Guitar Hero may be the name of a popular video game, but it is also the name of an adored three year old hunt seat champion owned by Michelle Sloan of Decatur, Illinois. Affectionately known as Hardy, this stout, 16 hand gelding may be a little smaller than most big-time hunt seat horses, but his heart, presence, consistency and movement make up for his short stature.
“He may not be the biggest guy in the pen,” Michelle Sloan says, who purchased Hardy from Tim and Shannon Gillespie last year as a two year-old. “But, he lightens up the show ring with his huge trot and swingy flowy canter. He has a huge personality and has his own little glow about him. He may be little but he is honest and a special one-of-a-kind horse.”
Guitar Hero is by Sure A Zippo who was raised by Sheri Heitman of Lake City, Minnesota, and he was a superior Amateur and Open Western Pleasure horse trained by Monica Anderson and shown in Amateur events by Scott Boe. Unfortunately, his sire was gelded before he made his mark as a breeding stallion. Hardy was raised by Bonnie Ritter of Minnesota.
While top trainer Shannon Gillespie showed Hardy to his 2009 APHA World Show win in the 2 Year-Old Hunter Under Saddle, multiple World Champion trainer Vicky Holt showed him this year to win both the Three Year Old Open Hunter Under Saddle and the Three Year Old Hunter Under Saddle Challenge at the APHA World Show.
Hardy’s World Championships were very exciting for Michelle because this is the first time she has owned a horse who has done so well on a national stage. Sloan has shown paints the past seven years to top 10 placings, but Hardy is her first World Champion. Before Paints, Sloan showed POAs for 15 years. (Pictured left. Photo by Shane Rux)
James Saubolle of Elite Show Horses out of Pilot Point, Texas has been Michelle’s trainer for the past few months, but they had Vicky Holt ride the horse since she does an outstanding job showing the horse and won on him last year. Sloan also placed in the Top 5 in the Classic Amateur Junior Hunter Under Saddle at the World Show, and this gelding also won the Tulsa March Mania Three Year-Old Hunter Under Saddle with Shannon Gillespie aboard.
“I am so happy for Michelle and her family. They could not have been nicer and more wonderful to work with and I am absolutely thrilled for them! It was amazing,” Vicky Holt said of the family that owns Guitar Hero. “Their trainer, James Saubolle, is such a hard worker and he did a great job preparing the horse.”
25 Year-Old Saubolle may be young but his work ethic and talent has quickly paid off for this all around trainer. He is also the trainer of multiple World Champion stallion, The Big Sensation. James currently has thirty horses in training with two full time assistants. He is definitely a trainer in demand.
“The Sloan’s have been wonderful to work with–they jumped right into the program and put all their faith in me,” Saubolle said on the phone with GoHorseShow.com. “I can’t wait to start training Hardy in the other events. Our future goals is to make him a top all around horse where he can do the Trail, Horsemanship, Equitation, and Western Riding. He had only been in the cart a few weeks before we showed him in the Pleasure Driving at the World Show and he was Top 5. So, he definitely has the disposition to transition to the other events quite smoothly.”
Michelle Sloan would like to thank Tim and Shannon Gillespie, her husband Drew Thompson for helping her buy her “dream horse”, Vicky Holt for riding Hardy, James Saubolle for all his hard work, and finally her mother, Alice Brock, who Michelle says has literally supported her since day one, and always been there for every win!
Look out for Guitar Hero in the All Around Events next year at all the major APHA shows.
