NSBA Youth Spotlight
Emma Hansen, Photo Credit: Regina Woolsen
NSBYA Youth Spotlight
Emma Hansen
Emma Hansen is an eighteen-year-old Freshman at Crown College. She has been showing in PtHA for five years and told us, “ I show in everything from English to Western classes and even have a mini that I compete with in the driving and in-hand classes. My most memorable memory was the first time I rode my big horse, Bringing Back Fancy aka, Wilson. I thought I was going to fly out of the saddle because I had never had a big trotter like him.”
Kassy Filek, Photo Credit: Shelly Paulson Photography.
Kassy Filek
Kassy Filek is a twelve-year-old from Minnesota. She rides her horse, “Oscar,” Invite Oscar, in both English and Western Pleasure classes. “One of my most memorable moments with Oscar is both funny and embarrassing. Oscar loves to roll; I think it’s one of his favorite things to do. So, in the Pinto Horse association they have a class called Ideal, which is half rail and half halter. We just finished and had been excused to leave the arena, when, on the way out, Oscar thought it was the perfect opportunity to roll. I was able to stop him before he got all the way to the ground, but I was so embarrassed. All I could do was laugh because that’s my Oscar,” Kassy remembered.
Hanna Filek, Photo Credit: Shelly Paulson Photography.
Hanna Filek
Hanna Filek, an eighth grader from Minnesota shows BlueEyeSimon. She said, “One of the coolest things about Simon is that both his eyes are blue. We ride all around English and Western. Some of my favorite classes are Trail and Bareback Equitation. I have many favorite memories with Simon, however, the best ones are from when we were asked to go to Minnesota Horse Expo to represent Minnesota Pinto. We were there for three days and seeing the kids smile when you let them see your horse and answering all the questions from the people was a great experience to be able to share my love with horses with others.”
Stephanie Filek, Photo Credit: Shelly Paulson Photography.
Stephanie Filek
“My name is Stephanie and my horse’s name is The Ultimate Trend, aka ‘Max.’ Max and I compete in all around events but our favorite is Hunter Under Saddle. My favorite memory while showing Max is getting into the showmanship finals at Pinto World this past year.”
Trainer, Shelly Sellers, had this to say about the girls’ experience. “At first, this experience pushed the girls out of their comfort zone by having to approach people they didn’t know. They quickly learned that people were more than happy to talk about their horses. It was a great bonding experience for them as they had to manage their time, make decisions on who to interview, and decide what questions to ask. In the end, they had a lot of fun with it and met and made new friends. Thanks for giving them the opportunity!”
The girls enjoy competing in NSBA classes at the Pinto World Championship Show, Color Breed Congress, and MN Pinto Horse Association Shows. Another NSBA highlight was participating in the 2017 Gordyville NSBA Boot Camp.
