Famous Australian athlete, Kevin Heath once said, “Whenever there is a human in need, there is an opportunity for kindness to make a difference.”
No matter the sport, discipline, or class, having a support system is an essential part of showing horses. Whether it be a significant gesture or simply a kind word, acts of kindness make the world a better place. Taking the initiative to help someone in need can impact their entire horse show experience for the better. By spreading this type of positivity, people feel increasingly more comfortable both in and out of the show pen.
Exhibitors and trainers reflect on the nicest thing that someone has done for them while showing.
Jeremy White – As a young person in the industry, I want to learn and advance. I think that as a sport, we should encourage each other and show sportsmanship. When I first started competing, I was at a local show, I had no trainer, and I was doing everything on my own. After one of my western pleasure classes, the judge came up to me and offered me advice. She took the time to help me. That made a lasting impression on me. I strive to pay it forward and help others in any way I can. To lift people up and offer what I can.
Reaghan Leigh Griffin – I have been so very fortunate to become a part of an awesome group of friends over my four years of showing. Whether it’s celebrating results on Facebook or getting together at shows, these people are one of the biggest reasons I love showing. The support has been incredible through my horse, Elliott’s undiagnosed issue that is keeping him from the show pen. My heart is broken through it all, but going to the shows keeps my spirits up. One of the great friends I have the pleasure of knowing, Jess Anstoetter, offered me the opportunity to lease and show her horse, TheresZipInTheseChips. I’m looking forward to all that “Austin” can teach me in the show pen, and hopefully, apply it to Elliott when he makes a comeback. I’m so grateful for these friends for keeping me in a positive mindset and for being such a great horse show family.
Ashley Leister –
Honestly, people have been so kind to me over the past several years that it is tough to narrow this down to the single nicest thing someone has ever done for me at a show. This year alone, I can name four specific instances where people have gone out of their way to be kind. Chris Gray and Jonathan Meilleur have given me helpful tips in the warm up pen even though I am not a paying customer. Lora Knelly Thomas braided my horse’s tail at the Novice Championship Show for free with little time to spare. Mike Codi (Zita Codi’s husband) came to the arena after his wife showed to check on me because he knew I was at the show alone. Ali Grusha helped me with a late night trail practice to hash out some problem spots from the amateur perspective. All good examples of both professionals and amateurs just being good people.
Cori Cansdale – In the finals of the youth 12-14 Showmanship at the 2015 Quarter Horse Congress, I tripped and fell. Up to that point, I had had a good pattern, so I was disappointed about my fall. Coming out of the pen, people started telling me stories about times they’d fallen to make me feel better. People I’d never met told me about their most embarrassing accidents in the show pen. Such a large portion of the horse community made a point to stop and talk to me and bring a smile to my face after such a disappointing go. That was the nicest thing that’s happened to me at a show.
Adam V D’Agostino – My clients and horse show friends do so many nice things for me at horse shows; it’s hard to pin down just one thing. However, in 2014 I broke my wrist right before a horse show and could not lift anything (including a saddle). Two of my college students (I teach and coach at Cazenovia College) came to the horse show to help with everything from tacking my horses up, to cleaning stalls, to setting up and tearing down the stall set up. Without those two, I would never have been able to have gotten my horses shown that weekend.
Tiffany Goldberg – The year that I had gotten my AQHA/APHA/PtHA gelding, Pass or Fail, I went to one of my first breed shows in North Dakota. After only ever showing him in western, it was looking like we may have a chance at the all around high point if I entered the hunt seat classes. My trainer, Shelly Sellers, had started him on it with only a handful of rides. The bigger problem was that I had no English gear other than breeches. With the graciousness of my trainer and a small number of those showing there, I found my way into a full outfit and tack. My 15.2 hand novice horse and I entered the English classes and wound up taking home the high point letterman jacket. I certainly could not have done it without the kind hearts of the horse show community.
Adam Parks– My best friend, Lee, who I met showing horses as a youth will often bring her camper to the shows and offer for me to stay with her rather than having to stay off grounds. It is nice to have a place to relax during the day and to get to spend quality horse show time with her and her son, Blake.
Hanna Olaussen – One of the most memorable acts of kindness I have received was when I was waiting for rail work in a horsemanship class. I didn’t hear my name called back to the rail, so I removed my chaps. My horse and I had just left the building when someone came running behind me shouting my name and asked why I wasn’t in the class. They told me my name was called, but I didn’t hear it. My trainer and teammates were busy elsewhere, but I got help to tighten the saddle and zip up my chaps in record time. The class had already started, but the gate was kept open for me so I could enter.
Jacqueline Potwora – At the L1 Novice Championships, I got an awful bloody nose in the lineup for the prelims in 14-18 western pleasure. As I was in the arena, someone offered me a tissue, so I didn’t bleed on my show clothes and saddle. It was quite an experience, and I am so grateful for them.
Aleeha Krupa – I started showing quarter horses in 2011 with my sorrel mare at the time. We honestly didn’t know a ton of people in the industry, and Jim and Joni Roth were some of the first people to make us feel welcome. From the day I met them, I have always looked up to them. While preparing for my first ever Congress, Jim and Joni lent me one of their high-end show halters. I was so honored to have the privilege to show in it and ended up pulling a top 15 in the showmanship. They are some of the kindest people I have met. Thank you again, Jim and Joni Roth.
Ashlie Elizabeth Sayre – When I was ten and just started showing, I was at a show in Oregon practicing showmanship, and I tripped and landed on my face. Instantly, Karen Frings picked me up and dusted me off. She didn’t know me and didn’t even have to think about helping me. My second memory was my first year going to the Pinto World Show in 2002. I was in the 13&U when the show still held a queen contest, and they were all so sweet. I’ll never forget Miss Michigan; she went out of her way to make me feel welcome. It was my first World Show, and I’ll never forget her and the entire staff. I’ve been hooked on the Pinto association ever since.
Do you have stories of someone helping you out or being kind to you at a show? Tell us your story.
About the Author: Cat Guenther of White Lake, Michigan is in the 11th grade at the Academy of the Sacred Heart. She has ridden horses for the past eight years and has been showing Quarter Horses for two of those years. When Cat is not at the barn, she focuses on her small business “Behind the Bit Tack Sales.” She hopes to one day attend Michigan State University and study to become an equine veterinarian.
