Father’s Day is one day of the year we show our dads we love them a little more than we usually do. I know I do not tell my dad I love him as much as I should. Looking back, I smile at the times my dad and I ate sherbert, wore Minnesota Vikings jerseys, and when I would dress him up as “my horse.” But he is not just any dad, he is my Horse Show Dad. He has been so supportive of my love of showing horses and allows me to travel across the country to achieve my dreams. I could sit and tell you how hard-working he is and how much I admire his love for family, but I would end up writing a book. He has always told me “your best is good enough,” which is something I always keep in the back of my mind whenever I start to doubt myself. I can’t thank him enough for picking me up when I’ve been down, holding my water and showmanship jacket in the warm-up arena and playing endless games of basketball.
This Father’s Day I wanted other Horse Show Dads to be recognized and reminded how much they are loved and appreciated. I am overwhelmed with excitement by the heart-warming responses from the daughters and sons of Horse Show Dads I had the opportunity to visit with! I interviewed Kaylee Mellott (daughter of AQHA Professional Horseman and AQHA judge Jeff Mellott), Drew Smith (son of trainer Dewey Smith), Cole Compton (son of trainer Troy Compton), Whitney Vicars (daughter of AQHA judge Bruce Walquist), Carli Pitts (daughter of Brad Pitts), Hayley Riddle (daughter of trainer Ray Riddle), Dakota Diamond Griffith (daughter of Sid Griffith), and Klay McDowall (son of AQHA Professional Horseman Kelly McDowall). I asked them all five questions pertaining to their Horse Show Dads and their outpouring of love was truly touching.
What makes a great “horse show dad”?
Kaylee Mellott (pictured with Jeff Mellott): “A great horse show dad is one that you know will be proud of you no matter what color of ribbon you walk out of the pen with. He knows when to separate the moments between trainer and dad and is always there for you no matter what.“
Drew Smith (pictured with Dewey Smith): “I think a great horse show dad is someone who is supportive and willing to sacrifice the long horse show hours for his children.”
Cole Compton (pictured with Troy Compton): “A great horse show dad to me is someone that’s always there to help you and constantly push you to be better at whatever event it is that you do.”
Whitney (Walquist) Vicars (pictured with Bruce Walquist) “A Dad who’s always there for you no matter what and does everything he can to allow you to chase your dreams! He encourages and pushes you to be the best you can be! He’s competitive and loves to see you win but that’s not all that matters, the memories made doing daily tasks at horse shows and preparing for horse shows are just as important to him. He never refuses to go the extra mile for you, staying up late, getting up early, working all day, that’s a great horse show Dad!”
Carli Pitts (pictured with Brad Pitts) “I think a great horse show dad is a dad that supports you in your love for this crazy/expensive horse addiction.”
Hayley Riddle (pictured with Ray Riddle) “To me a great horse show dad is someone who is always there when you need them and ready to give you any advice you need even if it’s at the gate”
Dakota Griffith (pictured with Sid Griffith) “The best horse show dads are those who participate. Whether you are like me and are lucky enough to have your dad riding and helping with clients in the show ring, anything counts. Cleaning tack, picking stalls, carrying the groom bag or keeping cold water available. Just being there is what’s important!”
Klay McDowell (pictured with Kelly McDowall) “A great horse show dad is one who is able to recognize the importance of support in and out of the arena. Whether you win or lose, they should be happy that you’re having fun working hard at something.”
What are some pros and cons of having your dad as a trainer in the horse show world?
Kaylee: “A pro to having my dad as a horse trainer is that I have become extremely close to him because of all the time we spend together. My dad has grown to be my best friend and I wouldn’t be able to survive horse shows without him. Another pro is that with my dad being my trainer, I know he holds me to a higher level than his other clients, this always gives me an extra boost of determination to be the best I can be. A con to my dad being a horse trainer is that when I have success in the show pen, some individuals are quick to say that it is only because of him being a trainer and judge. I also can not always celebrate out of respect to others that are around the barn who did not have the same success that I have been blessed to have. “
Drew: “The biggest pro of your dad being your trainer is you get a lot of hands-on experience with different horses. I have helped out a lot at the barn my entire life. By spending that time with my dad I get the opportunity to learn a lot about how to handle the halter horses and understand exactly what needs to be done to get my horses shown the best I can. Having my dad in my ear every day reminding me to do things correctly really shows it’s benefits when it comes time for the World Show. Instead of cramming all the information I need to know right before the show, I have already experienced everything and can take directions easily. The biggest con is that sometimes my dad expects more out of me than his other youth or amateurs. Not in the sense that I should place higher, but that I should get my ho
rses shown better. Sometimes this can mean more intense lessons, but it always works out for the best.”
Cole: “The pros outweigh the cons by quite a bit but having someone like my dad at the shows is awesome because anytime I need help with my horse he can tell me exactly what I need to do to fix the problem.”
Whitney: “It has been a huge blessing in many ways! One of the pros is that I’ve always had professional eyes guiding me all the way. They say practice makes perfect but we say perfect practice makes perfect (not that we’re perfect though)! If you are practicing something incorrectly then no matter how much you do it it’s still wrong and you’re not improving. Therefore, I’m thankful to have such skilled and educated eyes watching me, making sure I’m doing it right as best I can! Another pro of this being my family’s business is that it makes it somewhat easier to make the sacrifices required for success and to put horse showing as a major priority in our lives. My dad’s always there if I need him if I’m having trouble he’s right there to help me fix it! The biggest pro is doing this together! The bond of dad, daughter, coach and a student is a very special thing that not everyone gets to experience, yes it can be difficult, but oh so rewarding in the end! A con would be while it is a blessing to work with family it can also be stressful and trying on our personal relationships.”
Carli: “Some pros of having my dad as a trainer is that he knows horses. My dad is a horseman and when he gives me his opinion, I am always going to listen. Since my dad is a trainer, when I was in youth I would get my horses ready and ride them since he was busy with clients. Although I would not consider that a con, it taught me a lot and prepared me for going into the open division myself.”
Hayley: “One pro of having my dad also be my trainer is that I am always learning how to figure what you need to do with a horse when it is giving you problems. A con of it is that he is a perfectionist and he expects that out of me, too. We butt heads but I know it’s because he expects more of me.”
Dakota: “I would say that the pros outweigh the cons in my circumstance. The only negative would be that he is my toughest critic, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing at the end of the day!”
Klay: “Pross are there is a stronger relationship between him and me that goes beyond just father and son or horse trainer and client. Working with him for so long has allowed us to form more of a partnership more than anything and I really enjoy that. A con is that sometimes you have to get up unnecessarily early because you only have one vehicle at a horse show”
What makes your dad the best “horse show dad?”
Kaylee: “My dad is the best horse show dad because not only is he one of the most talented professionals in my opinion, but he is always the one person I can count on to make sure not only my horse but also myself are prepared to do our best in the arena. My dad always lets me know how much confidence he has in me, and that gives me an extra boost before I go into the arena.”
Drew: “My dad always makes sure the horses I show are at the top of their game and ready to go. Also, he makes sure I understand and am comfortable with what needs to be done at the shows. I really appreciate the fact that he doesn’t try to control every aspect of getting my horses fit for the shows. As I have gotten older, he’s put more responsibility in my hands and I really enjoy that.”
Cole: “My dad is the best horse show dad because no matter what he’s always got my back and he can make me laugh and loosen up no matter what the situation is.”
Whitney: “He’s always there for me no matter what extra practice in the middle of the night, last minute question before I go in the gate, or just help around the stalls! He pushes me to be my very best, but win or lose I know he still loves and supports me. He continues to help me chase my dreams even when it’s difficult to do and I couldn’t do this without him!”
Carli: “My dad is the best horse show dad because he is the first person at the gate to give me a high five when I come out of the pen. It does not matter if it was a bad ride or a ride to win, he’s there.”
Hayley: “My dad is the best horse show dad because he always knows how to keep me relaxed before I go into the show pen and make sure I feel confident for my ride!”
Dakota: “Besides the fact 
that my Dad is an expert horseman, he is also an expert driver! I have never seen someone with the stamina to drive all night non-stop, then be up the next morning to work a full day – especially at 67 years old!”
Klay: “He’s the best horse show dad because he has the same goals as I do and is willing to put in the same amount of effort as I am to reach our goals!”
Since you and your dad have shown together for so many years, what’s your favorite horse show memory?
Kaylee: “My favorite memory with my dad was after I had won the 15-18 horsemanship at the Congress and was walking out, my dad came into the arena to help me and was surprisingly shedding a few tears. I love seeing my dad happy and so to see him crying because of how proud and happy he was for me is one of my favorite memories.”
Drew: “There are too many to count. All the Youth World Shows I have shown at are my favorite memories. Most of the years I was the only youth in the barn, so there was a lot of one on one time with my dad at these shows that I’ll never forget.”
Cole: “If I had to pick one it would have to be at the 2013 Sun Circuit. It was my first time to ever show and my dad just made the entire show super fun and helped me as much as he possibly could. It’s an experience I’ll never forget.”
Whitney: “There have been so many but one time I’ll never forget was back in 2013, I was in the lead for the AQHA all-around amateur for the year and it was September, we were at the Reichert Celebration finishing up our show there, when we decided to make an impromptu trip to the American Royal to catch an extra show! After we finished showing late afternoon in Ft. Worth we put Gunner on the trailer and my Dad and I hopped in the truck and drove to Kansas City that night and got in about 2am, got about 2 hours of sleep, and then showed all day that day and the rest of the circuit! We were exhausted but it was just my Dad, Gunner and me and that doesn’t happen very often! I really enjoyed spending that special time on the road with my Dad!”
Carli: “My favorite horse show memory would be coming out of the Performance Geldings at the Youth World in 2009 with a gold trophy in my hand and seeing him at the end of the Gateway of Champions, probably the proudest dad ever! He had told me I could do it, I didn’t think it was possible, I mean winning the Youth World is a big deal! He believed in me, though.”
Hayley: “One of my favorite memories is from the 2012 Congress before the 13 and under equitation finals and mom had to be at one pen with a customer while dad was with me. As I was getting ready to go in we realized I forgot my lipstick and blush. So he grabs his cherry Chapstick and smears it on my lips and pinched the heck out of my cheeks and told me you look beautiful now go do your thing! I remember doing my pattern trying not to laugh at our last minute makeup job!”
Dakota: “My favorite memory of my dad is being at the Youth World Show when my mare was leading the nation in performance halter mares. Tyler Schultz and I were waiting at the stalls with horses prepped hours in advance. My Dad told us that he would go up to the desk to check in and keep us informed of when to head up to the arena. We were getting a little antsy because it had been a very long time. My Mom went marching up to the arena to find him, exclaiming ‘he had better not be at the snack bar” when he came around the corner with donuts. He said, ‘Look, I got everyone some donuts at the hospitality stall.’ Meantime, we had missed the class. It was a shouting match for the ages between my parents, but today it is a funny memory”
Klay: “When I was about 13 at the world show before the horsemanship prelims I was quite excited and nervous and at that age when that happened I would arch my back really bad. So he yelled across the horsemanship warmup pen ‘stop looking like your pooping your pants!’ While it was quite embarrassing it made me stop doing that!”
What’s one piece of advice your dad told you that you will never forget?
Kaylee: “The one piece of advice my dad always gives to me and to his clients is that there is always another horse show. Most of us get so wrapped up into the major horse shows like the Congress and World Show and think the world will end if we don’t place how we would like. He’s always reminding us that one horse show does not determine how well of a rider a person is.”
Drew: “When I would show at Youth World my dad would always tell me right before I went in the arena to relax and just do the best I could and that he was proud of me no matter where I placed.”
Cole: “He always tells me that you get out what you put in. So it just taught me that my results are always a product of how hard I want to work.”
Whitney: “Wow that’s a hard one because there are so many! One thing my Dad has always stressed to me is that your horse will only do what you allow or teach it to do! So be very aware of what you are teaching (or not teaching) your horse! And one of my favorites that my Dad tells me and his other students before we show is ‘You have to believe to receive!’
Carli: “The piece of advice that I will never forget is, “Flatten your back, weight in your stirrups.” I don’t get to hear that anymore since I’m not showing Horsemanship, but I tell that to clients!”
Hayley: “I can’t choose a single piece of advice that he has given me because a lot of things have stuck with me. One very important piece of advice was ‘Ride the way you ride and don’t let how you see others riding make you believe your wrong. Train the way you train, not the way others do.’
Dakota: “The best advice he ever gave me is that if I ever felt that I didn’t love what I was doing to get a new job because a lack of heart for the horses adversely affects your compassion for them. The fact that I have no pressure to work as a trainer, makes me enjoy it even more because I do it out of love.”
Klay: “He says to me all the time, especially in regard to the horsemanship… ‘Don’t be a freak!’ Meaning don’t go so fast or do too much that you make a mistake!”
