The O’Boyle Family: Father, Mother, and Daughter All Win Congress Championships With the Same Horse
By: Brittany Bevis
If you’re on the show grounds here in Columbus, Ohio, you may have heard one name being repeated quite frequently during class results. That name is O’Boyle.
If two is better than one, than three is even more fun. That’s certainly the case for this talented group of do-it-yourselfers. Three members of the O’Boyle family: father, Thad O’Boyle, mother, Kimberly O’Boyle, and daughter, Kodi O’Boyle all won Congress Championship titles this week aboard the same horse, You Shock Me. Even more “shocking” is the fact that, for the most part, they do the majority of their showing, and winning, without the assistance of a horse trainer.
“We do this for fun,” Thad O’Boyle says. “We never expect to win anything. We’re out here for fun and to compete and to do a good job of it. We do most of it on our own. At some of the big shows, like this one, we have Dan and Darlene Trein help us, but we try to do it ourselves.”
Thus far at the Congress, Kodi won a Championship in 12-14 Trail, Kimberly won a Championship in Novice Amateur Showmanship and a Reserve Championship in Novice Amateur Trail, and Thad won a Championship in Amateur Showmanship. Those major titles are in addition to a score of other top five and top ten placings in classes like 12-14 Showmanship, NYATT Showmanship, Youth Performance Halter Geldings, Senior Trail, and 2-Year-Old Non-Pro Western Pleasure.
The O’Boyle family brought two horses to the Congress this year: You Shock Me, aka “Little Foot,” and I Am Good II. While Little Foot was certainly the star of the show, their two-year-old western pleasure prospect earned top ten finishes as well placing seventh in the Limited division of the 2-Year-Old Non-Pro Western Pleasure and eighth in the Open division of the class with Thad in the saddle.
“We only brought those two,” he says. “That’s more than enough for the Congress. It takes a lot to be able to come to the Congress. Probably having a little bit of extra help is a good idea for most people. Get somebody that you’re comfortable with, to get a little advice from, especially if you want to do it on your own. Somebody needs to be there for some support.”
“It is possible [to do it on your own] but we’re not the normal Amateur/Novice Amateur/Youth team. It’s been an exciting year for us.”
While father O’Boyle headed into the Senior Trail pen to pick up his seventh place medal aboard You Shock Me, Kodi O’Boyle told us a bit more about the “family pet.”
“My horse is amazing,” she says. “We’ve had him since he was two. He has an interesting personality that’s pretty unusual. He doesn’t really like to be touched. It’s kind of interesting how he gets all mad at you if you touch him when you’re trying to get him ready. He’s not a cuddly horse.”
“But, he’ll go out there and do his job. He’s like, ‘Yes, I want to show. Let me show.’ He’s really cool that way. He’s like a family pet, so he’s not going anywhere.”
We would like to congratulate the O’Boyle family on an outstanding showing at the 2013 Quarter Horse Congress and wish them the very best of luck in 2014.
