Home Away From Home – Designers Create Masterpieces at the Show

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162 – November/December, 2017

By Erica Greathouse

Elaborate stall fronts have become the most fun, creative, and exciting way to professionally represent a training operation at major horse shows. Just like in the show pen, first impressions are everything. Equally as important, creating a setup that helps trainers and their clients have that home-away-from-home feeling can make a big difference during the long events. Part production and part practicality, these showpieces are designed with both class and comfort in mind, and some go above and beyond the simple necessities. We interviewed two mastermind designers who are involved in bringing these dream setups to life, as well as multiple trainers who utilize their designs to push the envelope year after year.

Meet the Designers

Like most horse show dads, Mike Ryden has always been a good sport when it comes to supporting his daughter’s horse show habit. Megan Ryden has been showing successfully for many years on the APHA circuit. When Mike isn’t in the stands cheering away, he works in the electrical industry, and he and his wife, Cathy, team up to remodel homes. “I’ve always dabbled in construction and have learned a lot from the projects I have done over the years,” Mike says. With constant persuasion from Cathy and Megan, Mike was talked into trying his hand at building stall fronts five years ago. “They kept telling me I could build stall fronts, and I didn’t even know what that meant,” he laughs. Once Mike learned what stall fronts were, he decided to give it a shot. He said, “I built the first one for Chad and Shane Christensen. Although it worked, it was basic and a little bit cumbersome. I overthought it, and I wasn’t as efficient as I am today, but that was where I started. The next one was for James Saubolle, and it was a little bit lighter and more efficient.” After that, word spread and Mike quickly realized that he officially had a new side gig.

Today, Mike not only builds stall fronts, he also stores them and rents them out year after year. “I primarily work with clients showing in Fort Worth and occasionally in Tulsa. The setup depends on the stall location and venue. In Tulsa, they don’t want anything that extends into the aisle, and I have to modify the setup. I’m responsible for building, setting up, tearing down, and storing the stall fronts. I can rent existing pieces, and sometimes I also build new things depending on the client’s desire,” he says. Every year, Mike is improving and making changes to the pieces he already has and adding pieces to make the setups more exciting and convenient. “I can build new things if clients have a certain look they’re going for. Tim Gillespie approached me wanting an elegant setup that almost reminded me of something you would see in an old steakhouse with stained wood and a weathered, yet sophisticated appearance. Together, we came up with a design. Each year, we add something new. So far, we’ve added a bar and shelves. This year, we topped it off by adding chandeliers.”

Click here to read the complete article
162 – November/December, 2017