Amateurs Larisa Affeldt and Hilary Reinhard are excited to be reporting for GoHorseShow at the Silver Dollar Circuit in Las Vegas. Larisa Affeldt is currently showing her new mount, multiple Congress Champion Huntin My Zipper under the guidance of Nancy Renfro. Hilary is currently showing Zippos Ultra Gold in amateur trail under the guidance of Mike Weaver.
Larisa Affeldt has loved horses all her life. She got her first horse when she was eight years-old and has loved showing and competing with AQHA for as long as she can remember. She is the mother of three crazy fun boys Walker (7) Logan (4) and Kolt (2) and wife to Jeremy Affeldt, who is a three-time World Series Champion with the San Francisco Giants.
Hilary’s involvement with AQHA started through her grandparents who raised quarter horses at the T-J Ranch in Colfax, CA. She graduated from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo with an Agricultural Engineering degree and has an MBA from UC Davis. She now travels to AQHA shows with her mom, Ellen Armstrong, who has traded in being a horse show mom for being an active exhibitor showing her mare, Out For Chocolate in select classes.
Check out their reports from the show!
Silver Dollar Circuit, Sunday, March 22nd, 2015–Hilary’s Report
During dinner in Vegas last night, Larisa and I discussed how positive our show experience here at Silver Dollar has been and how it was a contrast to our humble horse show beginnings. Like many of the people you see winning at the big shows, we both started at the very bottom of the horse show world.
I was 9 years-old when I decided I wanted to show. My first horse was a two year old that I was determined to make a show horse. He liked to spook and buck, and he looked nothing like the show horses that people expect me to ride today. I started at 4-H shows. My placings were generally last, except in western equitation where I think the judges were just impressed I could stay on.
Larisa had similar memories of her horse beginnings. She started showing at 4-H and then moved up from there to open shows. The picture shows her at the Spokane Interstate Fair. If you look closely, you can see the ferris wheel in the background. She showed a big Appaloosa mare named Lacey. She was a versatile horse that Larisa loved to show in the English classes because posting made the rough mare easier to ride. They also made a statement in showmanship in her burgundy and rose outfit.
Larisa also chased a few cows on her when the opportunity presented itself. Larisa enjoyed the versatility of entering every class she could. The Appy mare was anything but easy but Larisa learned to ride and compete in the classes she could make the horse competitive in. The horse was kept at home and Larisa took occasional lessons while her dedicated horse show mom hauled her to the local shows.
Before she got her Appaloosa ‘show horse’, her mom bought Larisa’s first horse when Larisa was just eight years-old. They tightened up the back cinch (not the cinch) way too tight on their new $650 brown gelding, and, as expected, her first ride on the new horse ended with the horse bucking and her on the ground. But, she got back on, this time with a loosened back cinch and the second ride went better. Larisa did rodeos with the horse for about five minutes and then quickly realized that she preferred the showmanship and western and English equitation (as it used to be called before patterns were the norm).
This week, Larisa and I were both blessed with the opportunity to show great horses at one of the biggest shows on the West Coast, but, sometimes it is good for us and for our fellow competitors to remember our humble beginnings.
Today’s winners are frequently yesterday’s struggling equestrians who never quit and kept learning and striving to be the best.
Silver Dollar Circuit, Saturday, March 21st, 2015–Hilary’s Report
As Larisa and I say, some days you win. Some days you learn and work towards tomorrow’s win. At the end of last year I retired my western riding horse. This year I am leasing Magnum from my good friend, Kathryn deVries. He is a Congress Champion, World Show Top Ten in Amateur Trail and was a finalist at last year’s World in Open Trail. Magnum is teaching me trail, a class I haven’t shown in a long time.
Even when you are riding a great trail horse, the quick transitions and communication needed to successfully navigate a Tim Kimura trail course are difficult for a new team. So, although the beginning of our pattern was great, we missed making a lope to jog transition in between two obstacles. Knowing that the error would knock us out of placings, I used the rest of the course to practice reinforcing the things we have been working on at home. Even though we didn’t place, I learned where we have improved and where we need to improve and work towards being a better team.
Learning a new horse when the horse is green or the rider is new to the event is a struggle. But, focusing on the parts of the pattern that go the way you hoped and developing a plan to shore up the weaknesses is a part of showing and competing. So, even though all the placings didn’t go the way we had hoped today, we look forward to the journey and towards future wins.
Silver Dollar Circuit, Friday, March 20th, 2015
While Larisa and I spent last night taking it easy and getting a good night’s sleep, our horses had other ideas. Magnum and Bob were seen hitting the Vegas strip.
First, they stopped at the Bellagio buffet and ate their fill of carrot cake. Then, Magnum was seen at Hakkasan at the MGM with a magnum of champagne, and he ended the night at Drai’s Night Club at the Cromwell for after hours. Meanwhile, Bob, who is still underage, was seen at the local convenience store stocking up on sugar cubes and Red Bull. All the late night shenanigans left the boys exhausted, and we found them sacked out this morning.
Thankfully, the schedule and large classes allowed them extra time to rest before we showed today. With my Amateur Trail and Larisa’s Amateur Horsemanship both showing in the evening. Rest up boys!
Silver Dollar Circuit, Thursday, March 19th, 2015
Although many of us arrived on Monday, today marked day three of the six day horse show. Showmanship and halter were the focus today with a split arena showing to three judges on one half and then showing to the other three in the second half. Special congratulations to Eric Mendrysa who was able to pull off a unanimous win in Level 2 Amateur Showmanship out of 28 entries. Six judges, six firsts, 30 points!
While all the judges were busy in the one arena, the other two show arenas were used for trail and western riding schooling for us non-pros.
Like most hump days, the day started with enthusiasm, energy and big plans for the night. But after hours…and hours…and hours of showing, those plans got tossed, in favor of a good meal, early dinner, wine and a good night’s sleep.
Silver Dollar Circuit, Wednesday, March 18th, 2015
One of the best things about showing at the South Point is that friends and family that don’t typically attend our horse shows actually want to come watch us show. After all, it’s Vegas!
Today, we interviewed Larisa’s husband, Jeremy, to get his opinions on horse shows. Find out how well he knows about his wife’s horse activities and get some tips from the San Francisco Giants World Series Champion pitcher about how to handle nerves and competition.
Q: If you were a horse what would your registered name be?
A: Sinkers On The Black
Q: What is your favorite event to watch at a horse show and why?
A: If the show has cutting I love watching that.
Q: Can you name every horse your wife has owned in chronological order?
A: Since I’ve known her, it’s been Leroy, Bailey, Charlie, Sorrel Money Maker (couldn’t remember the name but knew they made money on a red one), Oakley, Priscilla, and Bob.
Q: If your wife was marooned on a deserted island and had to choose between bringing you or her horse which would she choose?
A: Me, she would just take up fishing.
Q: Your wife is at a show and is running late for a class and asks you to grab the correction bit from the tack room. Do you A) give her a blank stare? Or B) grab every head stall in the tack room figuring it’s got to be one of them? Or C) run to the tack room and grab the correct head stall on the first try?
A: B! Unless someone is there then I ask! The look I’d get from getting the wrong one wouldn’t be advantageous to me as a husband!
Q: Do you have any lucky charms or rituals that work for you?
A: No, I really believe hard work and discipline trumps any rabbit foot scenarios.
Q: What advice do you have for people dealing with show nerves?
A: Focus on the controllable not the uncontrollable. Nerves are your bodies way of telling you it’s creating adrenaline, that causes your mind to have focus to do the task ahead of you. Telling yourself nerves are okay will help you deal with them instead of fear them.
Q: Best part of hanging out at a horse show? Worst part?
A: Best part is seeing my wife take incredible joy from competing and doing what she is talented at. Worst part: watching everyone else show.
Silver Dollar Circuit, Tuesday, March 17th, 2015
Today was the first day of showing at the Silver Dollar Circuit. The facility improvements have brought even bigger numbers than last year with the show office reporting a 30% increase in stalls. The largest class of the day was Senior Trail with 124 entries!
But, while the trainers were showing, we were on the hunt for a real, live leprechaun. It was St. Patrick’s Day after all! After searching high and low, we finally found one when Brad Ost (pictured above left) showed us his true identity that he had hidden under his show shirt.
Silver Dollar Circuit–Monday March 16, 2015
The horse show starts Tuesday so Monday was prep day at the Silver Dollar horse show. Amateur and youth exhibitors from all over the U.S. flew into Vegas. Horses were lunged, ridden, bathed, and banded in preparation for tomorrow’s start to the show. The show staff (pictured right) was efficient and friendly at getting all the exhibitors checked in and entered. The Nevada Quarter Horse Youth Association had a laminating booth right outside the office so for $5 you could make sure numbers lasted through a week of showing and multiple outfit/pad changes. As an added benefit, the show held paid schooling trail and western riding warm ups where, for a fee, exhibitors could ride the courses solo and prepare for Tuesday’s classes.
Stay tuned for more reports from the show!
