Amanda Wallinger-Rowan – It’s a Family Affair

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154 – May/June, 2018

BY KRISTEN SPINNING

The excitement of winning an AQHA World Championship is grand. However, there is a special thrill doing it with a homebred filly moments after seeing your dad receive third place honors in the very same class. For Amanda Wallinger-Rowan, showing horses is truly a family affair, from start to finish. Watching Steve and Amanda compete that day was Amanda’s mother, Lorraine. But there weren’t just two Wallingers in the pen…That’s because Amanda was pregnant with her second child at the time.

The win capped off an exceptional year for Amanda and her filly, Dimplez. The pair was undefeated in 2017 and had won the Open Senior Fillies at the Breeders’ Halter Futurity, the Congress Elite Futurity in Open and Amateur, and the Congress Championship in Open, Amateur, and Limited, and finally an Amateur World Championship. Then, for some extra froth on the mocha, Chris Arentsen led Dimplez to win Open Weanling Fillies at the World Show. Amanda emphasizes that none of this would have been possible without her family working as a team.

Amanda has been showing Quarters and Paints for about 10 years. During her college years, she had no interest in horses, pursuing basketball and other activities, instead. After graduating, she felt she needed a hobby and agreed to try showing again. She quickly got hooked. Amanda has been equally comfortable, and successful, showing both breeds. The social aspect of Paint shows is one of her favorite things. She has built up a large circle of friends, and hanging out with them is one of the things she looks forward to most.

She modestly references a flashy overo mare, Intentionally Made, and World Champion, A World Class Storm, saying, “I had a famous mare that I showed for multiple years, and a gelding. So, everyone knew my horses.” She loved how that helped her connect with people. Intentionally Made had quite a following. Amanda says, “Everybody knew her and loved on her. She was kind of a fan favorite.” Olin Parker guided Amanda through the time she spent in the APHA show pen. On the Quarter Horse side, she shows a lot of babies, so the family is bringing something new to the shows every year.

Amanda grew up on the family farm in Stuart, Nebraska. She and her brother were on horseback from the time they were little. When she was in high school, the family bought their first stud colt, Hez Gonna Be Famous. “At the time, we were newcomers to this whole AQHA World Show level thing,” she recalls fondly. “We really didn’t know what we were getting ourselves into.” She says they feel so fortunate to have had the help of Tim Hamlin while getting started, and then they hooked up with Ted Turner. The sharp-looking colt progressed quickly and found success in the show pen. People were clamoring to breed to the multiple Buckskin World Champion and AQHA Reserve World Champion.

Click here to read the complete article
154 – May/June, 2018