During the past few years, Madison Malsch, a two-time APHA Number One rider, has been learning the ropes with her new horse,
Paintfully Innocent (Albert) in the tough 14-18 division. Madison has been working hard to develop a strong
partnership with the seven year-old
gray overo gelding and it is starting to pay off. The duo were the 2012 Pinto
World Champions in the
Sr. Youth Showmanship, beating over 70 entries.
“We call him Albert, Al, Big Al, Prince Albert, Fat Albert,” the sixteen year-old says laughing. “His nicknames are unending. Albert is a very quirky horse–he thinks he is a dog. He is always licking things including walls, chairs, fences, and much of the time, me. Albert is such a loving horse, with a great heart. He learns amazingly fast, and I am so proud to be his owner and friend.”
This year, the high school sophomore is really pushing herself and Albert to grow and improve in their consistency. The duo is currently showing in the showmanship, halter, hunter under saddle, equitation, western pleasure, horsemanship, trail, western riding, and reining.
“As we have added events, Albert and I are learning more and more about what to expect from each other. I just aim to become a more solid team now that we have our foundation in place,” Madison states. “I love every single thing about horses and showing. I am at the barn every day after school. It really allows me to let go of everything. I look at the barn as a reset button because every time I leave the barn, I feel refreshed and ready to tackle anything. Albert pushes me each and every day to grow as a rider, and he always seems to know how to put a smile on my face.”
The Colorado native lives with her parents, Rob and Mary Malsch, and her brother, Jake. Madison told GoHorseShow that her life revolves around horses, school, family, and her friends.
“I have been around horses literally all of my life. When I was little, my mom and ‘Yaya’ (grandmother) were big into showing Paint horses. It was just natural that my cousins and I fell in love with them. And not much has changed! To this day, we are all still riding and showing horses.”
Albert and Madison have been on the Top 20 list in both 2011 and 2012, but she says their most exciting win came earlier this year in Scottsdale, Arizona. The team were the unanimous winners of the Youth Hunter Under Saddle at the March Paint-O-Rama. “It was a huge breakthrough ride for Albert and me,” Madison says, obviously proud of their progress. “We ended up High Point 14-18 at that show which was the first time I had won a High-Point on Albert.”
In October of 2012, the Malsch Family decided to bring Madison’s horse back to Colorado for the winter. She started taking lessons and working with Chad Evans and his assistant, Julian Harris, of Evans Performance Horses where she boards her horse.
“As a boarder, I learned so much about my horse, his feed, his vet care, his shoeing, all things that had always been previously left up to my trainer,” Madison states. “I also went to shows without a trainer for the first time which was a new learning experience. I found that I could only get so far on my own without help. They are giving me a completely different perspective and approach to my riding and are helping Albert and I break through to new levels.”
Madison’s future plans involve attending college and studying to be an orthodontist. She also has a goal to be on a college equestrian team and hopes to be recruited when she is a high school senior. Malsch says she has learned many life lessons from showing horses.
“I am certainly not an expert on life, but through the challenges I have faced, overcome, and are still encountering, I have learned just how important it is to love,” Madison says. “Embrace the situations you are encountering, work hard, love others, and never quit. Life is not about the prizes you win, or the praise you get from others. It is about your happiness. Challenge yourself with the things you don’t like to do, work hard at the things you love, and everything else will simply fall into place.”
Wise words from a sixteen year-old!
Click here to check out her ad in the April issue of GoMag.
