POA Youth With Big Time Trainers at 2013 Reichert Celebration Helps to Educate the Next Generation

The Reichert Celebration received such a great response last year from the introduction of the POA Youth with Big Time Trainers program that show management decided to bring it back for a second go-round. This year, eleven POA youth exhibitors sent in their applications hoping to be paired up with a “big time” horse trainer competing here at the show.

Because the POA show is scheduled for this weekend, these lucky youth exhibitors will have the opportunity to meet with a professional AQHA, APHA, or ApHC horse trainer in order to hone their skills for the competition. We spoke with the program’s coordinator, Stacy Hawkins, to find out more.

“The kids have an application that they fill out online,” she says. “They also had to write an essay stating what it would mean to them to be selected to participate in the program.”

“Then, JR and I walked around and got ahold of the trainers to see if this was something they would be interested in. We explained a little bit about what it would entail: meeting with the kids, seeing their ponies, helping them out with their ponies, giving them some advice, and maybe having the kids watch the trainers ride in order to learn something from them.”

With some help from POA representative, Kristen Fears, Hawkins worked hard to pair the kids up with trainers that specialize in their discipline of choice.

“She knows the kids and what their specialities are,” Hawkins says. “We tried to match them up as good as we could so they can get the maximum potential out of their meeting.”

“Haley Purkapile is very interested in western pleasure, so we put her with Rusty Green, because he’s obviously very western-dominated. Carly Thunberg is also western-dominated, so we put her with Mike Hachtel. La Kayla Phillips does the equitaiton and the western, so we put her with Josh Robertson. His wife does a little bit of the english, and he does the western.”

The POA show began today with hunter under saddle classes, so some of the trainers have yet to meet their trainees. However, Hawkins is hard at work setting up meetings today and already has one very happy customer in Jaynie Burnett, who was paired with Tim Zuidema.

“Tim and Katy Jo made her feel so welcome,” she says. “Her stalls are just two rows down from their stalls. She’s going over there all day today so they can help her with western [events].”

Dave Archer already had one training session with his 17-year-old POA youth, Bryce Carns. Because Archer will be riding a horse in this evening’s Equine Chronicle Color Classic 2-Year-Old Western Pleasure and Carns’s pony will be competing in the very next class, the McClaren Futurity, this will be a very busy night.

“I helped her with her pony just a little bit ago,” he says. “She does the pleasure and the hunt seat. She is doing the hunter under saddle this afternoon, and then her mother is showing in the McClaren Futurity tonight, I believe.”

“We’re trying to make sure everything runs as smooth as possible so we can get both horses shown back-to-back. She was looking to soften up her horse’s legs and get her a little softer in her face. I suggested a little counter bending, pushing with her feet, some turns to move [the pony’s] shoulders over, and making [the pony] trot square through its shoulders.”

This is the first year that Mike Hachtel has participated in the program. He was thrilled to be included, because back in the day, he was a former POA youth as well.

“I think it’s for a really good cause,” he says. “Anytime you can reach out and help someone, no matter who or what the situation, that’s a good thing to do.”

“I had a POA pony named Buckshot. He was the coolest animal. I would not be here today if it wasn’t for my buddy Buckshot. I was the king. [I did] the pony western pleasure, the flag in sand, and crawl through the barrel. You could ride him all afternoon. He was awesome. I was born and raised POA.”

Because Hachtel grew up riding and showing POA ponies, he says making the transition from training a full-size horse to a much smaller animal comes second nature. Hachtel’s trainee, Carly Thunberg, shares his love of western pleasure, so the pair should be a perfect fit.

“There is a huge difference in [training] a horse and a pony. You’re dealing with size, and you’re probably not going to get [the extreme movement]. However, a good horse is a good horse, and a good pony is a good pony. The little things might make a big difference.”

“[Carly] is showing the hunt seat today. She said that’s not her forte, but tomorrow is western pleasure. Tomorrow, we are going to reconvene in the morning and make a plan for the whole day.”

Scroll below to see the POA youth and trainers that are participating in the program this year. As more of the youth exhibitors meet with their trainers we are looking forward to sharing photos and accounts of their experiences.

Carly Thunberg- Mike Hachtel

Haley Purkapile- Rusty Green

Trey Faulkner-Tate Oakley

Hannah Faulkner- Terry Cross/Steve Stephens

Bryce Carns- Dave Archer

Mia Landon- Jess Bergantzel

Marlie Rainey- Garth Gooding

Jaynie Burnett- Tim Zuidema

Kylee Phillips- Jay Jordan

La Kayla Phillips- Josh Robertson

Alaina Mckenzie- Amanda Jackson