Equestrian sports are not for the lazy, weak or easily discouraged. So much can go wrong when you are working with an animal that you hope will perform on show day the way it does at home. It takes daily practice, sacrifice and skill: all things 15-year-old Alex Coombes knows firsthand. His hard work paid off this year, as he travelled to the Grand National & World Championship Morgan Horse Show in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and came home with several awards.
“I have been around horses my whole life but only been competitively showing for the last five years,” Alex says. His parents, Tracy and Jim Coombes, own Clayfied Stables in Olympia, where Alex rides and trains. They specialize in Morgan and Arabian horse breeds, which is how Alex was introduced to them.
“What I love about Morgans is their beauty and versatility,” he says. “They are a very personable horse and make a great partner. I also really like the Morgan community and people that are there and support me.”
Olympia Youth Wins at Morgan Horse World Championships
This year, Alex rode and competed on three Morgans: BMF Mastermind, an 18-year-old gelding owned by Alex; FCM Zephyr, a 14-year-old gelding owned by the Coombes family; and Meadowcreek Bay B Fe GCH, an 18-year-old gelding owned by Melissa Monty.
Alex and BMF Mastermind, whom he calls “Jack,” competed in local and regional shows throughout 2025, bringing home champion or reserve champion at every show.
He also showed FCM Zephyr in hunter specialty and sport horse at local and regional shows, bringing home wins with him too.
Making it to Oklahoma for the Grand National & World Championship Morgan Horse Show in October, Alex continued his winning streak. With Jack, he received a top ten finish at Worlds in pleasure and a reserve championship in horsemanship. The pair also participated in the parade of equitation championships at the show.
With Zephyr, he won the hunter-type specialty-in-hand class at the World Show. A new class for him that he says has become his favorite. “It is judged on the horse’s confirmation and how he moves,” Alex shares. “It requires me to present the horse to a panel of judges and to also run the horse for the judges, so they can be judged on their movement. I competed at the Grand National and World Show in this class as the only junior exhibitor in a group of adults. I was surprised to win the class unanimously with my family’s horse Zephyr.”
The awards keep coming in for Olympia youth. “This week we found out we are the USEF Regional Western pleasure winner and the USEF Reserve National winner for the second year in a row.” He adds.
In addition, he was awarded the Gladys Koehne Inspirational Youth Award by the Morgan Horse Club of Washington State. The award is given to a youth who shows qualities of persistence, determination, patience and sportsmanship, Alex explains. “I was honored to be nominated and chosen to be this year’s recipient,” he adds. “The requirements for this award are that you have to be a member in good standing; be active in 4-H, AMHA youth or an FFA-type organization; show a well-rounded approach to academics, horses and activities; act as a role model for other youth; demonstrate a commitment to the breed beyond showing; overcome obstacles; and achieve goals.”
Currently a sophomore at Olympia High School, Alex plans on continuing to show horses, hoping to expand into Arabian breed shows next year with their family horse, Beau. He is also excited to get his driver’s license and start driving the truck and trailer to shows. “I plan to be working on some new divisions and I want to do more ranch riding with Jack and show at the world show more with him in that division,” he adds. “I also plan to show more in-hand and do some in hunter pleasure next year with Zephyr.”
As for when he finishes school? He wants to be a horse trainer, of course!
