Cruisin for Pleasure ©Larry Williams
“In memory of great man and friend we will miss you.”
The gates close and she looks around and thinks, “Wow, this is it.” With a bit of anxiety, the voices in her head become slightly higher pitched. “I really can’t get out of this now.” She closes her eyes and shakes her head slightly warily, “I’ve really done it this time. What in the world was I thinking? I’m going to make a complete fool of myself!”
The announcer interrupts her thoughts. “Walk, Walk your horses.” She relaxes somewhat and remembers why she’s here. She swiftly nudges her mare into a soft cadence and quickly looks around for the familiar face of her trainer along the rail. When their eyes meet, she nervously smiles, takes a deep breath and goose bumps slowly prick their way up her arms and around the back of her neck. Her pulse picks up a notch and she gulps and inhales another large breath. The excitement starts welling up in her chest as butterflies swirl around in her stomach and the announcer calls for a jog, and finally lopes around the pen.
“Well, I haven’t done anything horribly embarrassing or stupid yet. Let’s just get through the reverse” she thinks as she wheels her mare around and slowly moves into the jog. Her trainers are surprisingly nodding at her happily like she is a toddler taking her first steps. Her chest feels like it could burst any second. Breathe in and out, she reminds herself as she kicks her off into the final lope. As her horse follows her commands, she actually starts enjoying herself and is brave enough to relax her shoulders and neck so she can really look around now, rather than just darting her eyes around. As they line up in the center of the pen, she thinks it may be a mistake when the announcer calls her name out in fourth place.
As she is standing in the lineup, she looks at her trainers as if the announcer called someone else’s name instead of her own. Her trainers are cheering and waving for her to ride out and accept her prize. She jumps off her horse and hugs her trainers and they proudly carry her brand new work saddle out the arena gate. The goose bumps return as the realization sets in that she actually did it. After a 13 year hiatus, she successfully showed in her first quarter horse show to a fourth place finish at the NSBA World Championship Show in the Ltd/Int. 3 Year-old Non-Pro Western Pleasure and has a brand new work saddle to show for it!
Meet Donna Miller
It’s a Friday afternoon and she just left 17 acres and 4 dogs to make the 9 hour drive from Franklin, New Jersey to Ohio to ride her 3 year old bay mare, Cruisin for Pleasure, aka Cruiser. Donna is showing her dream horse under the guidance of Donnie Recchiuti and Liz Flohr.
Donna credits her parents for her horse passion. When she was 7 years old, she was upset because they had to move and her father promised her riding lessons near their new home. Several years later, at the age of 18, she was training with Gordon Downey, who we know as our friend and director of sales for The Equine Chronicle. Many of us are unaware that he was a very successful Appaloosa rider and trainer many years ago. Gordon’s talents helped Donna secure several Appaloosa World Championships as well as the World’s Best Appaloosa title in 1985. After those prestigious wins, Donna sold everything and used the money to go back home to start her own business. Over the years, Gordon would occasionally find a new horse for her, and she would heed his advice without question which led her to own several more Appaloosa World Champions.
Breaking into Quarter Horses
“Showing horses has always been what I loved to do the most,” she says. She credits her dad with instilling a competitive spirit in her at a young age, while her mom truly understands her passion and love for horses. Her dad recently has become her inspiration to continue showing. After battling several health problems, Donna states emphatically, “You must live in the present and seize the moment.”
It should come as no surprise that Donna would make a yearly trip to Columbus, Ohio to watch the Quarter Horse Congress for her vacation. “There is nothing remotely the same,” she says with a laugh when asked about what has changed over the course of the past 20 years and switching from Appaloosas to Quarter Horses. Her ultimate dream was to one day show at the Congress, and after years of watching in the stands she will show Cruiser there this year. It is truly possible to make a comeback in the show ring if that is what you dream of!
Donna is fortunate to work for a company, Anderson Kelly and Associates, which is very supportive of her horse showing addiction, but she is careful not to take advantage of their generosity. She only takes off the days that are absolutely required for practice and showing. She applies the same loyalty, trust and allegiance to the people she surrounds herself with at the horse shows.
Since I met Donna and got to know her through the course of doing business, we must talk about fashion! Donna is very cost-conscious about every dime she spends and can’t afford to be at every horse show. “I pick the shows I really want to go to. Sometimes a vet visit is truly a priority, so I can’t afford to spend a fortune on clothes, so I shop smart.” Donna states, “Gordon used to design my clothes and we would have Nancy Voltz sew them back when I showed Appaloosas and they were stunning! I’ve always been drawn towards classy lines with not too much bling. In my daily life I go with a classic style of dressing and my show clothes reflect the same.” Donna suggests that your clothes should fit your personality and you should dress for who you are.
When asked what recommendations she would give to someone who wants to get started in this breed she says, “If you love it, then you should trust yourself; don’t short-change yourself and do what you love. Surround yourself with people you can trust.” Donna has a controlling personality but her trainers make it fun for her and don’t let her give up. She credits them, as well as long time friends and cheerleaders Gordon Downey, Shelley Casciato, Jodie Prescott, and Ginny Pagano for making it fun and never letting her give up. It is truly possible to make a comeback to the show ring if you’ve taken several years off because of the demands of work, family or finances. Donna is an inspiration and proof that it is possible to be successful!
About the Author:
Wendy Habighorst is owner and fashion consultant of Show Me Again, the original horse show clothing consignment store, as well as Dazzling Designs, a limited-edition clothing company. She has earned numerous top-ten placings at the All-American Quarter Horse Congress, and multiple all-around performance championships in her show career. She is fortunate to meet people who bring new aspects to her life. Through doing business with them, she has forged strong friendships. She says, “As they share their life stories with me, I find inspiration and live vicariously through their experiences. I hope by sharing their stories you can identify and find inspiration as well.”
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You made some good points there. I did a search on the topic and found most experts on this topic agree with what you said.