18 Year-old AQHA youth exhibitor Jamie Mangum of Merigold, Mississippi has two favorite loves: halter horses and pretty girls.
A long-time youth competitor and horse lover, Mangum grew up around horses because his grandfather was involved with them. His grandfather became friends with halter trainer, Monte Horn, when he bred some mares to one of Horn’s halter stallions. Monte, and his wife, Anna, started helping Jamie at an early age and over the years, Jamie has developed a passion for halter.
Just this past week, this young man and his new horse, Passion On Q received three firsts and three Grand Champion Youth Mares titles at the Dixie Nationals Quarter Horse Show. From all accounts, there wasn’t a dry eye on the show grounds.
This nice three year-old mare that Jamie fondly calls “Candy Cane”, was bought by the Mangum’s from breeder Candace Jussen of Pilot Point, Texas. Jussen’s halter trainer, Cody Copeland, had mentioned to Monte that this quiet and well-behaved mare would probably work for the young man. While Jamie is like your ordinary teenager in that he loves girls, school, and hanging out with his friends–he also has Cerebral Palsy (CP).
CP is a group of disorders that affect a person’s ability to move and to maintain balance and posture. The disorders appear in the first few years of life. Usually they do not get worse over time. People with cerebral palsy may have difficulty walking. They may also have trouble with tasks such as writing or using scissors. Some have other medical conditions, including seizure disorders or mental impairment.
Jamie’s mother, Angie, explains that her son is just an awesome young man. “He has been no trouble at all. He works very hard at school, therapy, work, and showing. I am very proud of him. I am very excited that hopefully his dream to show at the Youth World will come true this year. I am very excited that he will have the opportunity–that is if he gets the last point he needs!”
Jamie’s father, Mark Mangum from Mendenhall, Mississippi says that his son has been around horses all his life. “It really keeps him going. He really loves horses and the halter. When he started, he could hardly even trot the horse. He now practices walking on uneven ground in our horse arena, and he exerts himself even more to prepare himself to be able to show and track his horse properly.”
While it may be difficult for some people to understand Jamie’s speech at times, Monte says that Jamie is a sharp young man who has never met a stranger.
“He is an extremely outgoing young man,” Horn told GoHorseShow.com (pictured here far left). “He does not sit at home and complain about his disability. After his wins at the Dixie Nationals, we took him to Hooters and all the girls sang to him and he had a great time. All the boys have to watch out for Jamie around their girlfriends because he is always trying to flirt with them. He is definitely a ladies man.”
Anna Horn goes on to say that, “Jamie tries extremely hard and has a tremendous work ethic. He has his own lawn care and maintenance business. He also owns and drives his own truck,” she said. “He comes down a few weekends out of the month to practice with his halter horses. He is a fabulous young man that comes from a great family, and he does a really good job showing.”
This past December, Jamie told his trainer, Monte that he wanted a new horse to compete at the Youth World and be more competitive his last year in youth. The primary reason that the Horn’s and the Mangum’s decided to find a new horse for Jamie to show was that they changed the rules for the halter at the Youth World. Now, the exhibitors only have to track once to all five judges when they enter the arena.
“While, I think AQHA changed this rule to save more time and for a safety concern due to the horses having to pass by other horses when they had to track by each judge–it was a blessing for Jamie to be able to finally show at the Youth World,” Monte explains. “He never would have physically been able to trot five different times to all the judges.”
Jamie mentions that he needs one more point to qualify for the Three Year-Old Mares for the Youth World which he plans on accomplishing at his next show in Tunica, Mississippi. “I love to fool with the horses and hang out at Monte and Miss Anna’s place and practice with them. It is really fun to show, and my new mare is a really kind easy-going mare. I look forward to showing her at the Youth World.”
A special thank you to Cristy Heck for the great pictures.
