GoHorseShow loves to find out more about individuals in our industry. Many of you know Mike Jennings and his wife, Stephanie, from their auction business, ProHorse Services, LLC. However, many of you may not know that Mike shows in the reining, working cow horse, cutting and one of his new passions is ranch riding. Mike and his horse, Dunnit Topsailing, (Topper) have done exceptionally well in the ranch riding classes the past few years. We wanted to find out more about Mike’s background and his recent success in the show arena.
GoHorseShow: Hi Mike. So, tell us about your background and how you got involved with horses?
Mike: I was a horse crazy kid who grew up watching cowboy television shows and movies. My mother had horses growing up, so she supported my interest by getting ponies and horses for my brothers and me. I took lessons and went through the 4-H program before we got our first registered Quarter Horse in 1966.
GoHorseShow: How did you get involved with selling horses?
My parents moved us to a farm where we started a breeding program and bought horses to resell. We went to a lot of horse auctions and I became very interested in the auction part of the business. When my father was President of the Virginia Quarter Horse Association in 1969, he helped manage the VQHA State auction that was moved to the VA State Fairgrounds and hired Ike Hamilton as the auctioneer. The auction was a success. In January of 1970, my father managed a dispersal sale for several breeders – that was the first Mid-Winter Sale. The January Online Auction that Stephanie and I are doing this year is the 49th annual auction that our family has done in January.
GoHorseShow: What do you like about selling horses, and how has your business changed over the years?
Mike: My parents let me be involved in buying horses and working with buyers from the time I was a freshman in high school. I have always enjoyed helping people find horses that are useful for them. Through the auctions, I also enjoyed assisting sellers to get their horses sold. In the early 2000s, we started using digital media to promote our sales. We also noticed the development of internet horse classified sites. When the recession hit in 2009, many sellers turned to the lower cost option of trying to sell on the Internet. We began offering internet horse auctions in 2012. We have had success with our internet auctions because the experience we gained through our live auctions gives us the tools to help sellers in this new medium. I enjoy live auctions when we get the chance to be involved. The Congress Super Sale is the only live auction we manage, and I also enjoy being the auctioneer for the Markel NSBA Yearling Sale.
GoHorseShow: How did you get involved with ranch riding?
Mike: The AQHA shows in Virginia offered the class in 2013. It appealed to me right away. My interest has always been for reining, cutting and cow horse events. However, I also enjoyed showing all around horses in my youth days. Participating in ranch riding gave me another class to show my reiner in while I was at a show. I also felt it was an excellent class to help keep my reining horse fresh.
GoHorseShow: What is it you like about this class?
Mike: It is an excellent showcase for a well broke horse, and I like that natural movement is desirable. It is a challenge to get a horse to show smoothly through the patterns.
GoHorseShow: How did you end up with Dunnit Topsailing, better known as “Topper”?
Mike: We bought him in the 2012 Congress Super Sale. I told the other bidder that if he bid one more time, he could have the horse. I am thrilled he didn’t bid again. I want to thank Kevin Smith for breeding him, using a mare he leased from Chris Mitterer, and putting him in the Congress Super Sale. It is cool that he was initially trained by Bryant Pace, a friend of mine, who I rode with when I was in high school.
GoHorseShow: What is it you like about him?
Mike: He is smart and honest. He doesn’t say no and tries to be an over-achiever. In early 2013, I created a problem with him, and he put up with me while I figured out how to fix it. After showing him for five years, he is still honest in the show pen. He puts up with me learning to rope and trying to teach him to work cattle. Plus, he is very easy to live with. I have had a lot of horses, but Topper is an extraordinary horse.
GoHorseShow: Tell us some of your favorite accomplishments with him.
Mike: He is a two-time Congress Reserve Champion, 2014 NSBA Ranch Riding Champion, 2016 NRHA Limited Open Reining Champion, as well as in 2014, he was Top 10 in the nation in the All Age Ranch Riding. As of December 2017, Topper was 13th on the AQHA Leading Point Earners list in Open Ranch Riding with 170.5 points. Topper has helped me accomplish enough that I was selected to be a member of AQHA Team Wrangler for 2018 and 2019.
GoHorseShow: What are your plans with him?
Mike: Since I found out we were 13th on the AQHA All-Time Leading Ranch Riding point earners list, I would like to get him into the Top Ten. We are close to a superior in reining, so I would like to finish that. I want to continue to improve his cow work so that he will be a reliable All-Around Versatility Ranch Horse. I may even try for a World Championship or a Congress Championship since I think I have the right partner.
GoHorseShow: What are your plans in general?
Mike: Stephanie and I want to make time to enjoy our family including our new granddaughter, Emmy, along with our daughter, Kendall, her husband, Jeremy Kimble, and our son, Tyler. We enjoy giving clinics and lessons, so we plan to develop that part of our business more. We will continue helping people sell, buy and enjoy their horses. With my interest in ranch riding and the versatility ranch horse events, I will continue to promote the AQHA Ranch events as a member of the AQHA Ranching Committee, as well as a participant and a promoter.
GoHorseShow: Anything else you would like to share with our readers?
Mike: My philosophy for showing in the ranch riding is to make my horse look like the best broke horse in the class. I want my horse to appear to be easy to guide, soft in the bridle and be able to cover some ground with smooth transitions. I developed a set of drills that helped me achieve the kind of guide I want for the ranch riding. Even though I started with a reiner, I had work to do on the guidance and transitions. These drills have been helpful to the people and their horses that we’ve helped through our clinics and lessons. When I speak of soft in the bridle, I want a horse to willingly give to my hand and not be in fear of getting jerked or “banged” in the face to get a response. This is another significant aspect of our clinics and lessons. I want a horse that is willingly guided and ready to do a job, whether it is working cattle, doing a pattern or riding on the trails.
GoHorseShow: Thanks Mike for sharing your background with us.
Mike: You are welcome.
To find out more about Mike and his auction business, please visit his website here.
Photos © Shane Rux
