A Horse Show Proposal!

By: Brittany Bevis

When Jenalee Nies set out for the Tulsa Holiday Circuit over Fourth of July weekend, she had envisioned a successful return to the show pen after a two-year break with her horse, VS Only The Roanly. Little did she know that there was a plan brewing and that by the end of the weekend, not only would she be a Circuit Champion, but also an engaged woman!

The Tulsa Holiday Circuit was held July 2nd-5th, and Jenalee planned to show her AQHA/APHA gelding “Beau,” by VS Flatline. This was to be their second show back together after an extended hiatus. They competed in Novice Amateur and Amateur Western Pleasure and decided to try their hands at Novice Amateur Horsemanship for the first time. They picked up a few points in Western Pleasure and won the circuit in Horsemanship, but the most exciting surprise happened after Amateur Western Pleasure.

“I had a feeling something was up when I noticed that [my boyfriend] Darris was not sitting up in the stands watching me with our friends,” Jenalee says. “Then the announcer, Leonard Berryhill, asked me to take a few steps forward out of line. I almost forgot my number for a second!”

“He walked up and he had me get off my horse. He then got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. Of course, I said yes immediately! We partied at the stalls with friends and family who had been hiding from me all evening until I went back down to show again in Horsemanship.”

Jenalee and Darris met through a mutual friend, and, after dating, came to realize that they had both attended Oklahoma State University at the same time, volunteered at the same therapeutic riding center in college, and grew up only 10 minutes down the road from each other, all without ever meeting once. Darris asked Jenalee to be his girlfriend on July 4th, three years before the night he proposed.

“We had talked about marriage before, so I knew a proposal was coming. I just did not know when, where, or how. He knows I have such a strong passion for horses, and that the horse show is my natural element. I love how he chose to propose!”

As for their future, Jenalee says they plan to continue chasing their dreams in the horse world together. “I will keep showing, and he will be roping! Additionally, I plan to continue pursuing my career in marketing, and he is working to graduate CRNA school at TCU to be a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist.”

Jenalee and Darris would like to thank Leigh and Leonard Berryhill, assistant trainer, Mandie House, and everyone in their barn family for helping to keep this proposal a secret.

“It was also extra special to have my friend, Amanda, and her husband, Spencer, there supporting us and watching it all go down! Everything about that night was absolutely perfect, including my gorgeous ring!”

If you have a great story to share, email B.Bevis@EquineChronicle.com.