PrintPan American Games individual and team gold medalist Mike Huber has made a career of improving the sport of eventing. When he returned to the United States after a two-year stint in Great Britain, Huber considered settling in an East Coast eventing Mecca, but instead opted to carve out a business nearer to his childhood roots in Oklahoma.
“I wouldn’t have bettered the sport by going somewhere like Virginia, where there was already a lot of great people,” said Huber. “Here, I’m able to make an impact and help close the gap between the two coasts, and there’s a lot of reward in that.”
Huber has filled in that gap with his 28-stall Gold Chip Stables, in Bartonville, Texas, where he lives with his wife Cheryé and his three dogs, Sam, Sooner and Harley. His 30-year career includes a trip to the Olympic Games and a pair of World Equestrian Games appearances, in addition to the Pan Am medals he earned aboard Quartermaster in 1987. These days a growing list of students means that he spends less time in the tack and more time involved in the sport from the sidelines.
Huber has also started handing over the reins of his top mounts to assistant Heather Morris, adding “owner” to a long résumé that includes stints as U.S. Eventing Association president, U.S. Equestrian Federation High Performance Committee chairman, and his current roles as chairman of the USEF Eventing Selectors and member of the USEA Professional Horseman’s Council.
“I never intended for this to be my job; it just sort of happened, and I couldn’t be happier that it did,” he said. “I love the horses, but people forget that it’s work. Fun for me is going to the golf course. When it’s 100 degrees out and you’re teaching for eight hours, it’s work.”
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