Head Coach & Western Coach

Vicki Merck began her riding career at a young age on a family horse farm in Oklahoma. She began showing when she moved to South Carolina at a young age, showing both western pleasure and hunt seat at local 4-H and open shows. After graduating from the University of South Carolina, Vicki went to work for an AQHA all-around training farm. While there, Vicki placed 4th in Western Riding at the All American Quarter Horse Congress. Vicki later moved on to become the head trainer for Storey Quarter Horses in Alabama where she managed their breeding, showing, and training programs. The Storeys showed both the AQHA and NRHA circuits and later decided to focus their program on reining horses. During her time with the Storeys, she qualified many horses for the AQHA World Show and coached several amateurs to world titles. After deciding to slow down from the busy world of horse showing, Vicki moved back to Seneca, SC with her husband and son. She began assisting Susan White in the coaching of the western team in the fall of 2019.

Hunt Seat Coach

Lexi graduated from Clemson University in 2021 and has been taking graduate classes and conducting research since then. She rode on the team all 4 years of her undergraduate degree in both Hunt Seat and Western. She qualified for IHSA Nationals her Senior year!! This is her second year as the main Hunt Seat coach and we could not be more excited to have her with us!