Valentine’s Day Advice – How to Survive As the Other Half of A Horse-A-Holic
They are legends in their own time; you may have only caught a glimpse of them or heard their names in passing. Some are elusive, like fleeting deer. Others are an ever-present force easily found sleeping in a chair in a barn aisle, glued to their smart phones in the stands at a horse show, or standing in the shadows with a trusty manure fork or bottle of fly spray.
They are the other halves of horse-a-holics, and they are the unsung heroes of the horse show world.
In 2024, we asked some well-known couples in the horse industry: What Valentine’s Day advice do you have for the other half of horse-a-holics?
Their advice is timeless, so read on!
Mike Wakeling, Morgan Miller-Wakeling’s other half
Advice: “Go with it, you can’t fight it.”
Morgan and Mike both laughed at the first part, and then Mike went on to say, “Get as involved with it as you can or want to. Make those friends and relationships with her horse show family, too, because there are a lot of really great people involved in the sport, and it’s inevitable you’ll be spending some holidays, anniversaries, or birthdays with them!”
John Froman, Vanessa Froman’s other half
Advice: “Easy. Have $. Be willing to part with it,” quips John.
Paul Caliendo, Marylyn Caliendo’s other half
Advice: Don’t wait for a holiday created in the 5th century to celebrate.
The reply I would submit is advice that many of my fellow married men would agree with. It takes effort in the beginning and the “hubby” has to forget their personal ego in exchange for smiles on their wife’s face.
For decades I have tried to make Valentines Day an event 365 days a year. Why wait for a holiday created in the 5th century to celebrate? My love for my wife is daily and we celebrate our love for each other daily through kind acts. Pour and present a cup of coffee, make breakfast, clean the kitchen, make the bed, and open the door when possible. Have her sit at the table first. And be sure to say goodnight with love. I love treating Marylyn to items she mentioned months ago. We do not need a holiday.
Bob Miller, the other half of Ingrid Miller
Advice: Change the new horse’s name to “Valentine.”
Ingrid explains that last Valentine’s Day, one of her trainers, Anthony Montes, sent her a picture of a beautiful roan mare, Cool Movin Lady. “I said, ‘Anthony, I don’t need any more horses, and I don’t need another roan, and he said, ‘Just watch her go.’ And I did, so I called him back.”
Cool Movin Lady is now Ingrid’s, and she says the mare began with the name Beulah, so when she called Anthony back, these were her words. “I’ll buy her and do the deal, but we have to change her name to Valentine, because it’s the most expensive Valentine Bob has ever bought me.”
Brent Fankhauser, other half of Scott Reinartz
Advice: Be patient and expect to be second choice to the horses – LOL! Then all is good.
Shane Rux Photography
Jim and Scooby big head
Jim Crawford, other half of Mark Stevens, (who lists his Facebook profile description as “An Equine Addict recovering as an Equine Entertainer.”)
Advice: Don’t try to understand the conversations, and by all means, don’t say ‘That horse has a big, beautiful head.’”
See photo (left) of Jim and Scooby Big Head.
Graeme Bradley, the other half of Matthew Barrackman
Advice – consider keeping credit cards separate.
“Babe Woods made me a pair of chaps and she charged it to his card,” explains Matthew. Graeme’s response: “These things were how much?! They don’t even cover your a$$!”
From the EC archives of our print article entitled, “How To Survive as the Other Half of a Horse-a-holic.”
From Impulse Photography
John Wilson, other half of AQHA all-arounder, Anne Wilson
Advice: Do not, I mean, DO NOT, learn how to do anything horse-related.
John learned this lesson well, a little too late. He emphasizes, “For all new Horse Husbands, do not, I mean, DO NOT, learn how to do anything horse related. Feign horse allergies, fear of getting hurt, fear of hurting the horse, any excuse not to get involved. After complaining of boredom, Anne, being the caring and results oriented woman she is, found as many things as possible I could do to help (none of which require any skill). I now hit the wash racks, groom the horse, blacken hooves, corn starch socks, saddle and lunge the horse and, most importantly, I hold jackets before classes.
Larry Morse, the other half of Robin Robinett
Advice: Laugh at yourself!
Whether Morse thought this would happen or not, he’s accepted the title he has earned at the shows. “I’m MR. Robinett…and that’s fine with me,” he laughs.
