Cherie & Johnny Morton

FOUNDER & EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR AND HEAD TRAINER

Cherie and Johnny are known to most as the backbone of this organization…

They juggle everything from kids, horses, late nights, early mornings, frantic phone calls, and a family of their own. While their daily lives encompass this and so much more, their official titles are Executive Director and Head Trainer. 

Cherie has walked down many different career paths, but found her purpose in 2016 with the start of the Sonny James Equestrian Team, now known as the Sonny James Equine Ministry. The ministry began as a group of girls who wanted to further their horsemanship and their relationships with Christ. Over the last 6 years the program has grown from nine girls to over 70 kids, all with the same goals the original girls had. Cherie now devotes her time to mentoring and leading the children of the ministry in their pursuit of Christ and equine sports. 

Johnny began his equine career early on in his life. His father trained and showed cutting horses, which is where Johnny’s love for the equine industry began. He has gained most of his horse training experience in the reining industry, working for some of the industry’s most successful trainers. Combining that with his knowledge of cutting horses, he now trains a string of successful ranch versatility horses. Johnny devotes most of his time to training horses that are involved in the SJ program and teaching the girls and boys more about training and showing. 

Together, this power couple runs a successful business and inspires those around them to continue their walk with Christ.