Three Months After Becoming a Mom, Angela Fox Wins Congress Amateur Showmanship

By: Brittany Bevis

Angela Fox has a whole new appreciation for the late nights and early mornings that come with competing at a horse show. That’s because, in addition to showing here at the Congress with her 5-year-old gelding, The Company You Keep, she’s also juggling taking care of her three-month-old daughter, Ellis Jane.

“Me, my husband, our 16 1/2-year-old dog (our first child), and our second child, who is now just over three months old, took a road trip here to the Congress! It was an experience,” Angela says.

As a self-professed “horse crazy” equestrienne, Angela says there was some delicate timing involved with the birth of Miss Ellis Jane so she would be able to compete at the Congress and upcoming AQHA World Show. Still, Angela wasn’t quite sure how balancing feeding times with riding schedules and last night practices with nap time would work out.

“I’m pretty intense in my practicing, and I ride every day,” she says. “I was pretty concerned about how to juggle both, and that’s probably the reason why I haven’t had a baby sooner. But, everyone around me has been super supportive. My boss has been very understanding about the fact that I just had a baby, and I had to get ready for a big horse show. They’re working with me, which is so sweet. Everybody at the barn has taken turns watching the baby and giving me pep talks. It’s been an incredible three months, and I have a lot of very nice people to thank.”

Angela is the returning Champion from the 2015 QH Congress in Amateur Showmanship, a class she won with “George” when he was just four years old. “George is a really good Showmanship horse. He’s a little bit tired, because he’s had a big week already, so we needed a little extra motivation for the extended trot. He was really good in the prelims, and my set up was good both times, so I was super excited.”

Earlier at the show, Angela and George placed fourth in Amateur Horsemanship and 11th in Amateur Performance Halter Geldings. Up next, they will compete in Amateur Equitation and Trail.

In this particular pattern, Angela was very pleased with a tough transitional section that George nailed, as well as her speedy set ups. “I would think we really plussed the stop, to the half turn, to the back, to the half turn, to the walk and set up. I know I had a one-step set up in the first go round, and I’m pretty sure I had one in the finals. It’s all a blur now! Also, it doesn’t hurt that he’s so pretty and has a lot of style to him.”

Nowadays, there are a few cradles at Highpoint Performance Horses stalls, because trainer, Beth Case, recently gave birth to her son, Cody Justin Case, on May 20th of this year. Angela says this is all part of a pact she and Beth made years ago.

“Beth and I had a pact. If one of us had a kid, the other one had to have a kid also. That’s a pretty big life moment to share with a friend. She got pregnant, and told me I had to hold up my end of the deal! Oddly, I did. I’m incredibly happy.”

The Reserve Champion in Amateur Showmanship was Hailey Thornton with Essentially Good. Third was Jessie Hadlock with Safe Havens Version. Fourth was Lindsey Stevenson with He Is My Choice. Fifth was Patty Bogosh with Earn An Invitation.