“This show isn’t about the horse, it’s about the horseman/horsewoman,” says Fallen Horseman Memorial Horse Show founder Tammy Lickliter. The Fallen Horseman Memorial Horse Show is an All Breed Open Show featuring a Riderless Horse Ceremony and a special memorial display honoring fallen horsemen and women.
How did the Fallen Horseman Memorial Horse Show come about? Appreciation for those who helped encouraged anything equine and appreciation for the people who made our industry what it is today. The Ohio Valley and surrounding area is rich in equine history. Honoring these people and their contribution to the industry also serves to bring friends and family together that may have not seen each other for years. Additionally, young equestrians can learn who these people were and what they did to enable our lives with horses.
Every year on Labor Day, many friends and fans of horses and horse people gather at the Fallen Horseman Memorial Horse Show to pay tribute to people who left special hoof prints in our hearts. Mothers, vets, farriers, judges, and trainers… sponsorships are gathered in honor of these people and the funds are then paid forward to exhibitors in the form of prizes and random drawings. In 2015, the show paid nearly $12,000 in purse money.
In 2015, the horse show honored 11 new people: Urban Albers, Bud and Madonna Alderson, Jeffrey Card, Don Clason, John Cratty, Larry Izor, Charles Menker, Steve Miller DVM, Louise Profughi, and Lou Schlisser. Friends and family made themselves available over the holiday weekend to pose for win pictures honoring their loved ones. Each honoree level sponsor and subsequent class winner will receive a copy of the win photo from their class. Over 80 sponsors supported this event by donating money or items to be given as prizes. All 126 classes had prizes to 5th place.
In 2015, one sponsor donated a pair of custom made FHMHS 2015 spurs. Special thanks to Mike Lacey of Las Vegas, Nevada and BCS Custom Silverworks for that special award. By request, the donor wanted these spurs to go to a horse trainer. A class was held during the special event on Saturday night called the Professional Trainers Horsemanship class. Only professional trainers were permitted in the class. The entry fee went to charity and the winner received the spurs.
This year’s Professional Trainer Champion was Jess Haines aboard Only Zipped For Now for owner Luann Coleman. Other highlights included Emily Lloyd Manning winning the Rods Western Palace Versatility Classic aboard her horse Ahoy Chocolate Zip and Brigham Turner defending his third consecutive Championship title in the Schneiders Saddlery/River of Hope Egg N Spoon.
For more information, visit the Fallen Horseman Memorial Horse Show at www.fhmhs.com or find us on Facebook.
“The whole secret of a successful life is to find out what is one’s destiny to do, and then do it.” Henry Ford