Rising Star Noah MacAskill
Noah and Saltt Life won a championship, a reserve championship, and placed at all three levels in 3YO Western Pleasure at The Premier for Crawford Quarter Horses. Photo: Shane Rux Photography.
Riding for Holbin Show Horses is just the beginning for the young athlete from Nova Scotia.
By Delores Kuhlwein
Who’s going to fill their shoes? It’s a question often heard around the show arenas at any given international horse event – a springboard for discussion about the passing of the torch from legendary horsemen to today’s up and coming talent.
Then one meets someone like Noah MacAskill, who caught everyone’s attention in May at the Premier in Kentucky, and the answer is clear. Not only did he win a Championship in the L1 3yr Old Open Western Pleasure with Saltt Life, by Machine Made and out of Krymsun Annie Mation, and owned by Crawford Quarter Horses LLC – the duo also won a Reserve Championship in the 3yr Old Limited Horse/Limited Rider Western Pleasure Stakes, and they placed in all three levels.
Aside from his seemingly effortless talent in the arena, the young athlete from Canada does it all with a smile on his face, knowing he’s right where he’s supposed to be. “Growing up in Nova Scotia, Canada,” he says, “I wasn’t really into any other sport. All my time and energy went to riding; that’s all I cared about. Throughout the years, I’ve had a family of horse people around me, and that’s my comfort zone. Those are the people who end up being a very important part of your life.”
He grew up with horses, as his grandparents had draft horses and showed Clydesdales, and they always had ponies for Noah to ride. “I grew up at open shows, then as a teen, I showed reiners,” he explains. He started his professional career in reining, then switched back to all around and pleasure horses.
All around horses became his passion, and it has been his goal to come to the U.S. to show on a bigger stage – an international stage, he says, for the All American Quarter Horse Congress and events like the AQHA World Show, both of which draw exhibitors from all over the U.S. and around the world.
A Pivotal Mentorship
Fate steered Noah onto the correct path at Congress 2023 when Holbin Show Horses needed an extra set of hands, and Chris and Shannon were introduced to Noah.
He was invited by the Holbins to come back to ride with them in Florida, and he visited again the following January. “It was such a good fit,” says Shannon. “He has a lot of raw, natural talent, and he asked to come again to help us and learn from us.” Since March 2024, she explains, he’s been riding with them, and he is one of the best they’ve seen at starting colts.
The Holbins are also teaching him about finishing a horse, and he began to show under their tutelage in April at the 2025 Orange Blossom Classic and A Sudden Impulse. “He’s a great showman,” says Shannon, “and he really shined at the Premier. It looks like his future is going to be very bright in the horse industry.”
The appreciation has been mutual, as Noah says that Chris and Shannon were idols to him. “They’re amazing teachers, and I’m so fortunate to have them as mentors and friends – it has truly come full circle. They’ve really given me tremendous opportunities to show super talented horses, and that in itself has been a huge learning curve. The clients here have been really supportive by letting me ride and show their horses, and they’re always very happy for me. Chris and Shannon have a really good group of clients here.”
Endless Possibilities
Noah is currently in the process of applying for a sport visa so he can stay in the U.S. longer to learn and compete. “Part of my goal as an athlete is to be the best, and to do that, you have to learn from the best. I also want to go out and be competitive among the best – that really is my ultimate goal.”
Shannon adds that Noah has been a huge asset to their program and the show world in general, and to lose someone who is such an attribute would be a detriment to the industry. She says, “It’s hard to find people who want to live their life in this sport, especially at this level, but he’s always in a good mood, always happy, and it’s great to have that positivity in the barn.”
Noah says he simply loves the atmosphere at the shows, the competition, the thrill of a good ride, and of a win, and he loves the process. “I love to start colts, so colt season is my favorite time of year. It’s fun to see them progress and go on to become show horses, especially this first group of three year olds we have this year. It’s the first group I got to start with the Holbins, and it’s fun to see horses like Saltt Life, Lady Mamalade, and Ten Kinda Southern go out and be such honest show horses.
Barbara Crawford, who owns the three-year-old Saltt Life, says she met Noah at the 2023 QH Congress. “He embodies the type of individual we all want our children to grow up to be…he always has a smile on his face and is kind to everyone – horses and dogs as well as people. He’s hard working, smart, funny, and as talented as anyone I’ve ever seen at that age (with zero ego). He represents everything a horseman should aspire to be!”
With athletes like Noah MacAskill in our industry, the future is indeed in good hands.
See results from The Premier for Noah and Saltt Life: The Premier Futurity Results 2025
