“You look through pricked ears and see an endless world of possibilities ahead of you. Some are good, and some are bad; but, on the back of a horse, nothing else matters except you and your communication with this animal. It’s a mutually dependent relationship. You need the horse to carry out commands, but you also have to listen to the horse’s body cues and needs so that they can understand and trust you.”
Continue reading …“Fran and I grew up together. She took the little girl that I was and taught me more than I could ever begin to explain. She taught me what a true partnership is. Fran and I worked as one. We were a team, and it takes two to earn the success that we had.”
Continue reading …Thanks to Jennifer Horton of bar H Photography for some beautiful shots from the 2019 MAQHA Corporate Challenge that recently took place in July 11-14 at the MN State Fairgrounds in St. Paul, MN with Kelly McDowall, Garth Gooding, Karen Graham, Mike Hawkins, Jonathan Meilleur, and TW Grose judging. Click here to view results from the […]
Continue reading …Rhonda Spratto rode Minute To Dance for Lara Simmons to win the $500 Green Hunter Under Saddle.
Continue reading …“I think the most difficult part of the pattern was the extended trot serpentine,” Carey says. “Right at the beginning, you had to jog in and then do an extended trot serpentine, and it was really hard to keep the horse’s attention. Usually, I like to go for our extended trot, but it was different. It was a little scary to trot up to the end of the arena with no other horses there.”
Continue reading …Perfecting the rhythm, flow, and connection that elevates your Trail work from the mundane to the sublime requires countless hours of practice over the poles. Many Trail exhibitors seek that precision by setting up Trail obstacles at home. It sounds simple: throw a few poles out there and do some lope-overs. However, to really make your extra practice time beneficial, a lot of thought and planning needs to go into the course setup. Accuracy matters if your goal is to closely simulate the challenges you will face at the show.
Continue reading …Over to the Summer Breakout side of the competition, Open Showmanship was won by Lydia Brahler with Sure A Hot Krymsun. Reserve was Lily Anderson with Lover Treat Me Good. Third was Rebecca Anderson with A Sudden Billionaire. Select Showmanship was won by Cynthia Pyle with Rock Legend. Reserve was Laurie Christie with No More Talkin. Third was Holly Ebelberger with Good Directions.
Continue reading …Tom Powers’ love for horses began at birth. That love was fostered in a small town outside of Grand Rapids, Michigan, where he grew up learning the ropes from his parents and a rotten pony named Tony.
Continue reading …Multiple Championship exhibitor Mackenzie Matthews comes by her love of horses naturally. The daughter of longtime AQHA exhibitors Robin Matthews and Terry Wilkerson, Mackenzie inherited her passion for horses and competition from her family. Her success as a Congress and Reserve Congress Champion, AQHYA Reserve L2 and Bronze L2 Champion, and multiple Top 10 exhibitor may be attributed to a combination of innate talent, strong work ethic, and loving family support.
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