AQHA judge and respected professional horseman, Pete Kyle traded in his cowboy boots for a jumping saddle during a Make-A-Wish Equine Challenge at the Ocala, Florida Equestrian Complex last month.
The Dixie Reined Cow Horse Association had 10 leading NRCHA cow horse trainers trade horses with 10 of the best jumper trainers from HITs and each competed in the opposing discipline. With the help of the Ocala community and other donors, they were able to raise over $11,000 for Make-A-Wish.
GoHorseShow,com couldn’t resist tracking down pictures of Pete jumping his first hunter course and asking him about his experience.
“It was for a great cause,” Kyle told GoHorseShow.com. “Luckily, we had to jump six jumps that weren’t too high, probably around 2 feet 6 inches in height. I wasn’t nervous about the height–but more worried about staying in time with the horse and not falling off. I needed to trust the horse more but I got all my spots.”
Kyle said that the western trainers were able to keep their cowboy hats on when they jumped their course. Pat Parelli was one of the other trainers that competed in the event. Olympic gold Medalist David and Karen O’Connor were two of the jumper trainers that competed in the Working Cow Horse.
“The english riders did a great job doing a Working Cow Horse reining pattern and working the cow. It is a lot more difficult for an inexperienced person to work a cow, but they did amazingly well. I also think all the western riders held their own in the jumping events, too.”
Kyle said that the Dixie Reined Cow Association sold tables for $500 a piece, and it was a ticketed event where around 1200-1500 people showed up to support the cause.
“One of the boys from the Make-A-Wish Foundation had his dream come true when he was able to get on and ride a Working Cow Horse and push the cattle around. It made his day and we all were giving him high fives. It was a great day, and I am honored they asked me to compete in the competition with such prestigious trainers in both english and western disciplines.”
GoHorseShow.com would like to thank photographer Jim Davis for letting us use his photos from the event. Please check out his site here.
