When Amoreena Most began showing paint horses, she wanted a challenge… which is exactly what she got. The 18 year-old from Midland, Michigan has been faced with many highs and lows in her years of riding, with tougher lows than one would ever want to encounter. She has overcome these and has her sights set high with a very special guardian angel trotting alongside.
Most entered the horse world at the age of six when her mom’s cousin began letting her ride her horses on a weekly basis, teaching young Amoreena the basics. However, Amoreena was hooked. She began showing open shows and taking lessons with local trainers, but her dreams were not fulfilled yet. Most showed the ABRA shows in 2010 and found much success, including the Youth All around 13&U title at the ABRA World Show. While Most enjoyed every minute she had in the show pen, she still strived for more. Looking for a greater challenge, Most began looking for a horse to take her to the next level.
After much searching, Most came across a stunning chestnut gelding by the name of You Got It. From the moment Amoreena met “Zeppy,” she knew he was the one. This horse, purchased from Elizabeth “Spike” Brewer, was the perfect stepping stone for Most as she entered a new chapter of her show career with APHA. Zeppy was not only a stellar mover, he was great minded and patient with a strong desire to please. According to Amoreena, the gelding quickly became her best friend and her other half.
Unfortunately, Amoreena broke her leg two months into owning Zeppy (pictured right), postponing her first show season with him. This did not stop her, though. As soon as Amoreena was cleared to be back in the saddle, she was practicing for her biggest goal–the AjPHA World Show. In 2012, Most was able to live her dream for the first time, competing at both the Pinto and Paint World Shows after completing her sophomore year of high school. She entered the world show with the goal of making finals… and she did much more than that. That year, Amoreena and Zeppy came home with a reserve world championship at Pinto World in hunter under saddle. In 2013, the team returned to Fort Worth and came home triumphant as finalists in hunter under saddle.
Feeling confident after a great world show, Amoreena and Zeppy set their sights toward their final show of the year–Fall Color Classic in Lansing, Michigan.
When Zeppy loaded the trailer for the short ride to Lansing, Most expected nothing other than to arrive at the show, unload her horse, and continue on with a fantastic weekend. Zeppy was never a difficult horse to trailer, especially short distances. This made the sight Amoreena and her mother found when arriving to MSU even more shocking; during travel, Zeppy had colicked.
Fortunately, Michigan State University has one of the strongest equine surgical units in the state. After hours working on the gelding, though, chances were looking slim. Zeppy had a 360 degree torsion, one of the most severe types of colic. He could not be saved.
Amoreena claims losing Zeppy was one of, if not the most, challenging things she has ever encountered. At first, she denied that he was even gone, hoping to walk out to the barn and find him there one day. Most was in complete disbelief that he was even gone. For a time, she wanted to give up showing all together; that is, until she met the horse that would help her believe that she should not give up.
Make Mine Good N Hot (Hollywood, pictured left) is the polar opposite of Zeppy, however, both geldings do have one thing in common–they both have a desire to please. When Amoreena met Hollywood, there was something about him that screamed “he’s the one!” While it took Amoreena some time to learn a new horse, the joys of learning to work with this new horse eased the pain of losing Zeppy, if only slightly. At their first world show together in 2014, Amoreena and Hollywood managed to come home in the ribbons in many classes, as well as a world championship in Youth Ideal Pinto English.
Amoreena says that “life presents you with challenges. You can choose to let them destroy you, or you can persevere. While Hollywood does not help take the place of Zeppy, he is teaching me new things Zeppy never could, and I’m thankful for that.”
Through all of her struggles and successes, Amoreena has a strong support system to cheer for her in the good times and comfort her in the bad. This team of course includes her mother, Cheryl, along with her father and brother. She also has received incredible guidance from many trainers along the way, including John Keyser and her current trainer, Michelle McCarthy-Warda.
Amoreena and Hollywood will be attending their first APHA World Show together. This was her favorite show to attend with Zeppy, and she hopes to enjoy the show just as much with her new mount. Other goals Amoreena has set for herself and her big bay gelding for this year are to be Top 5 in their zone and to finish their youth championship, although a Top 20 in the nation title would be the icing on the cake to Amoreena’s strong youth career.
