1.) Describe your involvement in the Arabian horse breed as a volunteer, and what your accomplishments are:
I have volunteered much of my time in the last year as the secretary for the AWPA (Arabian Western Pleasure Association). Our first classes are being held this year at US Nationals with a Payout of $100,000 for the purebred class and a $50,000 payout for the half-arab class. It’s been a real pleasure being on this board and getting it up off the ground. I have worked with my fellow board members getting nominations in for stallions, educating people about the program, assisting with the website, and Facebook page. . We are so excited to have this program being so well received and I am so thankful Michele Reser and Dave Daugherty had the initiative to get it up and running and that they asked me to a part of it. I truly believe it’s going to make a big and lasting impression on the western division and breeding as a whole.
2.) What are some of the highlights and successful moments involving the Arabian horse for you in 2015?
2015 was an incredible year from start to finish, and these nominations that have come at the end of it have truly been humbling. Probably one of the biggest accomplishments not just this past year but as a horse person was when my family’s homebred horse, Wata Zimple Man RS was called out national champion twice at US Nationals. He has been a sheer joy from the very beginning, he was conceived the first try, no problems as a baby, and trained out wonderfully I wish they were all that way. I have really been lucky to ride a lot of really good horses, but showing one that you bred and to win those classes at nationals was something that I will never forget, and his barn name (“Howie”) is after my late father so it makes the whole thing even more special to ride a horse named after the best man I ever knew and knowing he was in heaven watching it all unfold made for a very emotional week in Tulsa to say the least.
3.) If someone were to describe you, what would they say about you?
Hmm.. probably depends on who you ask. 😉 I would hope they would say that I have a good heart. Most people outside of the horse world would say I am obsessed with horses and tend to put horses first above all else, those in the horse world for the most part see nothing wrong with that and neither do I. It’s truly my first love.