Groundwork plays an important role in the breaking process for Ohio trainer Rob Fowler. He says he lets each horse tell him when they are ready to advance to the next step. “They have the rest of their lives to be show horses, so I think it is important to take every horse at its […]
There are very few breeding operations with marepower like that of Capital Quarter Horses in Pilot Point, Texas. Blair, Susan and Hillary Roberts brought with them a lifetime of experience in the horse industry when they established the operation in 2011 on 84 acres in the heart of Texas horse country. Since then they have […]
Nineteen-year-old Madison Fussell, of Waxahachie, Texas, got her start showing horses because her mother and grandmother were so deeply involved in the sport. But over time, she has come to realize that something keeps her coming back. “It’s something I am so passionate about and it keeps you humble,” she said. “It has taught me […]
There’s a fundamental difference between a stallion and a sire. True horsemen understand that. World Champion trainer Cleve Wells gets it. So does Kim Dean, who has been managing AQHA sires for decades now. And Aaron Moses, a 13-time Quarter Horse Congress Champion and AQHA and NSBA World Champion and his wife, top Non-Pro rider […]
At any given show or futurity held in the past couple of years – whether a World Championship or a weekend circuit, chances are that when results of a Western Pleasure class were announced, there was something familiar about the winner, the top three or even in some cases, the majority of the top 10 […]
For most people who take a hiatus from showing horses, there’s a bit of a learning curve. A period of adjustment is often needed for the changes that may have occurred in each discipline. But that’s not the case for amateur competitor Tom Clopp, of Charlotte, North Carolina. Clopp, who enjoyed a successful youth and […]
When Sydney Swallom was just 8 years old, her grandmother gave her the opportunity to show her Quarter Horse show mare, A Certain Melody, in Walk-Trot classes and the Washington native says she never looked back. “Nothing makes me happier than my horses,” she said. “The barn is my happy place and I can’t imagine […]
The Berrien Springs Fairgrounds will once again be the backdrop for National Snaffle Bit Association (NSBA) classes when a brand-new futurity welcomes competitors to the southwestern corner of Michigan in June.The facility was home to the Tom Powers Futurity from 1985 until 2020 when it was announced that the futurity would be moved to Wilmington, […]
When you start with a big, strong, beautiful and correct prospect with solid conformation and a great mind, success follows.That is exactly the case with AQHA and NSBA World Champion Outlaw Enterprise, a 2017 bay stallion, sired by Iron Enterprise and out of Lastminuteinvestment. Bred by Marcie McClenon, of Dunnellon, Florida, Outlaw Enterprise (Cosmo) was purchased […]
Every once in a while a horse comes along that changes you. A unicorn. A heart horse. And although the reason might not be obvious to others, when you gaze into their eyes, you can see deep into their heart. For Mallory Vroegh that horse is Itsa Southern Belle, known affectionately as Ginger because of […]
Family is not an important thing, it’s everything. – Michael J. Fox Family is at the center of the Cook family’s approach to showing horses. JR Cook grew up showing Cutting and Halter horses with his parents and grandparents by his side. His wife, Melissa, and her family were deeply involved in the American Paint […]
Ask anyone who operates even the most modest of breeding operations and they will tell you that there’s nothing that quite compares to the thrill you get riding and competing on a horse you raised yourself. Kathryne Zachrich-Yemc, of Delaware, Ohio, knows the feeling firsthand. This year she is showing Only A Dream Machine in 3-Year-Old […]
