Carson Handeland may not have a lot to say but when he does speak it’s usually pretty humorous. But when it comes to his love for horses and passion for showing he’s not at a loss for words. The 17-year-old Radcliffe, Iowa native got his start showing Draft horses that his parents, Wade and Lasey […]
He can be intensely shy and it pains him to have to tell a customer their horse may not work out in a specific discipline because of its mind, ability or soundness. But for Ohio trainer Brent Garringer, watching a horse he started progress over time provides him with all the motivation he needs. Garringer […]
She’s a fierce competitor in the show arena but outside the pen 19-year-old Leah Burgess is a big softy, especially when it comes to abandoned animals. Burgess volunteers at her local Humane Society and has been known to bring home all sorts of pets. “I have a crazy soft spot for abandoned animals, and I […]
It has been said that “before something great happens, everything falls apart.” For Bobby Canady, a 40-year old farrier by trade, nothing could be more true. Bobby grew up in North Carolina, in a conventional American family. He says he was always obsessed with horses. “At one time, I had over 1,500 Breyer horses,” he […]
She may only be 14, but Hanna Olaussen loves to soar. You could see it when she competed in gymnastics and now you see it when she steps into the show pen. Born in Stavanger, Norway, the teen has yet to complete more than two years of school in the same district. “I have attended […]
For amateur competitor Jackie Pohlman, of Huntersville, North Carolina, there is nothing like the 3- Year-Old Hunter Under Saddle competition. She loves watching it and even more, she loves showing in it. “This class always features the up-and-coming stars,” she explained. “They are all usually fresh and happy to go around the pen.” It doesn’t […]
Hayley Riddle, of Gainsville, Texas, will tell you right up front…she’s pretty blessed to be able to ride the calibre of horses she has. And it’s been that way all her life. At just few days old Hayley was colicky and her mom, Nikki had tried everything to settle her new baby. That’s when she […]
Julie Majernik used to insist she never wanted to be a horse trainer. “Yet all I have done most of my life is train horses whether they be my own or me helping someone with theirs,” said the Ohio native. “I always got asked to help or teach people to ride so that was another […]
For Angela Finegan, there is no bigger thrill than showing a yearling in a Longe Line class. “I get an adrenaline rush showing a young horse on 30 feet of rope knowing at any moment it could all go wrong and you have no control,” she said. “It can either be the quickest 90 seconds […]
During the last year of competition, at shows across the United States, 18-year-old Grace Oyer, of Fort Myers, Florida, says she has learned a lot, most courtesy of her trainer, Stephanie Armellini. “Stephanie has helped me to figure out how to use my feet and hands more at the same time then one more than […]
As the daughter of two highly successful horse trainers Whitney Wilson, of Findlay, Ohio, grew up in the saddle. When she was 7 years old she won the Quarter Horse Congress Small Fry Horsemanship aboard a bay roan gelding named Iron It Out. But one thing a lot of people don’t know about Whitney is […]
Make no mistake, Shelbyville, Kentucky trainer Rusty Rea likes to win. But it’s not his whole life. What’s more important to him is the success of his clients. “My favorite part is watching customers find moments of success with their horses whether it is in the show arena or at the farm,” he explained. “It […]
