McKeehans living the dream at Florida farm

Johnny McKeehan rides Incredible Wolf, last year's SSHBEA Fall Show 2-year-old Trail Pleasure Grand Champion. Wolf is owned by Charlotte Conklin. (Submitted photo) [Click to enlarge]

Johnny and Heather McKeehan have been showing at the Spotted Saddle Horse Breeders and Exhibitors Association Fall Show for the past ten years, and in that time have garnered a lot of success.

They hail from Spotted Haven Farm, in Hudson, Fla., about two hours west of Ocala and an hour north of Tampa. They make the trip to Shelbyville for this show every year.

Johnny plans to show Incredible Wolf, a 3-year-old chocolate bucksin spotted stallion, and last year's SSHBEA 2-year-old Trail Pleasure Grand Champion, according to the SSHBEA web site.

"He's one in a million," McKeehan said of the horse he trains, which is owned by Charlotte Conklin. "He's just one of a kind. I've been training for 15 years, and he's probably one of the best I've ever had."

"We're just going to try our best. Incredible is the one we're really shooting for this year."

McKeehan also will be showing one of his own horses, Legally Lethal, a spotted tri-color and a dual-registered Tennessee Walker that will be competing in the Traditional Trail Pleasure category at this year's show.

"I bought him as a two-year-old and went on to win over a hundred blue ribbons on him," McKeehan said. "He's just a one-of-a kind -- he stands out from the rest with the way he moves."

When it comes to the horse lover's dream, Johnny and Heather are living it at their Florida farm.

Heather has been an equestrian since she was 8 years old, and has studied Dressage, Saddleseat, Stadium Jumping, Cross-Country Jumping and Western Riding. She has trained Arabians, Appaloosas, Tennessee Walking Horses and Quarter Horses.

In 1990, Heather met her soulmate, Johnny, and after one trailride on a Tennessee Walking Horse, the two became hooked. Shortly thereafter, Heather's lifetime dream came true when the two began showing this beautiful breed, accoding to the couple's web site, www.spottedhaven.com.

In November 1996, Heather and Johnny were married in a "fairytale wedding" as crowds lined the streets to watch as they rode on horseback along the scenic downtown St. Petersburg, Fla., waterfront.

They own ten horses, and Johnny works with about 20 horses, most of which are from his home state.

"We're just blessed to have such good horses. We're just hard-working people who strive to do the best that we can."