Willie was born in Clinton Louisiana on December 1st, 1938. He grew up as a sharecropper’s son and there were very few aspects of daily life on the farm that did not involve horses. One of his biggest influences was his Grandfather, Alex Evans, who raised him and taught him all about horsemanship. Willie credits his riding skills to Munroe Nelson, a plantation cowboy and trail hand adept at breaking wild horses. It was from Munroe Nelson’s great pool of knowledge that Willie learned a horse will always find its way home. In 1991, while watching Good Morning America, he spotted Jessie “Captain” Lee Wise with all his horses on the television. He immediately jumped up, got dressed and rushed out to meet him and Willie has been with Federation ever since.