In honor of Mother’s Day, we are continuing our popular series of mothers talking about why their daughters have become so successful in our industry. In the first part of our series, we talked to Debbie Glover, the mother of Kristen Glover Galyean, and Janet Gunn, the mother of Caroline (Gunn) Rogers and Jessica (Gunn) Gilliam about their daughters and how they raised them to become winners in and out of the show arena.
We continue with part 2 of this series with Deanna Searles’ mother, Barbara Liska and Dakota Diamond Griffith’s mom, Leigh Ann. The two mothers talk more about what their daughters were like growing up and why they believe they have been successful in making their mark in this industry. Click here for Part 1 of the series featuring horse show moms, Debbie Glover and Janet Gunn.
Deanna Searles
For some, the focus and direction of their life seemed etched in the stars from the start. Deanna Searles’ mother, Barbara Liska, says that she knew early on that Deanna had a special connection with the horses she and her husband trained. “From the time she was born she loved it. The first time I put her on the horse at seven or eight months she screamed, not because she was scared, but because she didn’t want to get off. Once she was old enough to begin riding on her own, it was clear she had a natural ability.”
Given Deanna’s family history, it’s no surprise how quickly she took to horses. Her grandfather had shown and trained gaited and trick horses in New York. When Barbara married Don Dunham, they began a successful training business together. Liska says, “Deanna was stuck with it and really came by it naturally between her granddad and me.”
Even those born into the business know that it takes more than bloodlines to make a great horse or horsewoman. According to Liska, “Deanna helped me so much on the ranch. She had so much natural ability and so much heart for both people and animals. At an early age she could spend hours out there and was incredibly intuitive, but I think the natural ability was most important–either you’ve got it or you don’t.”
Deanna certainly had it. Shortly after the family moved to Oregon, they attended a 
show with Deanna showing Trouble Guard, a horse she’d been winning consistently with for several seasons. Liska says her daughter’s early determination shone through in her later years with Trouble. “Trouble had won so much for her. It got to be where if she didn’t get called out first the horse threw a fit. One time she didn’t called first and he went ballistic. She had to back him the whole way out. Her determination and grit never wavered.”
As she neared the end of her high school career, Deanna told her mother she didn’t want to attend college. Instead, she spent a year working with legendary trainer, Don Avila. According to Liska, “when she came back from Don’s and said she wanted to pursue it more, that’s when I knew she’d be in the business for life.”
After returning from the Avila’s, she took a job with Casey Hinton in Arizona, which proved a fateful decision as her future husband Jim Searles met her upon arriving at the ranch.
Following their marriage, the Searles spent a year training in Europe and then returned to training at Jim’s parents ranch in Arizona. The rest, as they say, is history.
Since those early days, Deanna has earned much success as a trainer and coach. Liska says seeing her daughter earn the prestigious Professional Horseman of the Year award from AQHA in 2013 (pictured right at AQHA Convention) has been one of her proudest moments and brings back memories of watching her sho
w at her first AQHYA World Show at age thirteen.
Liska remembers, “She had so much poise and presence and I thought I can’t believe she’s out there with all those eighteen year-olds. She looked like she belonged with all the other kids because she always went out and showed like she owned it, but she always had a lot of humility, too. This business has made her strong. I’ve seen her become her own person, and I admire her so much for that. But, she’s always been humble and grateful. You have to have a strong heart and a soft heart when dealing with people and animals.”
Dakota Diamond Griffith
For some, the road to the horse show life twisted and turned. Leigh Ann Griffith’s daughter Dakota showed an early interest which made sense, both of her parents were successful horse trainers. (That’s Leigh Ann pictured left in 1993 aboard the famous mare, Racy Rumors with a very young Dakota in her arms). But it wasn’t until the perfect horse came along that she truly caught the bug.
“After a succession of ponies did not work for Dakota, my husband, Sid, insisted that we find her a horse of her own,” Leigh Ann recalls. “For one reason or another, she would not even try the horses her father brought home. Until one day, Sid pulled in the driveway with a 17 year-old liver chestnut gelding with little tiny koala bear ears which were said to have been frostbitten at one time (pictured right). A client in the barn affectionately called him, Nubbins, and the name stuck. Dakota said in hindsight that it was his lop eared, teddy bear expression that won her over–riding Nubbins was the most joyous time of her life.”
For Dakota, early influences and a continued desire for excellence has played a major role in her career. Her mother notes, “There is no doubt that her father was her primary influence, but I was probably the reason that she pursued hunt seat. I also wanted her to learn dressage early on. She studied with a French dressage trainer named Marie Valentine who taught in a very military style that suited Dakota.”
Later on, she studied with legends like Doug Carpenter, Rick Skelly, and Sandy Vaughn. “I think one of the things that helps her continue to build her career is a strong desire for knowledge. She believes that it is important to continue with specialty coaches even as a professional. Her quest for knowledge and her ability to accept coaching is a great quality.”
After earning such 
honors as Justin Rookie of the Year early on in her show career and then becoming a Congress Champion, AQHA Honor Roll Champion and being elected AQHYA President, her mother says it came as no surprise when Griffith made the decision to turn professional at age nineteen. “Even when she was four and five years old, Dakota loved to hang out with the select ladies in the industry and would tell them that she was going to be a trainer someday. They always laughed to hear that conviction from a little kid. We never doubted her sincerity.”
Leigh Ann says much of her early conviction and drive remain prominent qualities in Dakota’s attitude. “Her love of showing has always been a driving force for her. I can recall last year when a show secretary said half jokingly that she always felt sorry for Dakota as a little kid because we were so intense with her. Dakota laughed, and said thank goodness she was
raised that way because our coaching and criticism are an important part of getting better.”
As a young trainer, Leigh Ann says the industry has taught Dakota a great deal about horses and life. “The horse business is not an easy business. You deal with winning and losing, birth and death, economics, and every human emotion in working with a diverse group of clients and peers. I think Dakota has learned how to make business and relationship decisions on a level far beyond her years. Her leadership skills are a big part of who she has become. She has a stiff upper lip at the appropriate times, has a tremendous inner confidence. Her compassion shows in her relationships with friends and peers, and toward her horses.”
