The bond between horse and rider is an unspeakable one. This bond is based on a mutual trust and any rider will tell you that it can take months, if not many years, to build this essential relationship. Amateur exhibitor, Trista Mallow, and her horse, Shezaddicting (Funny Face), have held this bond for over a decade.
Mallow says that her bay mare came with her barn name, Funny Face, “probably because of her awkward blaze, huge ears and big eyes.” They developed their relationship years ago when they showed together in the youth events. After a 10 year hiatus from the show pen, this unbreakable bond between a girl and her horse is taking the arena by storm.
Funny Face and Mallow showed together as a youth with the help of Mallow’s mother. As a youth, they showed in the all-around events. Both Mallow and her mom can agree that they had no idea what exactly they were doing in those early days, but that they had this fantastic, one-of-a-kind mare that was super broke and did everything they asked.
“It was a blast,” recalls Mallow. “She brought home more awards and ribbons than we knew what to do with.” Mallow was 17 when she got the opportunity to show at her very first quarter horse show and Funny Face didn’t disappoint (pictured right). From that moment on they were both hooked.
Life moves on and many more awards were won, but, when Mallow went off to college, they decided to breed Funny Face and let her enjoy pasture life. Then, an opportunity arose for Funny Face to come back to the show pen in 2011 when Mallow’s friend and business partner, Keri Collins, became horseless.
Not only did they bring Funny Face back to the show pen that year but this was also the year that Mallow and Collins brought their office to the shows with their new business, Closet Space.
“It was a fun year for all of us,” Mallow reveals. “The mare just never disappoints. She loves her job and all the attention that comes with it.” Together, Collins (pictured left) and Funny Face received numerous awards and placings. After the show season ended, Funny Face went back to pasture life where Mallow assumed she would stay for good.
“I wasn’t really planning on bringing her back to the show pen…again,” laughs Mallow. But then, after she sold her three year-old in December and her show horse in January, Mallow brought her old partner out of retirement and began riding her again.
Travis Born, Mallow’s boyfriend and trainer, was beyond patient and supportive when she told him her crazy idea of bringing Funny Face back to the show pen. Their first show back together was at the Illinois Quarter Horse show in Gordyville on March 19-20.
“My goal was that she shed out in time before the show,” Mallow expresses. “So being circuit champion was the icing on the cake.” Going in she had no expectations with how they would do in the show pen. The mare exceeded everyone’s expectations proving how much she loved her job.
“She is just a riot to be around,” reveals Mallow. “Not only does Funny Face think that everyone she sees is going to feed her a cookie at all times of the day, she also comes to her name and makes a funny noise with her mouth at the most embarrassing times. She always smiles for the camera.”
Funny Face may have turned 16 this year, but she doesn’t seem to notice. She loves everyone and everyone loves her, especially Mallow. The team not only won a circuit champion in the horsemanship at their first show back together but also the next weekend after in Gordyville as well. “Funny is such a blessing to have and is irreplaceable to us,” she reveals.
Mallow plans to show Funny Face at the Indiana Youth Show in Cloverdale later this month and then the Mayflower in Iowa. “We actually qualified for Level 2 Horsemanship at the AQHA World Show already so qualifying for the Level 3 would be nice. We are just going with the flow with Funny for now, she just keeps exceeding our expectations.”
