A Proposal in the Show Pen…

By: Brittany Bevis

It’s February and you know what that means… it’s almost Valentine’s Day! Over the years, we have enjoyed sharing your stories of incredible horse-themed marriage proposals and tales of true love that have withstood the test of time. To help you get into a romantic mood, we have a few special stories to share in the days leading up to Valentine’s Day.

The first comes from Covington, Texas where PHBA exhibitor, Brittany Banks, received the surprise of a lifetime during her halter class at the recent Fort Worth Stock Show.

Brittany has been showing horses for 15 years and has numerous PHBA World and Reserve World Championships as well as state and national year-end High Point titles to her credit. Her boyfriend Randy, however, has no background in the horse industry whatsoever. In fact, the first horse show he ever attended was the 2013 Reichert Celebration.

“We’ve known each other for a little over a year,” she says. “We met on an online dating website. He is an RN, and I’m an EMT and going to nursing school.”

“Until Randy met me, he had nothing to do with horses. He’s a city boy! Since we got together, he does seem to enjoy them. He has a 3-year-old daughter, Alexis, who I have competed with in lead line, and she seems to love the horses. My daughter, Addison, is 19 months old, so she has a little while before she can show. We have hopes of both girls showing in the future. I don’t know about Randy though…”

Although Randy has limited knowledge about horses, and the world of horse showing in general, that didn’t stop him from creating a one-of-a-kind marriage proposal that he was confident his girlfriend would love.

“It was just an idea that popped in my head about six months ago,” Randy says. “Brittany and I had just met and been on a few dates when the thought came to mind. I remember one night, after leaving her house and driving home, I text my friend Kristi and told her that I knew how I would propose. Since that day, the plan never changed.”

“I wanted to propose in a way that was different. I know Brittany has a strong passion for horses, so I wanted to incorporate the proposal into that.”

In order to set his plan into motion, Randy enlisted the help of Brittany’s mother and father, best friend, and Stock Show employees. First, he secretly coordinated with Brittany’s mother to provide the money needed to cover entry fees for the show and make sure that all of the necessary horse papers were sent in. Then, he notified her best friend, Roxanne, who made the trip into town to help set up the actual proposal with horse show management.

Everything was moving along smoothly until there was an unexpected bump in the road. On the Wednesday prior to the show, Brittany’s father suffered a massive heart attack and stroke while working in West Texas. He was stabilized, airlifted to a hospital in Fort Worth, and has remained in critical condition since that time. Considering the circumstances, Brittany decided not to show, and Randy supported her decision. However, Brittany’s mother and father, both knowing the elaborate plan that had been put into place, urged her to go on with the show.

“My dad, although his speech slurred, told me to go on and show,” she says. “Everybody but me knew what had been planned. I have to hand it to everyone involved; they did a dang good job of keeping secrets even with all the stuff that happened.”

It was finally the day of the big event, in more ways than one. Brittany planned to show her 12-year-old gelding, Yella Chex, a 15 time PHBA World Champion halter horse. As it turned out, she never completed the class, because something happened that made her grow a little weak in the knees. An engagement ring is a far better prize than a first place ribbon, after all.

“I was showing, and I heard them announce something,” she says. “My gelding moved and I was re-setting his feet, so I wasn’t paying attention to what they said. Next thing I knew, someone tapped me on the shoulder. My first thought was it was a ring steward regarding my horse who threw a shoe just prior to showing, but, to my surprise, it was Randy.”

“I knew he would ask me at some point, at least I hoped! But at the show, it was absolutely a complete surprise. I was stunned.”

While you might think Randy would be a little nervous proposing to his girlfriend on bended knee in the middle of a show pen with hundreds of strangers watching, he says he was confident of the outcome.

“Despite what I thought previously, I wasn’t nervous at all,” he says. “I knew how much I loved Brittany and knew how much she loved me. Doubt of what she would say never entered my mind.”

The best part of this proposal is that Larry Williams Photography and a videographer were onsite to capture everything as the action unfolded. Thanks to help from everyone involved, Brittany’s dad will be able to watch his daughter’s engagement after all.

Looking towards the future, Brittany and Randy are thinking about a fall wedding in 2014. We wonder if horses will be involved in the marriage ceremony as well… a Palomino ring-bearer perhaps?

“I’m not sure about [the wedding involving] the horses,” she says. “It would be kind of cool to involve them somehow seeing what a big part of my life they are. I guess we will have to see…”

Congratulations to this very happy couple!

Do you have a touching Valentine-themed story you’d like to share? Send an e-mail to b.bevis@equinechronicle.com this week and you might be one of our featured stories on the website before Valentine’s Day!