GoHorseShow recently came across a quote by legendary trainer Jack Brainard, “Good horses have made more trainers than trainers have horses.”
This quote inspired us to reach out and ask several trainers in the industry what horse was the turning point in their training careers. We asked several top experts in their field what they learned from these special horses that led them to become some of the top trainers in the industry. Let’s find out what they had to say.
Rusty Green—Potential Diva (pictured left in April of 2002) is the horse I would give all the credit to as far as furthering my knowledge and skill as a horse trainer and showman. She was by far, the nicest horse I had the opportunity to ride at that time in my career. But, at the same time, she was the most challenging. Her talent was a given, but as most horse trainers would call it, she was “tough”. She taught me how to show a great horse and she gave me the confidence it takes to show a horse in any situation. We had great rides and we had rides that weren’t that great. I was required to learn how to show through the good and the bad. Over the years, we formed a bond that I’ve only had with a couple of other horses since then. By the time she was a senior horse, we had full trust in each other. I also give her credit for teaching me how to prepare a horse for a non pro. I’ve realized over the years, that the key to a successful business is to always keep the mindset to prepare and train a horse for its owner, not myself. I had to figure out how to get Diva prepared for owner, Andrea Thompson as a three year-old. It wasn’t easy, but through the ups and downs, we figured it out. To this day, Diva is still my all-time favorite horse. She carried me to my first AQHA World Championship in Senior Western Pleasure in 2008. I’m forever indebted to her for all she taught me through the years.
Leonard Berryhill–The horse that influenced me at the beginning of my career was a 1980 palomino stallion my family raised named Skip N General. “General” was bred to be a performer. He was such a natural that even though I started him in May, we won the two year-old palomino futurity at the Tulsa State Fair–then the industry’s largest palomino show. His three year-old year was not only filled with great achievements, but while showing this great young horse, it helped me decide what I wanted to do with my life. We showed him in the halter along with the western pleasure classes. Then in May, we discovered the flying lead change. I took him to an AQHA show in Drumright, Oklahoma in June, entered the western riding, and won. By the time 1983 was over, Skip N General, as a three year-old, had become the PHBA World Champion in the Junior Western Pleasure, and my first AQHA World Champion in Junior Western Riding. It was quite common to show him in halter, western pleasure, western riding, heading and heeling with great success at the same show. Even today, people will come to me and talk about how they remember me showing that great, beautiful palomino stallion, Skip N General.
Jason Martin–Acadamosby Award was the horse that put us on the map for sure. He could win the world in four separate events and that allowed us a lot of exposure. Harley D Zip was the horse that made me the western riding trainer I am today. His style formed my style. We had a lot of trial and errors until we figured each other out. I feel so lucky that our paths crossed and we both taught each other so much. He is the reason I am the trainer I am today.
Gil Galyean–Mac Dudley by Scotch Bar Time was probably the horse that was a huge factor in helping me become the trainer I am today. Ann and Ray Murphy from Missouri brought him to me to train. I’ll be forever thankful for them sending this horse to me. He was a pretty buckskin gelding that I was Reserve at the World and Congress in the two year-old class in 1986. He just had a great topline and was different than anything else around at the time. He was elegant and just floated off the ground. He was very eye catching and talented. I’ll never forget that I had five firsts and a 15th at the Congress and lost the championship by one point.
Ted Turner–The horse that changed my life would be Mr Conclusion. When I switched breeds (from Appaloosa to Quarter Horse), I helped a client purchase him and then I became associated with him. He ended up siring great babies and great horses and he helped me get to where I needed to be in quarter horses. For a while, I didn’t show any other horse besides Mr Conclusion, and he put me on the map. His presence, class and his siring ability made him great. Not only was he a World Champion, but he has produced more World Champions than any other horse there has been. He was just a great horse, and he not only produced halter horses, but he produced performance horses that did pretty well. He really left his mark on the breed that no other horse has since.
Beth Case–When we first got Dont Ya Just Love it (Lyle), he was to be Sarah and Shelby Ratliff’s horse to learn how to ride and show. I showed him at the Sun Circuit in 2004, and I was just happy to get my name called. On the third day, I won on one card and thought maybe I could get him qualified. I don’t think Charlie (Cole) and Jason (Martin) really took me seriously. Later that year, we were Reserve World Champions in the Senior Hunter Under Saddle and then the next year we came back and won the class. I think Lyle was 12 or 13 years old. He was my first AQHA World Champion. He helped me learn that no matter what anyone says, if you think you can do it and you try hard enough, you can. Just because a horse is a little older doesn’t mean they can’t come back and be great again.
Jerry Erickson— I was so very fortunate and had several horses that jump started my career. The first three horses that gave me national attention were Birds Go Bruce (first Congress Champion), Nasty Notions (World Res Champion) and Ruler I Am. I mention all three because after my first Congress win with Ruler I Am, I received a phone call from a respected trainer asking my opinion of some horses and what I had for sale. As this person had rarely spoken to me previously, I finally asked why he was calling me for my opinion. His response was that many stumble upon one great horse but once a person finds three or more it is no longer a matter of luck. Thus these three, especially Ruler I Am, deserve credit for whatever success I have had.
Bret Parrish—Sweet Talkin Chip was the horse I would say helped me turn the corner in my training career. He was great minded and so trainable that he taught me what a horse was supposed to feel like–he had great self carriage and more raw talent than any horse I had ridden up to that point. I learned a lot from him and he was the NSBA High Point Two Year-Old that year and we went on to place Top 5 at the AQHA World Show in the Junior Western Pleasure.
Nancy Sue Ryan—-The horse I learned the most from was Country Dainty Dish who we bought in 1978. She was a firecracker and if you took a hold of her, she would get nervous and go faster. She was a nice mare but had a big motor–not many people could ride her because you couldn’t get after her. So, I had to figure out a way to make her relax. Mr. Jack Finney owned her and I remember him riding her once and she took off with him. Jack got off and threw me the reins and told me to somehow make it work. So, I started loping her in a circle and when I took a hold of her and she got bold, I would immediately bring her down to a trot or walk and get her to relax. I had to do that over and over until she finally learned to slow down and relax. We ended up high point in the nation in the hunter under saddle and also were AQHA Reserve World Champions. Today, I still use what I learned on her with all my horses.
Leslie Lange–The horse that changed the path of my career was Im A Fine Dandy. I got him in the barn for a client and he was basically a rail horse that did the equitation. I taught him to change leads and do the trail which resulted in several world championships, honor rolls and Congress Championships in trail and western riding. Obviously, winning with him was a big turning point in my career, but the things he taught me about training and showing have been monumental. He was not an easy horse, but he was very trainable and very honest. I had him for a couple of clients and then my mother bought him, so he lived out the rest of his life with me. “Dandy” was very special to me both professionally and personally.
Jay Starnes–There have been a few that come to mind for me but a gelding named, I Like Hot Chips would be the one that helped my career. He taught me that there is a lot more that goes into getting a horse ready for a big event than just going around the ring and being good legged. There is a lot of little things that make a difference that I had to learn to appreciate. Also, I was lucky enough to get him back as a senior horse and he continued to teach me about being prepared when you leave the house to come to a horse show because with him if you didn’t– it wouldn’t go so well for you.
Holly Hover–Absolutely, it’s Bert Parker. I saw him at John Hoyt’s when he was just a four year-old. He wasn’t particularly pretty, kind of skinny and goofy looking, but there was just something about him. I remember my mom drove to Texas to pick him up for me and when I met her back home to unload him…she said, “Have you lost your mind?” She knew all about good conformation and that certainly was not his strong suit. However, Bert Parker was a show horse. He was the kind of horse that at a fairgrounds in a line of 20 stalls, people would stop and interact with him. I know he picked his partner, Sarah Marold Clymer. I had shown him to other would be buyers and he never really would behave until Sarah rode him and that was all she wrote–multiple World Champions, Congress All Around Amateur, on and on. I loved that horse. He changed my life. He opened up many doors. He brought life long friends to the table. He died in Colorado, retired in a field, knee high in grass. I had already moved to Arizona when I received the tearful phone call from Sarah. I will never forget her words, “When he closed his eyes, I looked to the sky and there was a single shooting star.” He was amazing.
Randy Wilson–Rosys Story was the mare that I trained as a two year old in 1987. Rosy gave me my first AQHA World Championship in the Two Year-Old Snaffle Bit. She was an exceptional mare out of the great Bonanzas Rosy and by Snazzy Story. Rosy was a great athlete with a very challenging mind. After having the success I did with her, it gave me the confidence that I could do it on any horse.
Ross Roark –I’ve been fortunate enough to have a lot of influential horses in my life, but in my early career, the two horses that had the most influence was Sheza Perfect Clu and Wincredible. Sheza Perfect Clu was a mare I bought for Jim Dunn, who was a great customer of mine who I eventually worked for full-time. I won the world with her, and she was grand-champion mare at the Congress. I showed her as a weanling, where she was reserve world champion and then showed her as yearling, when she won the world championship. I think she was just one of the greatest mares of all-time and was very influential on my early career. Wincredible was a stud I bought as a weanling for the same man, Jim Dunn. I showed him that year and he was reserve world champion. I then showed him as a yearling the next year and he won a world champion. A year after that, we showed him as a two-year old and he was world champion in both the open and amateur. They were both horses that had a lot of presence, a lot of eye-appeal. They were good-legged, good-footed horses and were beautiful with their head, neck and torso. They turned out to be exceptional horses and I was fortunate to have them both early in my career, in my early 20s and they were just turned out to be great horses.
Julie Voge: All But Sudden was my heart horse. I bought “Stevie” from breeder Steve Martin in December of his three year-old year. When I lived in College Station, we only had a three stall barn–open fronts–totally not a true show horse facility. In fact, I mowed a track in the sandy grass and after continuously riding on it, it eventually turned into total sand. I put cones out amongst the gopher holes and that’s where I got him ready for the western riding. I didn’t have an arena let alone an arena drag. Since my good friend Bruce Walquist had trained Dress Western so well, and they are out of same dam, I thought he was a logical choice to help me. I drove two and a half hours to Bruce’s house about once a month to practice. Changing leads was the easy part for Stevie–getting him to understand the whole frame thing was another story. He was so honest and tried so hard for me. I was proud to end up reserve world champion on him that year in the Junior Western Riding. But, the fact that he has gone on to be a superstar in so many classes is really what makes me so proud to have been associated with him.
Carly Veldman–My youth and amateur horse Picasso By Q, “Boomer,” made me the rider that I am today. He was extremely talented but also difficult in many ways. Although I was a youth and an amateur with Boomer, I trained him myself, under the guidance of some very good coaches. Through training him, I got my first lessons in learning to teach a horse how to change leads; how to do the trail, etc. He was talented in such a variety of events (we won the world in western riding and working hunter on the same day), so he taught me what a great ride should feel like. But he also taught me patience and persistence because he was very strong willed. Through his medical needs (HYPP), he taught me how to better care for horses and to be extremely attentive to their medical needs. Boomer taught me that hard work will pay off eventually and that horses will always do better if they love their rider.
Scott Thompson–Probably the one that got my career started was a mare named, Ms Southern Border that we raised. I was only 16 years old when I started her from scratch. As a three year-old, I placed third on her at the Solid Gold Futurity which was a really big deal. Then, I let my dad’s wife show her and they were the Amateur High Point Western Pleasure team in the nation. I was fifth at the Congress on her and she placed at the world show in the Junior Pleasure. That gave me the confidence to know that I could succeed on the open level and train one from start to finish. Ms Southern Border also had success as a broodmare producing AQHA World Champion Southwestern Gunman with Whitney Walquist.
Valerie Kearns–I would say it would have to be RL Suddenly Famous. He taught me if you can teach them to want to do what your asking for they will give you their heart and do whatever you want for as long as you want. I use this lesson everyday.
Keith Miller–Air Ride Equipped–He helped me make a name for myself in the industry. He also opened up the doors for more opportunities to work with higher quality horses and clientele. He had already won the world before so I was happy I was able to maintain his status as one of the elite hunter under saddle horses in the industry. He wasn’t like any horse I had ever ridden before–he was so soft and floated through the air. Today, I look to him as the standard when I evaluate other hunter under saddle horses. He was one-of-a-kind and I’m so glad I had the opportunity to show and ride him.
Becky George–His name is Loots Encore, a 1997 APHA gelding. Luke taught me so much. He was my first open world champion in the Junior Western Riding. We bought him for Maggie Griffin for her all around horse in December of 2001. When Sally purchased Luke, he just did the pleasure and that was when the world show was in July. Luke not only learned the all around quickly, he was world champion in the Junior Western Riding and 13 & Under Western Riding and went on to be the number one 13 & Under in the nation that year. He taught me so much about the lead change and training an all around horse. I will always be grateful for the opportunity to train Luke.
Kim Reynolds–I have to say Big League Potential taught me about a horse with heart. He was never a cheat and did his job every time and loved it. Also, in my youth days, Easy Does It Too taught me that it wasn’t always my way or the highway. You had to be a real horseman to get her shown. Finally, Willy Wanna B Me has taught me to trust in the show pen and when I soften and relax, he gets better every time.
Will Knabenshue–Impulsive Lite is the horse that was the turning point of my career. I showed him as a two year-old and he was the one that I proved to myself that I could do well as a trainer. I worked for Brad and Kelli McCamy at the time and they raised him. He is still winning today. Also, Ellies Sweet Chip who I taught the all-around events. She wasn’t going to make it in the pleasure so I taught her the trail and western riding. She is still going today and very successful.
Shannon Curl--I would have to say that every horse I’ve rode that got to the show pen was a huge influence on my career. Every horse is not the same, as we all know, so I feel like I’ve learned something from all of them.
What about you? Is there a special horse that made you a better rider or trainer? We want to know! Comment on our Facebook page or in the comments section of this article.
