services. Trainers are also donating their services.

"This auction is an example of the generosity of people all over the country and throughout the Paint Horse industry," Tim Gillespie said.
The goal is to raise enough money to help support Hachtel through a full recovery, he said.

"Our target is to be able to keep him going for eight months to a year, and not feel like he has to ride to make a living," Gillespie said.
For more information on how you can help support this effort or to offer your item or services, contact Tim and Shannon Gillespie at (937) 603-1949, or e-mail timgillespie@wwdb.org. You may also contact Garth and Sonnesa Gooding at (616) 283-7217 or e-mail sonnesagooding@hotmail.com.

An admirable icon and trainer
Hachtel and his wife, Gretchen, are admired throughout the industry for all of their hard work and advocacy of the breed, Gillespie said.
Not only have the Hachtels trained horses that have won world champion titles, but they have also made a name for Paints in open shows, including National Snaffle Bit Association (NSBA)-approved shows. Several horses trained by the Hachtels have earned bonus money through APHA's Gelding Plus program at the NSBA Futurity.

The dynamic Hachtel team runs Espuela Ranch in Collinsville, Texas. Mike Hachtel specializes in Western pleasure horses while Gretchen works with hunt seat horses.

Mike Hachtel is also an APHA- and NSBA-approved judge.

"All of us have looked up to him as a mentor," Gillespie said. "He's done so much for the industry and has pushed the level of competition of Paints. He has increased the value of our horses and helped in creating multiple world champions."