Ryan Cottingim Show Horses
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By Susan Winslow
The past year has been an exciting one at Ryan Cottingim Show Horses. In July 2019, Ryan and his fiancée, Amanda Gately, purchased their dream farm in Shelbyville, Tennessee, located an hour south of Nashville. Now, settled on 33 acres of sweeping fields and lush forest, they’re taking their successful sales, training, coaching, competition, and fledgling breeding program to a new level. Ryan Cottingim Show Horses caters to riders of all levels and ages, from youth to amateur and select. They specialize in Western-based All-Around, but with strong backgrounds in a variety of disciplines, they offer training, instruction, and the opportunity for clients to compete locally, regionally and nationally.
Cottingim and Gately are both World and Congress Champions in their own right. Ryan brings a solid background in the Western disciplines, while Mandi–the daughter of accomplished APHA trainer, Kim Gately, of Seattle, Washington–grew up riding and competing. She also worked for Robin Frid for six years and is an expert in Hunter Under Saddle, Equitation, Western Riding, Showmanship, Horsemanship, and Trail. “She’s amazing. She grew up in this industry and is a really successful competitor and talented coach and trainer,” Cottingim says. Together, they can find the right horse for each rider, develop a training plan tailored to each client’s goals, and provide support on the road to success through concierge service in a first-rate facility.
“This facility has everything Mandi and I wished for to build our program. We have beautiful amenities, and this area is perfect for us, our clients, and the horses,” says Cottingim. The choice of Shelbyville after spending six years in nearby Spring Hill was no accident. Drawing on his business background, Cottingim considered everything from the region’s predominant seasonal weather to the socioeconomic demographic before settling permanently in the area. He says, “We chose the Nashville area because we love it here, but we also did our research. During our six years in Spring Hill, we developed a strong client base. We love this area because the people here are great, and it’s an affluent area where our business can succeed. I want my program to have the diversification to thrive, and that means fifty-percent is comprised of local clients and fifty-percent from out of state. We’re fortunate to do that because any diversification in a business structure is a sound practice. We love having our local clients here on a daily basis, but we also really take a lot of pride in helping keep our out of state clients’ horses fit and show ready. This is an easy place to get to, and there are lots of things for our visiting clients to do here.”
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