Watching Michael and Justine Tidwell at a horse show is like attending an elaborately choreographed ballet. Michael straps a helmet on their 7-year-old son, Ross, and supervises a bike ride behind the barn while Justine takes a lesson from their trainer, Jason English, on Cowboysainteasytoluv. When she’s finished, Michael saddles up his mare, Silk N […]
Ryan Stille, 15-year-old son of Kelly and Geno Stille, was born in Napa, California, but the family of six relocated to Colleyville, Texas when he was just 7-years-old. It was around this time that Stille became interested in horses – thanks to his mother. “My mom actually got me into it because she showed Paint […]
Showing horses in Belgium is much different than in the United States. The programs are slower and people buy their horses “for life” so they are very demanding. They pick a horse apart and vet it out several times before a deal is sealed. It’s a lifestyle that took some adjustment for Eron Dampier but […]
Eric Mendrysa, 25, was born and raised in Wyandotte, Michigan, Mendrysa got his show career started in the local 4-H club with his mother, Donna Mendrysa. “My mother was the one who got me involved in horses, and I don’t think she ever expected it to go this far,” Mendrysa said. She grew up with […]
Thirty-year-old Courtney Ryan gets her love for horses honest. She comes from a family with deep roots in the industry. As the oldest daughter of professional horsemen Stanley and Nancy Sue Ryan, the Texas native was one of the lucky few that was born into the industry. Ryan was raised at the barn and never […]
Zach Favorite grew up in Paris, Kentucky, a small town just outside Lexington. Although most of his neighbors shared a passion for the Thoroughbred, Favorite was drawn to the Quarter Horse and Western Pleasure events. As a youngster he competed in 4-H and open shows and following his graduation from Bourbon County High School, Favorite […]
Thirteen-year-old Anika Hendrickson has had horses her entire life. Her mother, Cindy Ingels, had them from the day she was born so it was no surprise when Anika jumped in right along with her. Anika got her show career started in lead line aboard a miniature horse named ‘Goliath’ when she was just two. After […]
As a fourth generation cranberry grower and owner of Gaynor Cranberry Company, 26-year-old Jenna Dempze, along with her parents, Gary and Sue Dempze, and older twin sisters, Amy and Heidi, has turned her horse hobby into her own business, Red Berry Ranch. Dempze currently splits her time between her trainer, Gil Galyean’s Purcell, Oklahoma facility […]
Twenty-year-old Jonathan Nowacki has his mother to credit as his driving force behind his start in horses. Nowacki’s mother, Sherrie Quiterio, grew up on an Appaloosa breeding farm in Texas. When Jonathan and his sister, Stephanie, were old enough to understand the time commitment involved with owning and showing horses demands Quiterio decided to let […]
