With the Youth World and Congress coming up, GoHorseShow thought it would be fitting to relive some memorable moments from these colossal shows. We talked to Broc Clark, who is widely remembered as the youth doing cartwheels in the middle of the arena at the 1990 World and Congress after winning the Youth Showmanship with Forged Impression.
We wanted to find up what he has been up to since his horse show years. Like past successful youth exhibitors Flora Brama, and Chad Falkenberg, Broc Clark also became involved with interior design. He recently changed his first name from Brock to Broc in order to create a more chic vibe to his name and design label. A native of Michigan, Clark now lives in Dallas, Texas and is the styling director for JCP Media division of JCPenney Co. In this role, Clark pulls together the looks and styling direction for JCPenney home catalogues and other marketing needs. Currently, Clark is working on the Cindy Crawford Style and Chris Madden Home private brands for JCP as well pursuing freelance interior design projects.
Clarks says that while growing up he had no idea what he wanted to do but he always had a knack for things creative. “While showing horses and working in the fashion and interior design industry, I learned design, presentation and romance. Then, while working as a junior interior designer for designers Emily Summers and Joseph Minton, I discovered my passion for styling interiors,” Broc tells GoHorseShow. “I really fell into the styling director role and was lucky to be given a break by John Kendig. Styling is my form of expression, bringing catalog and magazine pages to life.”
After freelancing for a number of years and working predominantly as an interior designer, Clark has also been lucky enough to have stories appear about him in Atomic Ranch magazine, European Homes & Gardens and PaperCity magazine as well as work on home catalogues for JCPenney. (Pictured left is Broc Clark reuniting with Forged Impression earlier this year)
“It’s all about creating a beautiful picture for me. Pictures, movies and beautiful things inspire me. As a kid, I wore the ink off of fashion, design and horse magazine pages looking over and over at the pictures. I loved to watch movies such as Auntie Mame, James Bond and Out of Africa because of their sets and locations,” Broc recalls. “I knew someday that I wanted to design wealthy people’s homes, dress them and show horses. In fact, now that I think about it, my parents bought me a subscription to the Quarter Horse Journal for a Christmas present when I was seven. It was the pictures of people and their horses that fostered my desire to show horses. Being a style director, I help create a picture for an advertisement that may inspire someone.”
Broc said that showing horses taught him many skills for life that serve to help him throughout his career. “It taught me such things as hard work, to be a good sportsman, politics, performing in front of crowds–that it’s all in the details and to be the best I could be.”
According to Broc, his parents loved horses, and they passed that admiration on to him when he was five years-old and also to his younger brother, Jon, when they received their first pony, Flicker. Later, their dad took them to the Blue Water Quarter Horse Circuit that was held in Goodells, Michigan when Broc was seven. “I knew then I wanted to show horses and be the best. I showed my first pony at the local 4-H St. Clair County Fair in Michigan.”
Clark didn’t have much monetary backing when he was showing, but he made up for that with talent and determination. Clark purchased Forged Impression who he called, “Tommy” from Kristy King, and Broc remembers being intimidated by owning such a well known horse, but that quickly changed when Clark started winning and making a name for himself. At the time, Clark and Forged Impression was under the guidance of Christie Morse whom he met at a Michigan Quarter Horse Show in 1987.
“It was my first year at the World Show, and I found out later that I had won under all five judges in the Showmanship. It was such an amazing experience and not at all expected. Erin Brown was second and our back numbers were so close. I remember losing it and jumping up and down and doing a cartwheel to celebrate. I also did a cartwheel at the Congress when I won there too,” Broc remembers. “What was crazy is that Tommy just stood there on all fours and never moved. He was an amazing horse, and I couldn’t believe I had the chance to own him.”
The Reserve Champion in the Showmanship that year, Erin Brown Gayer, remembers the moment a little bit different. “I’m pretty sure he did a front handspring,” Brown says and laughs, when talking about Clark’s win at the Youth World in 1990. “I was just ecstatic to make the finals. It was my first time at the World Show, and I didn’t know my mare, Maggie, hated crowds and clapping–so for 13 other placings, she bucked and ran circles around me. I was hoping she wouldn’t run over Brock during his floor routine!”
Someday, Broc says, he’d like to be the Fashion Editor or Style Director for an equine/horse lifestyle magazine that would cover and explore the lifestyle of horse people. “It was such a healthy and positive thing for my life, so I would like to help promote it and take it to the next level and help keep it relevant in people’s lives.”
Over the last year, Clark has been feeling the itch to start back into showing horses. He plans to buy a young prospect to show. “I’m going to start showing again soon. I’ve been riding for a couple months now with Robin and Jenny Frid. I am looking to do the all-around. After getting my www.thehorseysetstyle.blogspot.com up and going strong, I’ve been able to focus on getting back in the saddle. I even talked with Lori Heckaman poolside this weekend about designing my very own custom saddle blanket. (Woohoo!)”
We look forward to seeing Broc in the show ring again bringing some of his style back to horse shows!
