The Loss of a Mentor: Carol Trimmer

April 24, 2019April 24, 2019 / Megan / Leave a comment

While I was on my way to a Turf Publicists of America meeting in Lexington, Ky., I received word that Carol Trimmer, former editor of the NRHA Reiner magazine, had passed. it was like someone punched me in the stomach out of the blue. In a time when I felt lost after completing my internship at AQHA, she reached out to me and offered me a job with the magazine and NRHA that put me on my path that has suited me and benefited me for more than 12 years now. I was at the cusp of possibly moving back to Indiana and sorting my life out, but at the last possible minute, she called me. I hadn’t even interviewed for the position–I had applied for a position to lead the Youth association.

In that year of living in Oklahoma City, she was like a mother to me. I wasn’t able to travel home much, except for Christmas, but she took me under her wing. To be honest, it was a frustrating year because I felt like I wasn’t learning anything and I wasn’t using my talents to their fullest. I didn’t realize that she was quietly molding me and quietly pushing me out of my comfort zone.

Carol is the National Reining Horse Association. She was the guidebook full of stats, facts and anything you needed. She knew every single person who ever swung a leg over a reining horse. She was the one everyone flocked to see in the media room at the Futurity and Derby just to get a hug, and she worried more about others than herself. She wholeheartedly deserved to be inducted into the NRHA Hall of Fame a few years back.

I don’t throw this word around very often, but I was blessed to have her in my life. Her support for me ever since we met in 2006 has been life altering.

My heart is broken, not just for myself, but for her family and for the reining family. My condolences to her husband, Paul, and her grandkids. The one solace is that she is now reunited with her son, Paul Jr., whom she lost 12 years ago.

Thank you, Carol, for everything…as a mentor, supporter, friend…

Andrea Fappani – Getting the Most From Your Horse

December 4, 2018December 4, 2018 / Megan / Leave a comment

(From the January 2017 Reiner Magazine)

Andrea Fappani Spooky Whiz The surprise wasn’t really that Andrea Fappani had won the Lucas Oil NRHA Level 4 Open Futurity, but the surprise was what horse he won it on, and how he did it.

Spooky Whiz joined the Fappani training barn at the end of his 2-year-old year after Fappani purchased him through agent Eduardo Salgado for Rancho Oso Rio, an NRHA Million Dollar Owner. While the dark bay gelding was a bit on the small size, Fappnie could tell, even at an early age, that he had exactly the mind he was looking for.

“What I liked was his mind,” recalls Fappani. “As a 2 year old he was very mature, and you could tell he took different things that he wasn’t used to and handled them well. That’s what I’m looking for when I train young horses.”

WorldChamp07-Open

Learn more about how Fappani got the most out of Spooky Whiz, and why he chose to break tradition and ride in romal reins: Trainer Talk: Getting the Most From Your Horse

The Importance of Balance in Reining Horses

October 7, 2017October 7, 2017 / Megan / Leave a comment

While I lived in Lexington, I had the privilege of getting to work with leaders in the equine health industry in many facets. I’ve always enjoyed talking with Stuart Muir, resident farrier at Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital. Stuart is a wealth of information when it comes to the horse’s hoof, so when he knows of a podiatry topic horse owners need to learn about, he and I work together to get that information out there.

One such example is this article I wrote for the NRHA Reiner: “The Importance of Balance in Reining Horses.”

GH-Joe Schmidt

Why is balance so important? In order to alleviate the amount of stress and pressure on the horse’s front legs during movement, it’s imperative that the front legs breakover with as little force as possible. “We need to get the horse moving very efficiently,” says Stuart. “To do that, we work a lot at balancing the hoof with trimming and shoeing. It’s very important, especially in reining, to make sure that the front end is balanced.”

You can read the rest of the article: The Importance of Balance in Reining Horses

Getting the Most from Your Horse

July 3, 2017July 3, 2017 / Megan / Leave a comment

I just returned from a trip to Oklahoma City for the 2017 NRHA Derby, the aged event that celebrates 4-, 5-, and 6-year-old reining horses. It’s always fun to see the horses that competed in the prior year’s Futurity, as well as returning Futurity champions all in one building. I’ll post some photos from my trip later, but first, I thought it’d be good to learn how to get the most from your horse in the reining pen from the 2016 NRHA Futurity Champion (and NRHA Four Million Dollar Rider) Andrea Fappani and the NRHA Reiner.

The surprise wasn’t really that Fappani had won the Lucas Oil NRHA Level 4 Open Futurity, but the surprise was what horse he won it on, and how he did it.

Spooky Whiz joined the Fappani training barn at the end of his 2 year old year after Fappani purchased him through agent Eduardo Salgado for Rancho Oso Rio, an NRHA Million Dollar Owner. While the dark bay gelding was a bit on the small size, Fappani could tell, even at an early age, that he had exactly the mind he was looking for.

Andrea-romal

America’s Horse: Smokey the Pony

May 6, 2016May 9, 2016 / Megan / Leave a comment

This time last year an equine star was born…and we’re not talking about American Pharoah. Instead, we’re talking about his track pony, Smokey, the buckskin Quarter Horse with a golden, dappled coat and the demeanor that drew crowds to him.

I got to know more about “Smokey the Pony” when I wrote a profile piece for the National Reining Horse Association’s The Reiner magazine. It was a piece of a lifetime, since I got to talk with Bob Baffert (one of my favorite Thoroughbred racing trainers) and Donna Brothers, former jockey and NBC Thoroughbred racing analyst. Follow along on Smokey’s journey from a snowy birth to his star shining so bright, Hollywood came calling.

Breeding: Reproducing Greatness with a Little Help

January 3, 2016 / Megan / Leave a comment

Every winter stallions enter breeding sheds across the country with owners’ hopes of producing the next Spooks Gotta Whiz, HF Mobster, or Wimpys Little Step. Eleven months later mare owners wait with baited breath to see what possibly months or years of plan- ning has produced. Four long legs, a fluffy mane and tail, and a soft nose to nuzzle for milk can carry so much promise.

If only it were that easy…

I enjoyed talking with the researchers at Colorado State University to get an update on what what reproductive milestones they’ve reached in recent years for the NRHA Reiner magazine. Things like helping older broodmares stay healthy, and how to keep the golden stallions viable for years to come.

Read on to learn more about research from the December 2014 issue of the NRHA Reiner.

Reproducing Greatness with a Little Help