Top 10- A Year in Review- Equine Chronicle’s Most Popular Stories For 2017
By: Brittany Bevis
The rags to riches story of a kill pen rescue turned show horse. A memorial for one of the industry’s great show mares. The candid story of trainer who returned to the top of his game after drug addiction. The triumphant tale of an equestrian who’s paving his own way, in spectacular style.
The Top 10 EquineChronicle.com stories of 2017 ran the gamut from inspiring to sobering and cautionary to controversial. As we embark on a new show season, we wanted to take a moment to reflect on our most popular articles of 2017.
#10- Pushing Boundaries- Kent Taylor Returns to the Show Pen– This story that appeared in our October 2017 print edition was a perennial favorite among our readers and went viral on social media. After a 28-year absence, Kent Taylor is back in the show pen and making waves with his talented horses, friendly personality, and spectacular style. It’s an unapologetic look at a man who’s living life on his own terms.
“I know I’m different. That I don’t look like everyone else at the horse show. I like fashion. My hair is too long. I wear bold jewelry, and I certainly won’t roll up in a pair of Wranglers. But, for the most part, nobody has expected me to change. People are accepting me for who I am and getting to know me before passing judgement.”
#9- “This is the First Horse That I’ve Done From Start to Finish, Sober” – Also a viral sensation, the candid story of trainer Lee Paul Shinn’s recovery from drug addiction to the past thirteen years he’s been sober, struck a chord with our readers. At the 2017 NSBA World Show, he won a World Championship with Metallic Iron, the first horse he had trained from start to finish, while sober.
“Long story short is that 13 years ago, I wasn’t supposed to live. I was in drug rehab. They gave me a 5% chance of making it, because I was so bad. I was using seven different drugs, and I was an ounce of meth a week user. I was a $20,000 a month user for a year in a half. I was 82 pounds, and I hadn’t slept in 19 days.”
#8- Quarter Horse Competitor, Tommy Manion, Cleared of SPCA Charges Related to BB Gun Incident– The news broke in October regarding a case that came to light on July 15th of this year, when it was reported that former, renown Quarter Horse and National Cutting Horse Association trainer (now non-pro competitor) Tommy Manion, used a BB gun on an unruly and dangerous stallion at an NCHA event in Whitesboro, Texas. This story shared the news that, according to Manion’s attorney, a SPCA veterinarian examined the stallion and found no injuries, and Manion was cleared of SPCA charges.
“Tommy Manion potentially saved a human life. The stallion had turned into a vicious animal. Tommy had a legal duty to stop it. He did not have a choice. Had the stallion gotten loose and killed or injured someone, Tommy Manion would have been liable under Texas law.”
#7- Prayers For Trainer Ryan Painter Following Horse Accident– This piece was a call for prayers for Texas trainer, Ryan Painter, who was involved in a horse-related accident on July 27th.
“Friends have reported that he was transported by ambulance to a local hospital near Pilot Point, Texas, where is currently recovering from three broken ribs and a lacerated liver.”
#6- Industry Legend, Vital Signs Are Good, Laid to Rest– We received the sad news that on January 24th, the legendary AQHA mare, Vital Signs Are Good, was euthanized as the result of a septic coffin joint and secondary deep flexor tendon rupture.
“During the course of her career, she accumulated numerous World and Congress Champion titles, Superior awards, Championships, Performance Championships, AQHA and NSBA Highpoint titles, and was named the 2007 NSBA Horse of the Year and Leading Dam. Even more impressive, she became the industry standard for the lofty, slow-legged movement and dependable consistency that’s so sought after in the Western Pleasure pen today.”
#5- From the Kill Pen to the Show Pen: The Brown Family– The rags to riches story of 13-month-old Paint filly and her mother, a pregnant granddaughter of Invitation Only, who were both rescued from a kill pen, received an incredible response from our readers.
“She stood 13 hands, was obviously malnourished, had injuries on three of four legs, and had a breeder’s certificate with her that read like a who’s who of the Western Pleasure world (The Investor, Investment Creditor, Invitation Only, and Sonny’s Calvin were all on her papers).”
#4- AQHA Approves Animal Welfare Recommendations Including New Forbidden Medications, Lameness Policies, Tail Function and More– This notice from AQHA about recommendations from the Animal Welfare Commission was shared hundreds of times on our social media accounts.
“The AQHA Executive Committee approved several recommendations from the AQHA Animal Welfare Commission at the 2017 AQHA Convention. The recommendations ranged from adding specific medications to the AQHA forbidden drugs or substances list to creating educational efforts for specific animal-handling procedures to a recommendation to use all drug- and animal welfare-related fines to support the AQHA steward program.”
#3- The True Story of a Chain Lead Shank Tragedy– This is the sad tale about how a momentary lapse in judgement cost a equestrian the life of her beloved horse.
“Tragically, the chain did not break, but the horse’s neck did. The horse could not untangle himself and in his struggle to get free, his neck broke and as he collapsed to the ground, he also broke his hip. Within an hour of their last ride together, Karen held her fine gelding’s head in her lap as he was euthanized.”
#2- Beginning Jan. 2018, AQHA Judges to Assess 10-Point Penalty for Unnatural Ranch Horse Appearance– This notice from AQHA about a new rule concerning Ranch Horses competition in 2018 sparked quite the debate among our readers.
“The new Rule SHW419.4, effective January 1, 2018, states, ‘Unnatural ranch horse appearance (Horse’s tail is obvious and consistently carried in an unnatural manner in every maneuver).'”
And finally, our most popular story for 2017 was…
#1- DOT Grants 90-Day Waiver From Requirement that Livestock Haulers Install Electronic Logging Devices– Posted only a few weeks ago, the news of the Electronic Logging Device mandate spread through the horse industry like wildfire, as many were concerned as to how and if the requirement would affect them.
“In their petition, the groups pointed out livestock haulers’ strong commitment to ensuring the safety of both the animals they’re transporting and the drivers they share the road with. In addition, livestock haulers often receive specialized training beyond that required for their counterparts driving conventional commercial motor vehicles.”
And that’s a wrap for 2017! EquineChronicle.com staff is devoted to researching and creating stories and articles YOU want to read. In fact, many of our stories have been inspired and suggested by our readers. If you have a great idea or a story tip, email B.Bevis@EquineChronicle.com.
Happy New Year!
