From The Publisher – No Rest For The Weary

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14 – November/December, 2023

By Tom Grabe

As a young, horse-crazy boy growing up in Michigan in the mid-1970s, I had abundant opportunities to soak up everything about horses and horse shows. Looking back, I feel fortunate to have been given the opportunity to grow up next to a horse farm, around a lot of horses, and having a mother who gave me every opportunity to excel with a horse in a competitive environment.

We didn’t have lots of money. We began showing horses at backyard shows… literally. These were shows, mostly game events, that were held at someone’s farm in their back yard. They were great fun and we made friends with a lot of horse-obsessed people. We graduated to an open show circuit called the Michigan Association of Western Horse Clubs. Many people who became household names at Quarter Horse, Paint and Appaloosa shows began on the MAWHC circuit. I remember them well and competed against some of them. It was a great time in my life.

Over time, we moved on to Appaloosas and competed on the App circuit regionally and nationally with some success. Even though we had an Appaloosa, we knew many of the Quarter Horse breeders, trainers and exhibitors in our area. These were people like Mike Havens, Kenny and Carol Ecker, Ronnie Sharp, and many others too numerous to mention. The Midwest was a hotbed for horse activity and it led to some of the most competitive shows in the country.

Click here to read the complete article
14 – November/December, 2023