As 2011 comes to an end, it has become a GoHorseShow.com tradition to look back on our top-10 most popular stories of the year as determined by our readers. The year 2011 was marked with many highs and lows in the horse world and GoHorseShow.com was there to cover it all.
NUMBER 1
Ellis, 5W, Hughes Farms Destroyed – FIND OUT HOW YOU CAN HELP
Published 4/28/2011
GoHorseShow.com readers followed in horror as devastating tornadoes leveled numerous horse farms Alabama and Tennessee in April. What made this the most read story of 2011 was not only the tragedy and loss, but reporting on the subsequent generosity of the horse show community.
GoHorseShow.com’s senior writer and AQHA and APHA judge, Laura Gilmer, through monetary donations from our readers, was able to raise an amazing $8,325! On behalf of GoHorseShow.com’s readers and our amazing community, Laura gave $2,775 each to the Ellis Family, the Hughes family, and Donna Preskitt’s 5W Ranch.
Click here to read the #1 story on GoHorseShow.com for 2011
NUMBER 2
Famous Horses…Where Are They Now?
Published 1/18/2011
The second highest read story of 2011 featured nine very famous American Quarter Horses who are still living; Dont Skip Ms Hotrod, Skips Special Barb, Zippos LTD, Light Cruiser, Forged Impression, Mr Magnolia Zip, Chocolate Zipper, Pick Me Please and Acadamosby Award and updated our readers on their current status.
Click here to read the 2nd most popular story of 2011 on GoHorseShow.com
NUMBER 3
You May Need A Commercial Driver’s License
Published 3/19/2011
The 3rd most read story of 2011 raised awareness about the potential need for a Commercial Driver’s Licenses for some people in the horse show world. In the end, it was determined that as long as you are not in commerce you do not need a CDL license but many police officers do not necessarily understand the intricacies of the laws.
Click here to read the 3rd most popular story on GoHorseShow.com in 2011.
NUMBER 4
Trainers’ Kids Shine At World Show
Published 8/24/2011
The 4th most read story of 2011 celebrated the children of horse trainers who had great success at the AQHA Youth World Championship Show. Our readers enjoyed reading about what it’s like to be a son or daughter of a horse trainer…Taylor Searles, Kaylee Rampee, Shea Graham, the Halvorson boys, Deanna Green, Klay McDowall and Kaylee Mellott were featured.
Click here to view the 4th most popular story on GoHorseShow.com for 2011.
NUMBER 5
Is The Prize Worth The Price? The Brian Isbell Story
Published 5/03/2011
Our 5th most read story in 2011 featured Brian Isbell whose involvement in the horse industry has been a roller coaster ride full of ups and downs. His
professional and personal life has endured extreme highs and lows… Congress wins to suspensions… Burning bridges to finding unconditional love.
Click here to view the 5th most popular story on GoHorseShow.com for 2011.
NUMBER 6
AQHA Incentive Fund Gets A Facelift
Published 10/10/2011
Nothing got our readers in more of a tizzy in 2011 than this story. We published over 60 comments, mostly from people who were against the new changes. AQHA quickly followed up with a Question and Answer story that helped clarify many people’s questions.
Click here to view the 6th most popular story on GoHorseShow.com in 2011.
NUMBER 7
World and Congress Champion One Lazy Investment Sells
Published 3/24/2011
Many horses changed hands in 2011 but the one that our readers were the most interested in was World and Congress Champion, One Lazy Investment. Tanya Relander won the Amateur Pleasure at the World Show in 2010 and sold him to Peek Owen for his daughter, Virginia. Little did the Owen family know that “Lazy” would win the Junior Western Pleasure at the 2011 World Show months later.
Click here to view the 7th most popular story on GoHorseShow.com in 2011.
NUMBER 8
We Ask The Experts: How would you fix the horse industry?
Published 4/16/2011
Since GoHorseShow.com launched in 2008, the We Ask The Experts column is one of our best ways to get the temperature of a certain subject. Some are light hearted like when we asked trainers, “What would you do if you won the lottery?” and some are much more serious like this topic. We got very diverse answers but the one common opinion was that our industry does need to have some changes made.
Click here to read the 8th most popular story on GoHorseShow.com in 2011.
NUMBER 9
GoSmart with Charlie and Jason: Who Does What At Highpoint?
Published 4/21/2011
Our 9th most popular story for 2011 became a regular column where our readers write in and ask trainers Charlie Cole and Jason Martin a question. In this edition, people wanted to know how the responsibilities at Highpoint Performance Horses were divided.
Click here to see the 9th most popular story on GoHorseShow.com in 2011.
NUMBER 10
From Killers to Congress: Story of a Little Mare Named Raven
Published 10/18/2011
Our 10th most popular story for 2011 is one of our personal favorites. The Congress is the biggest show of the year and October is our highest month for traffic. But we never could have predicted that the most popular story of the 2011 Congress would be about a guy and his horse who just so happened to place in the top-10 at the Congress.
Click here to see the 10th most popular story on GoHorseShow.com in 2011.
