Being able to do what you love, regardless of age, is rare. Luckily for all of us in the equine industry, this is common. We can show horses starting as a young child and continue as long as our heart desires…and hips don’t give out.
Many equestrians begin showing horses as youth competitors and stay involved until their twilight years. Most are involved because they love horses and some of the best parts are often their mischievous ways.
GoHorseShow talked to several people in the industry, and we have compiled some fun anecdotes from past years. We asked trainers and exhibitors about their funniest moments with their horses.
Katy Jo Zuidema – He was an escape artist when we had Shock Top (Best Brew At The Bar). You couldn’t keep a halter on him. We tried everything. Sarah always had those nice leather halters for him, so we would put that on and put two rope halters over them to keep him tied in the trailer. He figured out how to get out of that, too, and then he would chew on his good halter for the rest of the journey. So anyway, after he ate his 3rd halter, we gave up. Our ten-horse has those stud dividers (the solid wall from floor to ceiling). So we loaded him in the trailer and took his halter right off. We hauled him like that for three years. He never gave us a lick of trouble and got his way.
Patty Bogosh – Patrick (Firstoneinlastoneout) has always sucked his tongue, and it makes a loud farting sound. When I first got him, he would move his head to do so. I would smack his neck for it, and he finally learned to do it without moving his head, so he thought I didn’t know. Now, he makes farting sounds while staying entirely still, and no one knows where the noises come from unless you know he does it. One of my favorite movies is Office Christmas Party, so I call him “farty cheese lady” after Kate McKinnon’s character.
Paige Wacker – “Cannonball” is quite the character in general. He’s very playful and busy-minded, so I have many toys and puzzles for him in his stall…it looks like a toddler’s bedroom. One of his favorite things is to play “piñata” with Uncle Jimmy’s grain ball in his stall. I hang it up high like a piñata. It is very entertaining to anyone who witnesses it. He looks like a little boy who ate an ice cream cone and then rolled in the dirt. Another of Cannonball’s quirky things is that he loves snow and ice cubes. So I make him “snow cones” with peppermints and carrots. I guess you can say he is a true Minnesotan. Cannonball’s favorite arena shenanigan is to try and spin me off in the “spooky corner” at least once a ride. He’s very good at being dramatic and ensuring I have a sticky seat.
Liz Teagan – My one trainer, Martin Doustou has noted that all my horses have a lot of personality. They also all love the saltwater spa. Hacked The Code, affectionately known as Datsyuk, has an abundance of personality and a genuine love for water. On one occasion, Datsyuk became impatient because we arrived at the saltwater appointment before they were ready for him. He knows that he needs to have his feet picked up and his legs hosed down before entering the spa. After waiting a few minutes, he swiped the hoof pick from the cone it was resting in when he thought I wasn’t looking, but it happened just as the saltwater spa owner approached. The owner started laughing, thinking that Datsyuk was “so smooth,” removing the hoof pick. As we all laughed, Datsyuk gave us a side eye and proceeded to over-predict which feet to pick up to “speed up” the process until he was finally taken into the spa.
Olivia Tordoff Medows – One of the first times I showed Too Blazin Cool in the equitation at Cloverdale, he took off halfway through the pattern BUCKING, and I mean like a bronc. I finally calmed him down and walked out the gate when the judges kindly asked me if I wanted to “school him/try the pattern again.” I was hesitant because I had dirt in my teeth, but Brent Tincher insisted that I school Willy while I had the opportunity. So I got back on, walked back to the start cone, and tried again. This time, it was MUCH, MUCH worse. I had to run him into the fence to get him stopped. But almost 8 years later, that horse has never failed my sister or me. He’s an absolute once-in-a-lifetime blessing, which shows that the good ones are always quirky.
Lauren Crivelli – My grandpa always had his horses roll after a ride because he thought it was good for their backs. I always wanted to teach my horse to roll on the line, and I finally got around to it with my mare, Dixie. To say Dixie loves to roll is an understatement, and she is always highly controlled and polite. Except one time…she was moving away, and I thought she was being cute, so I had my phone out filming her. A truck rattled by in the middle of her roll, and she jumped up and took off bucking. My phone went flying, and I was laughing; she was having the time of her life. The best part was we caught it all on camera and made quite a video.
Emma DeJong – The funniest thing my horse Houston has ever done was bucking the entire rail work in the equitation. Before the rail work, he got scared by the pleasure drivers and decided to have some fun on the rail.
Shelly Boyle – I didn’t think it was so funny at the time, but at the Congress in 2023, I was leading Jack from the Adequan to Limitless Equine for cryotherapy (back by the Gilligan) and right outside Chick’s Saddlery. Jack decided he had to pee – a lot. If you know this spot, it’s just off the midway, a prime spot for “civilian” spectators. I didn’t think he would ever finish, and of course, he left a giant puddle on the pavement.
Lana Markway – I was sitting on my horse waiting for a class once in Oklahoma City, and somehow, my horse got ahold of a pair of sunglasses and ate them before anyone noticed. It happened fast. We entered the class once they got most of it out of their mouth and cleaned up the blood. It was fast and so quiet we were all shocked.
Emma Brown – Both of the boys have such different personalities. Thomas can be a little mouthy at times; he likes to grab for anything he can, so we’re always careful he will get a hold of you if he can with those teeth. I have been determined for him to be a little more loving. At the Big A last year, I loved him in the stall, and he got close to my face, which made me a little nervous, but then he opened his mouth and gave me the biggest kiss with his tongue. It was so funny and sweet.
Evie Doles – Moose loves sticking out his tongue, which is hilarious. In most of my pictures, he has his tongue out. It’s the cutest thing ever and always makes me laugh.
Rebekah Kazakevicius – All my big bay geldings are pretty boring. Horton used to go crazy with the outdoor inflatable turnout ball, though. Nemo used to be afraid of ponies.
Kathy Tobin – Not my current horse, but Silent Blessings did raspberries sounds with his lips and tongue a while ago. We started doing them, and he would mimic us. I never knew a horse that did it before or since.
Vanessa Froman – My gelding Russell is the biggest goofball we have ever owned. He’s constantly doing goofy things and allows us to make him do circus (TikTok) tricks on him. He likes to play with anything he can get his mouth on. But the funniest thing he’s done lately was at Congress. I had him saddled in our aisle, and Collin was supposed to sweep the aisle. Russell grabbed the broom, and Collin let him take it to start sweeping. I videod the end of it with the broom firmly in Russell’s mouth and Collin off to the side, letting him sweep.
Estelle McParlan – My horse, Amarillo By Moonlite, aka Larry looks for opportunities to be mischievous. We had Larry at home; my Dad had him in the crossties, and when he was changing his blanket, Larry decided to turn around and run into the back pasture, getting all the horses in other pastures to join. He would let my dad get close and then take off because he wasn’t finished playing. Once he had enough, he took a deep breath and gently walked up to have his halter slipped back on as if nothing happened. He then let him quietly lead him to where he was supposed to be. It was so funny, first of all, because he did it to my dad, but also because he didn’t do anything terrible, he just wanted to play. I love him, and this little part of his mischievous personality makes me laugh and appreciate him even more. They say all the great ones have quirks, and Larry has a few.
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