It’s been an emotional week for Amateur exhibitor Karen Ogle of Edmond, Oklahoma. On Tuesday, she showed in the preliminaries and made the finals in the Amateur Hunter Hack with her horse, Sneakn Past The Mark (Elliot), as well as the Amateur Working Hunter with both of her horses, Pact With Power (Harley) and Elliot. The next day, Ogle spent time with her 72 year-old father, Ron Presley, at the hospital before he peacefully passed away after a long illness.
On Friday, before the finals, Ogle briefly warmed up right before her classes and went in and showed in honor of her father. Ogle rode brilliantly and ended up fifth in the Hunter Hack and fourth in the Working Hunter on Elliot and was awarded Reserve World Champions on her long-time mount, Harley. Ogle had a total of three firsts with both of her horses in the Working Hunter finals. What was also fitting is that she had the rides of her life on Veterans Day which also paid tribute to her father who was a Navy veteran. On Saturday, she attended her father’s funeral and said goodbye to the man she credits in nurturing her love of horses.
“The horse show community has supported and lifted me up this week. I had people offering to feed my horse and clean my stall and stepped up to help me anyway they could, and it meant so much to me,” Karen Ogle says. “Thanks to everyone. I’ve never ridden so well, and my dad was watching over me!”
This mother of two says that her father was very instrumental in getting her involved with horses. “When all of us were younger (her and her three sisters), my dad would buy these horses at an auction and bring them home for us to ride,” she recalls. “He would tells us to hop on and see if it was broke. We never had the financial means to show or anything but he was the one that got all of us interested in riding.”
Karen continues, “My father was a real fighter, and had a risk taker, gambler type personality,” she says. “I definitely got my competitive spirit from him and I know he is really proud of my accomplishments and how well I did this past week,” she says. “When I told my mother, I wasn’t sure whether I was up to showing this week due to my dad, she gave me that extra push—I’m glad because I had the show of my life.”
Ogle didn’t have much time to practice for her finals, and her trainer, Kelley Watts-Rampey says it was probably a blessing in disguise. “Sometimes people over do it, and I think Karen dealing with her father’s passing put everything in perspective and her nerves were gone,” she says. “She just went out there a rode her best. I think sometimes we forget why we were put on this earth–it definitely isn’t to worry about winning a trophy or being upset if we make a mistake and have a bad ride–it’s to be the best person possible and realize that family and helping others is more important.”
Ogle said that she never felt more confident going into the finals. “At the VA hospital on Monday, they did a flag pinning ceremony and the doctor saluted my father,” she remembers. “It was so moving and then my mother gave me the flag pin to wear when I showed, and I put it on the lapel of my hunt jacket. I rubbed it each time before I went in the arena. It definitely gave me good luck. My father was never able to see me show at the World Show because of his health but he was finally able to see me show this time–I felt absolutely at peace.”
