Youth competitor Madison Anger has only been showing for the past four years, but her love for horses began at an early age. Growing up in Clyde Hill, Washington, the only daughter of Kristin and Matt Anger began riding at her grandparent’s barn in Clovis, California. Ginger and Bob Thomas promised they would get her a horse so she could come and ride when they retired and that is what got her hooked. Today they continue to attend every single one of Madison’s shows to help and support her.

Anger began taking lessons at a local hunter/jumper barn at the age of nine and finally ended up at Union Hill Ranch in Redmond, Washington where she leased a horse before deciding she was ready to take her riding to the next level. It was there that she first met Shannon McCulloch of McCulloch Training Stables in North Plains, Oregon, when she attended a clinic at her local barn. She ended up going to a local show with her to try out American Quarter Horse Association shows more and she absolutely loved it.

“Shannon helped me find a new horse I could really take to the next level and I’ve been riding with her ever since,” Anger said. “When I went to my first AQHA show in 2012 everyone was very nice and encouraging and I loved the sense of community. I think showing really creates a team atmosphere as well – in the northwest all of the youth really push each other to get better and as a result we continually up the level of the local shows.”

That horse was Up For An Award (Smokey), a 1993 gray gelding by Zippo A Ward out of Shes A Sandy Rock. Together they competed in Horsemanship, Showmanship, Equitation, Western Pleasure and Trail, and enjoyed a lot of success before Smokey was sold in 2012 and No Fun Being Good was purchased for Madison. The 2006 red roan gelding by Ima Zippo Good Bar out of A Zippin Cowgirl and Madison clicked immediately. They won the Youth Showmanship at the AQHA Novice West Championships in 2013. At the Congress that year they were named Novice Youth 14-18 All-Around Champions,with Reserve Championships in Novice Youth 14- 18 Showmanship and Horsemanship, sixth place in Novice Youth 14-18 Equitation, and 15th in the Novice Youth 14-18 Trail.

In the spring of 2014 No Fun Being Good was sold to make room for Anger’s new partner, Potential Dooplicity (Andy), a 2005 sorrel gelding by Zippo Can Do out of Flowing Potential. They attended their first AQHA Youth World Championship together that year and it was a huge success. They were named Reserve Champions in the Intermediate and ninth place overall in Showmanship. The following month at the AQHA Level 1 West Championships they were Reserve Champions in Equitation and Horsemanship, Champions in Youth Hunter Under Saddle, and finished in third place in the All-Around race. They followed that up with several Top 10 placings at the Congress that same year but didn’t show much in 2015 because Andy was recovering from an injury and Anger started her collegiate career at The University of Georgia. The team returned strong in 2016 capturing a Reserve Championship in Youth 14-18 Western Pleasure and finishing third in the Youth 14-18 Trail at the AQHA Level 1 West Championship Show.

“I am extremely excited to see what Andy and I can do this summer and beyond,” Anger said. “I have also been lucky enough to ride on the NCAA Division I Equestrian team at the University of Georgia as a result of my youth career.”

Despite all of her school absences for horse shows, Madison is proud she had managed to maintain her 4.0 grade point average in both high school and so far in college. She recorded the highest score possible on five Advanced Placement tests – United States History, Biology, Calculus I and II, and Physics I. She was a top scholar (top five percent in the state) as a senior and was a co-Valedictorian of her graduating class and a member of the National Honor Society. As a freshman this year, she was given a top scholar athlete award for earning a 4.0 GPA. While in high school at Bellevue Christian School, in Clyde Hill, Washington played Varsity Softball during her sophomore year, usually playing first base. She also played many years of United States Tennis Association Youth Tennis, winning numerous tournaments. Her father is the head tennis coach at The University of Washington.

When she’s not at a show she really enjoys playing other sports and working with technology and computers. She often watches horse-related YouTube videos to see what she can improve on or to create goals for herself. She also volunteers at Little Bit Therapeutic Riding Center where she leads horses or walks next to riders with disabilities while they ride. Though she has traveled pretty extensively, Anger said she would really like to go to New York City to see a comedy show like Saturday Night Live because most people would be surprised to know she “absolutely loves comedy and the wit behind the great lines.”