For the Burwash family of Calgary, Alberta, Canada, this year’s AQHA World Show was the successful culmination of a tough and tiring year. In February, longtime AQHA member and Director, Shannon Burwash unexpectedly passed away after suffering a massive stroke. Shannon was 59 years old.
Burwash had just returned from the Sun Circuit in Scottsdale, Arizona where her home bred gelding, Soo Good, was the circuit champion in the Green Hunter Under Saddle. The 2010 brown gelding better known as Shaq, is by the late, Good I Will Be, and out of Classify Im Hot. The gelding was born and raised by Dr. Wayne and Shannon Burwash and was under the guidance of Lindsay Soderberg.
“Shaq was started late under saddle as a two year-old. Shannon always had a good eye for a horse, and quickly realized that he was a good mover with some potential,” recalls Shannon’s daughter, Holly Nicoll. “As the winter progressed, it was decided that Lindsay would show Shaq at the Arizona Sun Circuit in Green Hunter Under Saddle. He only had about five months of serious training on him, and ended up winning the circuit award for the class at the show. This was very exciting for Wayne and Shannon because they have been breeding and raising Quarter Horses most of their lives along with running an equine veterinary practice. There was lots of chatter about what the next steps were for the horse for the rest of the season.”
That’s when tragedy struck and Shannon passed away. It was a huge blow to the family and to the Alberta Quarter Horse community. “After she passed, I made a promise to myself that I would do everything in my power to do everything with Shaq that I could,” Soderberg told GoHorseShow. “First thing I did was get a gold plate with Shannon’s name on it, put on my show reins. That way she was always riding with me.”
Despite this huge adversity, Shannon’s husband, Wayne, wanted to continue Shannon’s dream with Shaq, and decided to continue to take him down the road on his own with the help of Lindsay Soderberg. Together, they planned their show schedule focusing on the major three year old hunter under saddle futurities in the United States.
In March, Soo Good won the Green Hunter Under Saddle and Progressive Junior Hunter Under Saddle Circuit Award at the Silver Dollar Circuit in Las Vegas, Nevada. From there, they headed to Denver and won the Junior Hunter Under Saddle and Green Hunter Under Saddle Gold Rush Circuit Awards. In August, Shaq showed at the NSBA World Show in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Wayne brought home the Reserve World Champion trophy in the Green Hunter Under Saddle. (Pictured left Wayne and Shaq)“This was a huge boost to both Wayne and Lindsay since they had been working hard to get him better and stronger every day,” Nicoll remembers. “Going down the road has lots of challenges, and at times you wonder if it is worth the effort. Shannon would have been so happy to have that trophy, and for Wayne it helped sooth a little bit of the sadness of not having Shannon with him.”
After the NSBA World Show, it was right back to Alberta to compete in the Canadian National Quarter Horse Show in Red Deer, Alberta. Shaq won the Three Year-Old Hunter Under Saddle Gold Rush Futurity, and the Junior and Green Hunter Under Saddle Circuit Championships.
“There was some contemplation about whether or not Shaq should go the AQHA World Show,” Holly recalls. “The competition would be tough with older, more experienced horses in the arena. Wayne decided that he would just do it because Shannon would want that. To have a horse compete that was bred and raised by her and Wayne was one of her lifelong dreams.”
In October, Wayne loaded up the trailer and headed to the Congress in Columbus, Ohio. Shaq was Top 20 in the Open and Limited Three Year Old Hunter Under Saddle Futurity. He was also 11th in the Green Hunter Under Saddle.
From the Congress, Lindsay headed south to Oklahoma with Shaq. “Throughout this journey, Wayne has constantly communicated back home to the family about how Shaq has performed, his results and when he would be showing so that we could watch on the web if possible,” Holly states. “This included texts right after each event to his group of family members.”
When Wayne announced that Shaq would be going to the AQHA World Show, the family decided that it would be good to go to Oklahoma City, watch and support Wayne. Holly’s husband, Reiny Kristel along with her aunt, Cher Menegoz (Shannon’s sister) and Shannon’s Mother, Melba Copithorne all flew down from Calgary.
“Wayne, Lindsay and Shaq have been on such a big journey both emotionally and physically with the demands of traveling long distances to the shows that it felt right to be there. None of us have ever attended the AQHA World Show, and Shannon would have wanted us there to be with Wayne to support him. We wanted to be part of it in our own little way….a part of the journey for Shannon.”According to Nicoll, the family came to the show not having high expectations. “Lindsay’s goal was to have her best ride on Shaq in the preliminary round of the Junior Hunter Under Saddle. If he went well, and we didn’t make the finals then we would pack up, and say we did it. He did his best, and that’s all we could ask for.”
However, Shaq and Lindsay did make the finals. “It felt really good,” Holly says. “Shaq has barely had a full year of training, and he is young and not as mature as some of the older horses in the class. Getting into the finals tied a bow around Shannon’s dream. We are just sad that she wasn’t here to see it for herself.”
Before Lindsay went into the finals, she put on Shannon’s red lipstick and made sure to look down and rub the brass plate on her English reins that says Shannon.
“There have been plenty of tears, both happy and sad, but all in all, it’s been a great year,” says Lindsay who ended up placing 11th in the class. “Having Shannon’s family with us at the world show meant the world to me. They are the most wonderful and supportive people. Even after all we have won this year, I feel like it’s just the beginning to Shaq’s career. He is such a sweet and talented horse–I feel like he will excel in many events. We will keep striving to get better each ride and keep riding each step for Shannon. I know she wouldn’t want it any other way.”
