Gene Ray Stewart has been showing horses since he was five years old. One of his earliest memories is being a member of the Owen County Pioneer Saddle Club and running barrels and poles with his pony, Tom.
Now, at age 30, Stewart has his own business – Gene Ray Stewart Performance Horses – and a number of awards under his belt.
Born and raised in Owen County, Stewart lived outside the county for about 10 years before deciding to return. In May 1998, he moved back and built the indoor arena where he now trains up to 30 horses.
“I can’t imagine (living) anywhere else,” he said.
Stewart said his is a hard profession and he did not really decide it was what he wanted to do until his fourth year as a student at the University of Kentucky.
“This was always in the back of my mind,” he said.
His job keeps him busy 24/7. A typical work day for him starts at 8 a.m. and he said he hopes to be back in the house before dark. He spends his days riding each of the horses. The show horses are exercised and he works to make the younger horses more prepared for horse shows.
In addition to training, Stewart also judges a number of horse shows throughout the country. Oweekend he can be as far away from home as Florida or as close as Frankfort.
“I live day-to-day,” he said. “I can only think about the one that’s coming up (that weekend).”
He is the co-chair of PHBA’s World Championship Horse Show and judges for the Pinto Horse Association, Palomino Horse Breeders of America and American Ranch Horse Association, to name a few. He is also a member of the Kentucky Equine Education Project (KEEP).
According to their Web site, KEEP works “to increase awareness of the benefits of Kentucky’s horse economy and to promote jobs and economic opportunities for Kentuckians through the Commonwealth’s world-class horse industry.”
While only a few of the horses he trains actually belong to him, there are others that come from Mississippi, West Virginia and even right here in the county.
“It becomes more of a business,” he said. “I’m working and its their recreation. This is their hobby.”
In his training, Stewart specializes in Showmanship, Horsemanship, Equitation, Western Pleasure, Reining, Working Cow Horse Trail and Pleasure Driving.
“There’s a lot of interest in the county,” Stewart said.
There is no set amount of time he works to train the horses, it depends on the horse. He said he likes to work with the horses for at least a year.
“I know if the horse can handle it after 30 to 60 days,” he said.
Stewart and his wife, Cara, have a son, Clayton. Gene Ray said he’s not sure if his son will one day follow in his footsteps, but that if he doesn’t it is OK with him.
“I want him to do whatever he wants,” Stewart said. “If he never wants to touch a horse, that’s fine.”
He said there are good things and bad things about his job. He likes the freedom it gives him and the things he gets to do.
“... and the love of the animal,” he said. “Ask anyone that works with livestock.”
The downside is that he sometimes works long hours and is constantly traveling.
Stewart has publicized in national magazine but has never run a local ad. He also has a Web site: www.generaystewart.com.
“Ninety-five percent of my business doesn’t involve the county,” he said.
What his business does involve, is making sure horses are trained properly.
“(The goal is) to have a quiet, well-broke horse responsive not only to me, but whoever will get on it,” Stewart said.
He encourages those who have an interest in working with horses to stick with it. He said it was a good experience for him and his sister growing up, because they went so many different places and met different people.
“It gave us more opportunities, and kept us out of trouble,” he said. “Don’t pass it up, it can be a great hobby.”
As for the future, Stewart hopes his business will continue to grow.
“I don’t know what I’d be doing if I wasn’t doing this,” he said.n a given 

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