Keeping a Promise – Rochelle Lyons and An Uptown Boy
All show images courtesy of Ruehle Photographix LLC.
“Kid, you’ll move mountains! Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting. So get on your way!” – Theodor Seuss Geisel.
By Delores Kuhlwein
Carol Ferguson was an inspiration to Rochelle in more ways than one.
Sometimes we are lucky enough to have a person in our lives who sees our potential long before we ever do. For ApHC exhibitor Rochelle Lyons, that special person was Carol Ferguson, a close family friend who also showed Appaloosas.
“She knew I had dreams of owning a big hunt seat horse one day and that hunt seat was my favorite discipline to ride,” explains Rochelle. “She reached out to me in January of 2023 asking me to come look at one of her horses. I refused because I already had a four-year-old Appaloosa in training, and I didn’t want another one. She kept after me and kept asking, so I finally agreed.”
On that momentous visit, Rochelle met “Rip,” a horse she describes as a tall, lanky, and pushy two-coming-three-year-old – one she really didn’t want to take on. “I saw a ton of work ahead of me,” Rochelle admits. “But she continued to push me to take him on and so I did. I gave Carol the check for purchase and had the purchase agreement signed in-hand. But she refused to cash the check.”
Then Carol explained to Rochelle that she just wanted to see Rip be successful, and she knew that Rochelle was the person to make it happen. “She stayed close that first year in training. She came to watch him ride at SJB Show horses and was at ringside for every regional class we competed in. She would giggle with me when the rides were not great, but also encouraged me to ‘Keep pushing, Kid.’”
Rochelle took Rip to the 2023 World Show, inspired by Carol’s urging to “keep pushing, Kid.”
So the pair kept pushing, all the way to the 2023 Appaloosa World Show, says Rochelle. “Carol also came to that show and competed in halter and showmanship. She was at ringside for Rip and me, encouraging us and smiling.”
But when they returned from the World Show, Rochelle learned Carol was in the hospital just before Christmas. She explains, “I reached out to her to check in and encourage her to get well. That’s when I learned that she had come out of remission, and that her cancer had returned. She texted me, ‘I’m not going to make it, Kid. Take that horse to the top.’ I made a promise that I would take Rip to the top. That was one of our last conversations.”
Carol passed away December 23, 2023. Since then, Rochelle and her trainer, Sally Jo Bucholtz, worked to fulfill the promise made to Carol.
A Bump in the Road
Early in their journey, Rochelle began to share Rip’s curious and expressive personality on TikTok, and they created a huge following (@rochelle.ann.L).
As most horse owners are aware, often the most talented horses are not only personable like Rip, but they also come with their quirks. One of the obstacles he presented to Rochelle the last two years was spooking and playing while she worked him in-hand. Showmanship was a struggle as a result, and a DQ in the class was becoming predictable for the pair.
A Top 5 accomplishment in Showmanship was a dream come true for a horse who was still struggling when they first arrived at the World Show.
“Sally and I continued to work through Rip’s shenanigans and slowly made progress,” says Rochelle. “I became more confident with showmanship with Rip in August of this year and I told Sally that I wanted to try competing in showmanship at the Appaloosa World Championship Show. She said okay, but I could tell that she was a little worried about the goal.”
They practiced multiple times a week leading up to the World Show, then about two months prior, Rip threw another wrench in the works. He started testing his limits by rearing and refusing to go forward.
Rochelle says, “The day before we left for this world show, Rip and I could only achieve a walk under saddle. I almost cancelled the entire trip, but I have incredible trust in my trainer, and we committed to making the trip happen. We arrived at the show right when the gates opened and got to work. We pushed through the refusals and Rip’s baby brain and made progress every day with forward motion. Our struggles were not just under saddle, but also in hand.”
To get ready for showmanship, they spent most of their overnight hours practicing in the coliseum to get Rip comfortable. “In those late night/early morning practices, he spooked, panicked, struggled with backing, and struggled with pivots,” Rochelle reveals.
Needless to say, when the big day came, they had barely slept leading up to the class, but the duo placed in the Top 5 of the Novice Non Pro Showmanship. “It was incredible for him to go into the class and perform perfectly, ending up in the Top 5. It was his first perfect pattern all year. That top 5 meant so much to Sally and me. We were so proud of him. Something clicked between Rip and I after that showmanship class and he really started working for me. He started riding beautifully, gave me everything I asked for, and was so willing.”
A Promise Fulfilled
All their hard work paid off at the 2024 ApHC World Show, and a promise was fulfilled.
Then on the day of the Novice Non Pro Hunter Under Saddle, a sense of calm and confidence came over everyone, Rochelle and Rip included. “We went into the class without feeling nervous, which is huge for me, given that I am a nervous wreck every time that I show. We livestreamed the entire class on TikTok and had 500 people watching and cheering us on. And somehow, we won!”
And when they did, and they trotted up to receive the award, “I pointed to the sky because I made a promise to a person that is no longer with us, to a person that made this journey possible, and to a person that saw something in me before I could see it for myself,” says Rochelle.
The promise she made Carol was fulfilled – Rip is at the top as a World Champion, and Rochelle says she believes the sense of calm they all felt was Carol at ringside, cheering them on.
Rochelle pointed up to the sky after she won, a nod to the late Carol Ferguson, who had faith in her before she did in herself.
“I think Carol knew, way back in January of 2023 that her time was limited, and she hand-selected me to be Rip’s person. And I can never thank her enough for seeing something in me that I didn’t see in myself – for pairing me with this incredible horse and opening doors to dreams I never knew I could achieve.”
Rochelle explains she will forever be grateful for Carol’s kindness, and for the relentless support of Sally Jo Bucholtz and her tireless dedication to delivering on the promise made to Carol. She says, “My family has also been so supportive of me, often helping me through practices and being at ring side to encourage me to keep moving forward with Rip. To the incredible barn family at SJB Show horses, thank you for the support, laughs, and motivation to keep moving forward. And finally, to my husband who has encouraged me and held home together while I spent most of the year at the barn or at shows chasing a promise made to an incredible human.”
Watch the entire story of An Uptown Boy, aka “Rip,” on Rochelle’s TikTok account (@rochelle.ann.L). Rochelle says, “I decided to share our journey together on TikTok from the very first day and it has been a wild ride!”
