Donna King (1939 – 2021)
“My love of horses goes back as far as I can remember. I had the privilege of training under Jack Baker and began showing horses at the age of 13. At the age of 16, I began my career of riding stock horses and at 19 I turned professional.” - Donna King
Donna met Joe King shortly after he completed his distinguished service in the Marine Corps—but not at a horse show, but rather a roller-skating rink! Though Joe didn’t grow up in a horse family, falling in love with Donna also meant falling in love with her world. With her encouragement, he fully immersed himself in the equine industry, earning the nickname “Cowboy Joe” as he built a reputation as one of the most accomplished and respected stock horse trainers in the sport.
Together, Joe and Donna trained under Jack Baker and later with Mack Lynn, traveling the country and working on ranches in Idaho and Washington before eventually settling in California to build their own training barn. They built King Performance Horses from the ground up, and their legacy continues today under their daughter, Joline King-Pebley.
Joe became a fierce competitor, claiming numerous championships across Trail, Pleasure, Stock Horse, Cow Horse, and Cutting. Along the way, he formed lifelong friendships with industry legends like Ronnie Richards, Jimmy Williams, Bobby Ingersoll, and Harold Farron. His impact on the sport extended beyond the arena—he played a pivotal role in establishing the California Horsemen’s Association, served as a judge at the 1982 Snaffle Bit Futurity and held cards with NRCHA and AQHA.
Donna, equally accomplished, became a carded judge with the American Horse Show Association in 1972 and held cards with NRHA, NRCHA, AQHA, USEF, FEI, ABRA, POA, and ETI. She judged medal finals at prestigious events such as the Inglewood, California, Santa Barbara Nationals, and the Bishop County Fair. In the late 80s, conducting clinics in Hawaii and Japan led to Donna and Joe helping export some of the first reining horses to Japan which acted as a catalyst to expanding the sport internationally. In Donna's “spare” time, she took the opportunity to experience horseback riding in France, Italy, New Zealand, Australia, and Africa.
In recognition of their extraordinary contributions to the equestrian world, Joe and Donna King were inducted into the CRHA Hall of Fame in 2009. After Joe’s passing in 2012 and Donna’s in 2021, a new perpetual award was introduced at the Jack and Linda Baker Show in Los Angeles. The Donna and Joe King Perpetual Trophy is awarded to the oldest rider in the finals, celebrating a lifetime commitment to the sport. It stands as a lasting tribute to two legends of the reining world—a woman born into horses and the man who became one of the most successful “horse show husbands” of all time.
