EC Blog – Grateful To Be Part of This World
Editorial image by Ruehle Photographix, courtesy of APHA.
This weekend, Lindsey McCracken of Houston, Texas, learned she and her horse, Its Hubbout Time, earned the 2024 APHA World Show Reserve All-Around Amateur Solid Paint-Bred title!
The DIY Amateur and her mom, Anne McCracken, had taken the 2016 buckskin solid gelding by Hubba Hubba Huntin and out of Pepsis Carmel Queen to the 2024 APHA World Championship Show to compete in the Solid Paint Bred classes, and it was Anne’s reflective words written on social media upon arriving home that struck a chord with many exhibitors.
She began like this:
People talk about the good, the not so good, and the occasional ugly that takes place in our sport of showing horses.
Home from Paint World where a well-known, successful trainer helped my daughter who is a DYI amateur navigate the finer points of the trail pattern, expecting nothing in return; we were grateful for his insights.
Then we were packing up at 5:30 am and a gentleman who was at the show to support his daughter was out walking for exercise and offered to help us load our trailer which saved us a lot of trips to our trailer; once again we were grateful for his help!
Such actions show us that there is far more good than anything else that is a part of this sport. We had some good runs, some bobbles, won some great prizes from APHA, but the best things will always be the horses and people who love this sport like we do.
Our aisle neighbors were a blast; we enjoyed visiting with the attending vet, when our horse needed IV fluids- to find out Lindsey went to Baylor with her many years ago and they had a lot of catching up to do; we were grateful for her meticulous care of our horse. As usual, Carl took lots of naps, had lots of treats and many baths to cool off.
We are continuously grateful to be part of this world, doing what we love. 7 more sleeps then I fly back down for Buckskin World, which is always a good time with old and new friends – can’t wait!
By Anne McCracken
Thank you to Anne for allowing us to share her powerful words! If you have an EC Blog you’d like to submit for consideration, send it to: Delores.Kuhlwein@EquineChronicle.com.
