Sixty year-old Sue DePalma of Albion, New York is definitely the comeback kid. This Select Amateur showed for the first time in 28 years at the Florida Gold Coast. She made her successful return in the Novice Showmanship and placed both days under all the judges.
“I wasn’t too nervous,” DePalma says. “My daughters, Lynette and Meg who also show were more nervous than I was—Jimmy (No Fun Being Good) knows what to do and he really took care of me.”
Her trainer, Keith Miller, and two daughters were both yelling, whistling, and hollering for Sue when she entered the arena to show their support.
“I was really proud of her,” Miller told GoHorseShow. “We have been practicing and schooling and it is great to see her in the show ring after a really long time.”
DePalma stopped showing horses when her daughters got involved with horses. “My daughters started riding when they were seven, and my show career was put on the back burner because of finances. We couldn’t afford to pay for all of us to continue showing, so I became a horse show mom,” she reflects. “For the past twenty six years, I have lived through the girls and felt the excitement and rush of showing through them.”
Sue continues, “I loved seeing my daughters succeed in the show arena, but it is exciting to be showing again. I felt like my pattern was pretty good, but there is definite room for improvement. I wasn’t as crisp as I would like to be, but my daughter videotaped it so I’m sure that will help. At least I didn’t forget anything, and I’m glad to be back.”
This New York native is showing her daughter’s horse, No Fun Being Good, in the Novice Amateur Showmanship, but she is currently looking for her own western all-around horse to show in the Select Amateur Events.
DePalma started showing in the 70s and 80s, but she didn’t own her first horse until she was in her twenties. Her first horse was a Quarter Horse named, Chit Chat Charlie, and she showed him in the all-around events. “Back then you could take a horse and try them out for 30 days,” she recalls. “He was a lot of fun. I also owned a son of Two Eyed Jack that I showed in the Hunter Under Saddle.”
Sue adds, “It is a lot more competitive and specialized now, but I love the industry because it is something we can do as a family, and now I can show with both of my girls so it should be a lot of fun. It is great because I started my daughters with the horses and now they are helping me–we have come full circle.”
