Celia
Celia grew up in Cedaredge, Colorado amongst three sisters and one brother. Celia's late Grandpa, Cletus McCoy, was a rodeo cowboy and and rancher. He had some pretty nice horses for his day and it was this influence that started Celia's passion for horses and rodeo.
Celia trained most of her own horses and competed in the local Gymkhanas and then proceeded on to Little Britches, Junior Rodeos and High School Rodeo. While she did almost all the events, barrels, poles, trail, goat tying, and team roping, she was the best at breakaway calf roping. She was the National Little Britches Finals Champion in 1989 and ended up 6th at the National High School Rodeo Finals in 1988.
While attending college at Laramie County Community College in Cheyenne Wyoming and Mesa State College in Grand Junction, Colorado she continued rodeoing. She graduated with a degree in Horse Management and Training in 1991 from LCCC. While in College she injured her elbow which put a damper on the roping. She then began to focus on barrel racing as her main event because she loved the speed and athletic ability of a great barrel horse. With several nice horses, Celia and her mom went on the road. She filled her WPRA permit and went to many rodeos and big open barrel races. However, she discovered being on the road was not as much fun as she thought it would be and so it was back home for her.
Celia says "I have competed and have ridden some awesome barrel horses over the years and I wish I could take credit for training all of them, but I can't. Even though I did not train some of them, I sure learned how to ride an awesome barrel horse. To me that is the cornerstone and an important thing to know for my training program now. I really enjoy training horses from the beginning and seeing the progress they make. The most satisfying part of training barrel horses is to see someone else get on one of my horses and go on to win. I enjoy training horses that are easy for other people to ride."
She gives much credit to her parents, Bill and Marty Kissner, Celia is sure that without their support and love she would have never made it as far as she did. Lots of hard earned cash, miles in the truck and trailer and of course, great horses! "Thanks Mom and Dad!"
Celia also has several mentors that she looked to for advice, but her favorite person is Ed Wright. "He is an incredible horse trainer and really believes in having his horses broke. I have been to at least five of his clinics, and am going again in September of 2007. I learn something new everytime!"
"I married my husband, Jeff Avaritte, on June 24th, 2006. I am so grateful to have such a talented horseman for a husband! I have learned so much from him and it is showing in the quality of horses I am training. The horses that he has raised are some of the best minded, most trainable and not to mention most drop dead gorgeous animals I have come across. I am truely blessed. By next summer I should have several more of our home raised babies out and about at the barrel races."
Call her for a quote on training your next Champion.
