For Non-Pro competitor Merrick Aguero of San Angelo, Texas success in the show pen did not come easily, but she never once gave up and has known most of her life that horses were for her. Growing up in Texas, Aguero was a horse-crazy girl. At just 9 years old she and a friend decided […]
Youth competitor Charlotte Selby tried out a few sports including soccer and volleyball before finding her calling showing horses. Growing up in Sammimish, Wisconsin the 19-year-old only child of Scott Selby and Krista White began taking lessons at a local barn as an after school activity. “I was mediocre at volleyball and hysterically bad at […]
Brandy Halladay loves the learning process of preparing and showing horses. Growing up in Corvallis, Oregon, Halladay spent most of her time in the barn with her mother while she was taking classes in Equitation at Oregon State. “My parents were students at Oregon State and we lived on campus until I was almost 6. […]
She’s only been riding for two years now but 16-year-old Carley Yosurack, of Indiana, Pennsylvania, couldn’t be more passionate about it. Her mom, Tammy Conroy, was very much involved with horses during her youth years, but had to take time off due to career and family obligations. “After 19 years she bought a new horse […]
For Deanna Bailey, showing horses has been a bit of a roller-coaster ride, with extreme highs and some lows. The passing of her father and an injury almost had her sidelined for good, but with the help of her husband, Matt, Deanna is back in the saddle and loving every minute. In 1994 Deanna was […]
Even though Arne Kühn has only been showing seriously at American Quarter Horse Association events in Europe for four years now he has already learned what takes many others years to figure out – confidence is key. “You hear that so often, but for me it is so true,” says the Berlin, Germany native. “Horse […]
It’s not just the winning that keeps 29-year-old Jamie Hylton, of Bristow, Virginia, returning to horse shows weekend after weekend. “I love the whole process,” she says. “The getting up early, the longing, all the hard work you do for the five minutes of peace in the show pen. It feels so good to go in there and have a […]
At just 13 years old Shelby Cochran is already no stranger to the winner’s circle. In her short, but successful show career she has already managed to be crowned a Reserve Quarter Horse Congress Champion twice as well as a National Snaffle Bit Association Reserve World Champion. As the daughter of Iowa trainer, Jeff Cochran, it is no surprise that […]
Pennsylvania trainer Lora Knelly Thomas says it’s taken a long time for her to get there but she’s finally at the point where she trusts her instincts. “As everyone knows there are lots of variables in life and work and many times you can over think things, that’s when your instincts are the most important,” she says. Knelly grew […]
Mary Katherine and Marguerite Camp of Longview, Texas have always been close as sisters, so it was no surprise that when Marguerite began taking riding lessons at a local barn Mary Katherine was right there with her. The two have been competing against and with each other as their passion for the American Paint […]
<Most people in the horse business, especially horse trainers, get their start because one or both of their parents are involved, but for Ocala, Florida based trainer Sean Knowles it was a completely different story. Growing up in Horseheads, New York the Knowles family didn’t live on a farm, they lived in a city and […]
Fourteen-year-old Kayla Budine, of Oakdale, California, says she couldn’t help but follow in her mother Marcie’s footsteps and live her life at shows and surrounded by horses. “The passion and excitement that she displays when she works with the horse is contagious,” she explains. “As a little girl, I wanted to ride like my mom.” […]