GoHorseShow.com celebrated its second birthday in June of 2010, and throughout the year we covered an amazing show season with many compelling stories. Our goal is to combine responsible journalism, entertainment, education, interaction and fun and to provide a reading experience unparalleled to any other in our industry.
In 2010, with the addition of Laura Gilmer as our senior writer, our traffic and readership consistently increased throughout the year. Our traffic was up nearly double from 2009 and our highest month reached over 23 million hits during October. A sincere thank you to all of our loyal readers for helping us achieve these amazing numbers!
As 2010 comes to an end, we wanted to take the opportunity to look back on the top-10 most popular stories of the year on GoHorseShow.com. The topics range from the highs of winning a World Championship, to the lows of losing a famous horse and just about everything in between.
NUMBER 1
Trainer Mugged Outside Hotel During Congress
Published 10/09/2010
Finally, the story you’ve been waiting for is a one that we were some what reluctant to report. The unfortunate circumstances behind a trainer being mugged in the parking lot ultimately led to GoHorseShow.com being contacted by the Columbus, Ohio police to tell us their side of the story. We give you, the most popular story of the year on GoHorseShow.com.
Click here to read the most popular story on GoHorseShow.com in 2010.
NUMBER 2
Everyone Is A Winner in Trainer Bowl II – Reid Thomas and Lainie DeBoer Raise $63,761 For Charity!
Published 01/19/2010
In just its second year, Trainer Bowl II absolutely exceeded everyone’s wildest dreams thanks to the tenacity and generosity of two horse trainers, Reid Thomas and Lainie DeBoer who raised over $63k for charity. Reid was ultimately crowned Trainer Bowl Champion and our readers hung on while every dollar was counted making it the second most popular story for 2010. Stay tuned for Trainer Bowl III coming in January!
Click here to read the 2nd most popular story for GoHorseShow.com in 2010.
NUMBER 3
Dakota Dishes on High School Prom for Horse Show Kids
Published 04/15/2010
Dakota Diamond Griffith’s stories are wildly popular on GoHorseShow.com but there was one story in 2010 that earned a spot toward the top of the top-10 list. Home schooled, Dakota told a great back story about who her date was and how she was going to pull off going to the prom during a horse show. Finally, she asked readers to vote for one of three dresses she picked to wear to her prom and it was an extremely tight race that came right down to the wire. Which dress won? You’ll have to read the story.
Click here to read the 3rd most popular story on GoHorseShow.com for 2010.
NUMBER 4
Invest N Vital Signs Dies — Causes Unknown
Published 07/15/2010
Covering all of the news from the equine world sometimes means reporting on subjects that are difficult to cover, namely the death of top horses. In 2010, we covered the loss many successful horses; Zippos Ace of Spades, Hope By Invitation, Potential Investment, Seven S Majestic, Gloin From Chocolate and Easyonthechocolate. The biggest headline of all according to our readers was the July passing of Invest N Vital Signs, the highest all-time money-earning western pleasure stallion. That story was the 4th most popular on GoHorseShow.com for 2010.
Click here to read the 4th most popular story on GoHorseShow.com from 2010.
NUMBER 5
Charlie Cole Gives Video Tour of Highpoint Performance Horses Stalls from the Congress
Published 10/14/2010
As we count down to the most popular GoHorseShow.com story from 2010, number 5 features Charlie Cole’s video tour of the Highpoint Performance Horses’ “crib” from the Congress. Our readers loved how Cole rolled out the red carpet for GoHorseShow.com and let us experience first hand their lavish set up. Executing the entire four minute walk through in just one take with complete ease while adding his personality and wit along the way, Cole proves that his talents aren’t solely on the back of a horse.
Click here to see the 5th most popular story on GoHorseShow.com from 2010.
NUMBER 6
On The Cart With Compton: Troy Sits Down with The Legendary Doug Carpenter
Published 02/01/2010
On The Cart With Compton has been one of the most popular segments we have ever done on GoHorseShow.com. In the 6th most popular story of 2010, Troy sat down with the man who literally wrote the book on western pleasure, Doug Carpenter. For those who do and do not know Doug, Troy’s interview appeals to everyone. We can all stand to learn from Doug’s ethics and what he has learned along the way and we all laughed at his great stories.
Click here to read the 6th most popular story on GoHorseShow.com in 2010.
NUMBER 7
Stray Cat Strikes Gold at Waco Horse Show
Published 04/28/2010
GoHorseShow.com and our readers had a lot of fun with the 7th most popular story of the year. Mix together a stray cat at a horse show, a cat lover, Highpoint Performance Horses, a private jet, and a not-to-be-missed wild twist at the end and the outcome is a story unlike anything else we have ever run before!
Click here to read the 7th most popular story on GoHorseShow.com in 2010.
NUMBER 8
The Life of An Assistant Horse Trainer at the Congress
By Laura Kathryn Gilmer
Published 10/22/2010
Everybody loves the Congress, except for maybe the assistant trainers. The 8th most popular story on GoHorseShow.com for 2010 took a look inside the life of three assistants at the Congress: Adam Wainscott of Highpoint Performance Horses, Tate Oakley of Rusty Green Quarter Horses, and Michalene “Mikey” Westover of Haylo Farms. A special thank you to these three talented individuals for taking time from their very hectic days to talk to Laura Gilmer.
Click here to see the 8th most popular story on GoHorseShow.com in 2010.
NUMBER 9
Shirley Roth and Kiss Onthe Open Range Win $200,000 Novice Slot Class at The Southern Belle
Published 07/17/2010
The 9th most popular GoHorseShow.com story of 2010 proves that a clean slate and a strong horse can help put you in the winner’s circle. Shirley Roth and her home-bred Kiss Onthe Open Range won $58,000 at the Southern Belle and GoHorseShow.com’s readers took great interest in the story.
Click here to see the 9th most popular story on GoHorseShow.com in 2010.
NUMBER 10
AQHYA World Show Through the Eyes of A World Champion
Published 08/07/2010
Our 10th most popular story for 2010 is one of our personal favorites as we found ourselves right in the middle of a heart warming and news making story. It was also one of the first times that we incorporated video into a story.
Click here to see the 10th most popular story on GoHorseShow.com in 2010.
