Everything began innocently enough… A father out for an afternoon stroll with his young son decides to snap a quick selfie with a horse standing in a nearby field.

A Dutch-bred gelding destined for slaughter who proved too high-spirited for a job pulling a city carriage, then plucked from obscurity by one of the greatest four-in-hand drivers in history. He became a champion whose steel shoes were gifted to Prince Phillip by President Obama, and who was commemorated as a Breyer® horse model.

Bret and Candy Parrish are not only the parents of Congress Champion and up and coming young horse trainer, Cody Parrish, but also Chase Parrish, High School State Champion winning quarterback for the Colquitt County Packers in Georgia. Yesterday, Chase made things official for his collegiate career by signing with the United States Naval Academy. Good luck with #USNavyFootball in Maryland!

Pait went 1-0 of the Gamecocks during the month of January. In Carolina’s 16-3 win over UT-Martin on Saturday, she posted the highest horsemanship score (74.5) to win her point and earn her second MOP award of the season. Pait currently leads all Gamecock western riders with five victories and two MOP honors.

Opening everywhere February 5, “Hail, Caesar!” pays homage to a bygone era in Hollywood and boasts a veritable galaxy of human stars…but animal stars including goats, horses, and one plucky little dog steal any scenes they are in throughout the film. Four-time Oscar®-winning filmmakers Joel and Ethan Coen wrote and directed the all-star comedy fueled by a brilliant cast led by Josh Brolin, George Clooney, Alden Ehrenreich, Ralph Fiennes, Jonah Hill, Scarlett Johansson, Frances McDormand, Tilda Swinton and Channing Tatum.

Hayes, a 5-time GRAMMY nominee whose hits include his most recent single “21” and the No. 1 smashes “Wanted,” “Somebody’s Heartbreak” and “I Want Crazy,” will perform at the Alltech Arena at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington after the completion of the Cross-Country phase on Saturday, April 30.

The 2016 team is as versatile as the American Quarter Horse, comprising top AQHA Professional Horsemen and -women, from across the disciplines – from halter to all-around and roping to racing.