It’s that time of year again. The holiday season is great for so many reasons. It’s a time of year for us all to reflect back and be thankful, for faith and family, for celebrating and giving. But, for GoHorseShow, it’s also the time of year for recapturing the top 10 stories of the year.
An annual tradition since we launched over 15 years ago, remembering the top 10 moments from the year is something we always cherish. For us, it reminds us what a great group of readers, customers, horses and team members we have. As is the case year-after-year, this year was filled with so many special moments and it almost seems impossibly that it keeps getting better every year.
Thank you to everyone. We hope you enjoyed every moment as much as we did. And here’s to 2024 being the best one yet.
NUMBER 1
Stepping Aside: Jason Martin Begins a New Chapter for Highpoint Performance Horses Away from the Show Arena
Published on: October 25, 2023
Written by: Megan Rechberg
Photo by: GoHorseShow
As just about everyone knows, Jason Martin of Highpoint Performance Horses is one of the winningest trainers our industry has ever seen. His Championship titles across multiple disciplines over the last several decades are countless.
When Jason contacted us to write an article announcing that he was stepping away from his role of training and showing horses, a wide range of emotions washed over us. We knew we would miss getting to witness his greatness in the show pen, yet we were also grateful that he selected GoHorseShow to tell his story.
Feelings aside, we didn’t hesitate to take on the assignment. We put our Lead Journalist, Megan Rechberg on it as we knew her amazing writing talent would be up to the task of capturing this monumental moment.
In this business, it’s impossible not to form personal relationships with the people who make the horse world what it is. And clearly, we weren’t the only ones who were moved by Jason’s announcement as the outpouring from tens of thousands of people in the horse show community made Jason’s story the #1 story of the year. We are honored to be a part of this extraordinary chapter of a legend.
CLICK HERE to read the #1 most popular story of the year on GoHorseShow.
NUMBER 1 VIDEO
Published on: August 18, 2023
Produced by: Keagan Phillips
We’ve been covering horse shows with photos and videos for over a decade. Throughout the years, we’ve captured some incredible moments. This year, our video coverage alone garnered over 16 Million views across all of our digital platforms. That’s a lot of eyeballs. As our industry-leading video coverage became more and more prevalent over time, several years ago we realized that we would be remiss if we didn’t recognize the #1 video of the year.
With over 1 Million views and tens of thousands of reactions, comments and shares on our website and social media, this year’s video of the year was one for the record books. When our Media Manager, Keagan Phillips captured a magical moment of VS The Fireman and Aaron Moses preparing for a class at the NSBA World, it became an instant internet sensation.
The video was set to the song ‘Masterpiece’ by leading recording artist Able Heart. As it gained more and more notoriety, on top of the unprecedented number of views, the crowning moment for our #1 video was when Able Heart reached out to us personally to tell us what an “amazing edit” he thought it was.
As if there was ever any doubt who offers the best exposure in the industry, that took things to a whole new level and was certainly a GoHorseShow first. Combine two great subjects, VS The Fireman and Aaron Moses Show Horses with one uber-talented Media Manager, Keagan Phillips and one very cool song, ‘Masterpiece’ by Able Heart, and you’ve got the #1 video of the year. GoHorseShow…first and still the leader!
CLICK HERE to view the #1 most popular video of the year on GoHorseShow.
NUMBER 2
BREAKING NEWS: VS Dispersal Sale Announced
Published on: July 1, 2023
Written by: Jennifer Horton
Photo by: Bar H
Although it’s often interesting when someone announces a dispersal sale, that type of information generally doesn’t cause enough of a stir to register as a top story of the year. However, when one of the elite breeders, with some of the best horsepower in the business, announces a near-complete dispersal, that makes people sit up and take notice. When GoHorseShow broke the news of the Glover Galyean family’s sale this summer, to say that it took the horse world by storm, would be an understatement. And, as we later saw, the results of the sale backed up the industry-wide astonishment. We’re proud to have been a part of this record-setting event and our reader reaction made it the #2 story of the year.
CLICK HERE to read the #2 most popular story of the year on GoHorseShow.
NUMBER 3
We Ask Judges: What is One Trait a Winner Needs?
Published on: September 4, 2023
Written by: GoHorseShow
Photo by: Keagan Phillips
We know our readers love it when we ask industry experts to share their thoughts on any given subject. So far, in this year’s top 10, we’ve seen ‘We Ask Trainers’ and ‘We Ask Fashion Experts’ but what our readers really love is when we ask Judges. After all, at the end of the day, whose opinion on a subject really matters more? That’s why, when we asked several leading industry Judges to tell us one trait a winner needs, it was popular enough to make it the #3 story of the year.
CLICK HERE to read the #3 most popular story of the year on GoHorseShow.
NUMBER 4
Free Beginner Lessons: Wheeler Performance Horses Giving Back to the Industry
Published on: January 9, 2023
Written by: Megan Rechberg
Photo by: Wheeler
We always hear that breaking into the horse world can be more than a bit of a challenge with barriers to entry that few can overcome. That’s why, last year around the holiday season, Jenn Wheeler decided to be the change she hopes to see in our industry by offering free beginner lessons to local youth riders. Giving back to the industry in such a meaningful way certainly hit home with readers when we shared her story, making it the #4 story of the year. Way to go, Wheeler Performance Horses!
CLICK HERE to read the #4 most popular story of the year on GoHorseShow.
NUMBER 5
2023 All American Quarter Horse Congress Candids
Published on: October 23, 2023
Written by: GoHorseShow
Photo by: Keagan Phillips
We’ve been publishing candid photos from major events since the launch of GoHorseShow over 15 years ago. And, there is no doubt that it has always been, and continues to be, one of the most popular sections of the website year-after-year. This year, combine the biggest event of the year, the Quarter Horse Congress, with the ultra-talented camera lens of our Media Manager Keagan Phillips, and the result was the #5 story of the year.
CLICK HERE to read the #5 most popular story of the year on GoHorseShow.
NUMBER 6
Knowing When To Quit Part 3: When to Move on from a Client – with Charlie Cole
Published on: May 10, 2023
Written by: Megan Rechberg
Photo by: GoHorseShow
In this 3-part series on knowing when to make a change, be it to a different horse, a different event, or in this case, when to move on from a client, our Lead Journalist Megan Rechberg covered a lot of hot-button topics. And, although all three installments were incredibly well-received, Part 3 came out on top as readers really wanted to know Charlie Cole’s thoughts on the topic, making it our #6 story of the year.
CLICK HERE to read the #6 most popular story of the year on GoHorseShow.
NUMBER 7
We Ask Fashion Experts: What’s Your Favorite Current Horse Show Fashion Trend…in or out of the Arena?
Published on: May 17, 2023
Written by: GoHorseShow
Photo by: Terri Cage
It should come as no surprise by now that GoHorseShow’s Annual Fashion Month in May is one of the most popular times of the year for our readership. The May Fashion Issue of GoMag is always among the most widely read issues of the year and our various articles on horse show fashion are always some of the most read. And the #7 story was no exception. When we asked fashion experts about current horse show trends, our readers continue to show that when it comes to horse show fashion, they just can’t get enough.
CLICK HERE to read the #7 most popular story of the year on GoHorseShow.
NUMBER 8
Remainder of 2023 Pinto World Championship Canceled
Published on: June 18, 2023
Written by: Pinto Horse Association of America
Photo by: Jordan Jones
Unfortunately, not all the top stories of the year are positive. When heavy storms hit the Tulsa, Oklahoma metroplex during the 2023 Pinto World, the resulting damage forced show officials to cancel the remainder of the show. GoHorseShow’s Lead Journalist, Megan Rechberg was in attendance and was thankfully able to keep our readers up-to-date throughout the devastating change of events making it the #8 story of the year.
CLICK HERE to read the #8 most popular story of the year on GoHorseShow.
NUMBER 9
Within Reach: Tips for Lengthening Stride in Hunter Under Saddle – with Keith Miller
Published on: February 22, 2023
Written by: Megan Rechberg
Photo by: Kristin Martin
When one of the best trainers in the industry offers some great advice on one of the hottest, most trending topics in showing, readers tend to pay attention. In our #9 story of the year, multiple World and Congress Champion Hunter trainer Keith Miller did just that. Miller took the time to address what makes lengthening strides so important and how to help address it and the story became instant mandatory reading for any horse show enthusiast.
CLICK HERE to read the #9 most popular story of the year on GoHorseShow.
NUMBER 10
We Ask Trainers: How Do You Deal with Unsportsmanlike Conduct in Your Barn?
Published on: September 20, 2023
Written by: GoHorseShow
Photo by: Terri Cage
Nobody likes a poor sport. But, one thing we know our readers do like after all these years, is when we get input from some of the leading trainers in the industry on common horse show problems. Our #10 story of the year addressed something that seems so simple, but clearly needs a refresher from time-to-time. Our experts offered a lot to learn about sportsmanship in this one and clearly our readers were wanting to learn.
CLICK HERE to read the #10 most popular story of the year on GoHorseShow.
