NSBA Youth Spotlight- Steve Wheat
Steve giving G-Man a high five after winning 13 and Under Western Pleasure with Rain Makes Me Sleepy at the 2018 AQHA Youth World Show.
“Steve, your Dad is in the hospital.” These are the first words I remember from my the beginning of my horse show life. It all happened when my father broke his hip at a horse show. After that, I never wanted to ride. Ever. But, as it turns out, I kind of have a knack for showing horses.
I started in 2014 on an old horse named Miss Potential Zip, with my dad as my trainer. With her, I went on to many victories, and defeats. All of these defeats taught me to work harder and made me realize that I have to ride my beloved horse.
Fast forward to 2016 and I was riding Suddenly Charming, or “Charm,” the absolute biggest heifer ever. I would get so frustrated when she would be fresh and not do what I asked. But, even through all of the rough times she gave me, I still loved her. Charm was the horse who pretty much got me hooked on horses forever. I went on to win the Congress after many long hard days of riding on Charm.
Click here to read Steve’s interview with Charm from the 2016 QH Congress.
With Charm, I realized that I really wanted to support the troops and thank the veterans the best I could at the time by putting an American flag and USA on my show shirt. This was really popular and people loved it, a completely different reaction than what I expected. I went on to do a few more shows with Charm. Then, my Dad sold her to a little girl up north who will love her; however, it was without asking me.
Then, I got Rain Makes Me Sleepy. When we got him, he was a little special. He wasn’t the brightest bulb, but he was still the sweetest thing ever. “Ray,” as we call him, loves treats. He will come running if you have one in your hand. I went to a show with Ray and my Dad in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, where I met up with some of my really great friends, Spencer Hardin and Sydney Dunham.
After asking for the truck keys and getting my jacket out of the truck, Spencer and I went and threw a baseball. Well, it turns out that I accidentally left the keys in there and I didn’t know it. So, we got back to the stalls and my Dad asked for the keys back. I said, “I already gave them back to you.” As it turns out, I didn’t. Some of y’all reading this know my dad, and how he is, and probably know how angry he was. I was, as the song goes, “Living On A Prayer.” He ended up finding them after about 30 minutes of hearing, “I’m never giving you the keys again.” Whenever he asks me to get something, we always have a laugh about this.
By this time, I was pretty comfortable on Ray. We then went on to the Youth World. I was so nervous, but he lead me to victory in the first ever 13 and Under Western Pleasure class. After I won, I was asked what was so special about my win. Me, being shy and still shook, said, “I just won the Youth World,” instead of an intelligent answer. That video ended up getting many views.
All of this was because of my Dad and how he inspired me to keep going through the rough times and to get back at it. He is my horse show role model. I feel like if he was ever stranded on a deserted island he would survive with his tough skin and passionate nature.
If they ever made a reality TV show about me and my horse, I would expect it to be called, “Life Of a Horse and His Boy.” I feel like they would name it that and show how horses have greatly affected our lives and how they teach us so many things and life lessons. They teach us how to manage time and how to prepare. After that show in Murfreesboro, I learned to always know where your keys are.
Showing horses has changed my life in so many ways and helped me get so many new friends from all over the world, instead of just from where I live. Hopefully, I will never stop riding and being a member of this wonderful association. I’m grateful to everyone who has ever helped me, and my family and, for the horses who started it all.
