Inductees

If an adult had asked a young Geno Middleton what he wanted to become in life, they would have been surprised. A big-league baseball player? A sharp-shooter in the National Basketball Association? Or a star tailback in the National Football League?

Nope. None of those. You see, when he and his sister and brother grew up, their summers were spent with Grandpa Quentin and Grandma Nellie, where they worked, rode horses and traveled to horse shows every Friday and Saturday night. This is where Geno’s passion for the horse began.

“In 1979, when I was 11, (his dad Jerry) purchased a training barn in Nixa. I rode the bus to the barn every day after school in order to ride my training horses. I realized at an early age, I had a ‘God-given’ talent and I was able to turn that talent into a career,” said Middleton, a 1986 graduate of Nixa High School.

Middleton has since gone on to become a nine-time World Grand Champion horse trainer in the Ava-based Missouri Fox Trotting Horse Breed Association (MFTHBA). And it’s why the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame proudly inducted Middleton with the Class of 2021.

With a Howell County farm in Pomona, just north of West Plains, he is currently in his 40th year and continues to train professionally.

Middleton was the youngest trainer to win a World Grand Championship, doing so at age 18 in 1986 with Madam Sensation. His other World Grand Championships were Missouri’s Bobbie Sue (1989), Missouri’s Charming Princess M. (1994), Travelers Red Alert (1995), Pancho Villa A. (1996), Prince Jester (2003), Cardinal’s Gunslinger A. (2004), Gunslinger’s Guns & Roses A. (2008) and Oh Yeah (2020). The last one broke a 12-year tie, making the ninth World Grand Championship a record-setting win.

“The horses are usually brought to me at a young age for training. They may be with me for a few months of their life, or they may be with me for many years,” Middleton said. “It usually takes eight months to one year for the horse to be fully ready to compete, depending on its age and competition level. In this industry, a trainer is only as good as the horse they are ‘a straddle of.’”

In 1994, Missouri’s Charming Princess, a special mare, completed her career having never been beaten as a 2-, 3-, 4- or 5-year-old. That year also started a three-year streak, with Traveler’s Red Alert in 1995 and Poncho Villa A. in 1996.

“Princess was the most intelligent and talented horse I had ever ridden,” Middleton said. “She made me look good, but truth be known, she really didn’t need me. She was just that good.”

For instance, he once rode the 1994 WGC Charming Princess’ first colt, Prince Jester, a chestnut stallion, to the 2003 Senior World Grand Champion stage. Prince Jester went on to be one of the Breyer Horse Models.

“With a breeding program still going strong and customers also raising future show prospects, there is no down time,” Middleton said.

Middleton’s influence on the industry isn’t just limited to producing winners. He also produced two versions of aluminum bits and developed three saddle pads specific to the official State Horse of Missouri, The Missouri Fox Trotter.

Middleton’s forte is with the Missouri Fox Trotter, but he has also worked with many other gaited breeds. With Manna Pro as a corporate sponsor, he produced a gaited horse training video. He has conducted numerous clinics and participated in Equine expos across the U.S., where he shares his knowledge with a multitude of gaited horse enthusiasts.

Too lengthy to discuss, Middleton’s accomplishments include multiple champions of all ages, divisions and genres, including: performance, model, versatility, ranch horse and cattle sorting. He also has many customers who enjoy trail riding, competitive trail riding and field trial.

“Many customers take horses I have trained and successfully compete in various divisions, whether or not the horse is currently under my direction,” Middleton said. “No matter what the specific discipline of the horse may be, I work closely with their owners and riders to develop the best possible partnership between human and horse.”

Middleton, a 2015 inductee of the MFTHBA Hall of Fame, certainly thanks his wife, Barb, and their children – Wesley, Madison and Dusty – for all their support.

“As my wife always says, ‘If I could never ride again, I would still need a horse to smell; to pet. They are just good for my soul,’” Middleton said.