Wildes Show Horses – Dreams, Dedication and Miracles…
Click here to read the complete article
by Lana Grieve
Residing in Lakeside, California, close to the lively metropolitan area of San Diego, APHA trainer Tim Wildes along with his wife and APHA coach, Karen, manage one of the largest APHA youth all-around barns in the country. Karen crossed paths with Tim in 1991 after moving out to California in 1986. The couple wasted no time tying the knot one year later in 1992. Raised on the ASHA circuit showing hunter jumpers, Karen’s east coast roots synchronized with Tim’s western reining cowhorse background. Merging into the Paint horse circuit in the 1980s, Tim’s established business would guide he and Karen to a prosperous, rewarding future.
While raising their two young children, Karen’s showing and coaching career took a back burner for nearly two decades. “Being a wife and mom to our kids, I didn’t start coaching until 2008,” Karen says.
“That’s strictly all that I do. There’s a big difference between being a trainer and a coach, and I call myself a coach. Tim trains the actual horses, and I work on the people and the riders. I have a natural ability to hone in on all the details.”
Currently guiding seven youth and three amateur APHA competitors, 2013 was the first year Tim and Karen welcomed amateur riders to their barn. “Everyone thought we were strictly youth coaches, but they finally found out that we do it all,” Karen laughs. “We have primarily worked with youth competitors for the last ten years; it’s been our biggest niche. We have one of the biggest youth barns that competes and travels throughout the United States full-time.”
Their list of substantial achievements reflects the pure dedication of their talented clients. Taking home a total of 32 western saddles, two english saddles, and three horse trailers during the course of their clients’ careers, the Wildes team’s recent major accomplishments include multiple World and Reserve World Championships at the 2013 APHA and Pinto World shows, multiple youth High Point wins in the 13 and Under, 14-18, novice all-around, and walk-trot all-around divisions, and numerous Number 1 in the Nation titles. “All of them deserve so much credit for their tremendous success in 2013,” she says. “Ashley Wildes and Heza Texas Hobo, Alysia Nielson and Sensational Dee, Caroline Nielson and Stately Sensation, Ally Fink with Oh Good Heavens and Gallant Zippo, Anna Hutlas and Don’t Rock My World, Emily Metler and Fishnet Stockings, Ashley Aden and Reddy For My Close Up, Holly Schultz and Oh Good Heavens, and new to our team, Dr. Marlene Miller and Ima White Sensation [make up the Wildes Show Horses Team]. We are so blessed to have such a talented team.”
It goes without saying that the Wildes’ own children, Justin Tyler, known as “JT,” and Ashley grew up in a barn. Although JT’s heart wasn’t driven to become a serious horse show competitor, he occasionally competed. Ashley flourished in the equestrian environment. Karen reminisces, “JT was more into sports, so we didn’t make him do just one thing. He has always loved helping us out at the shows, and he loves everyone in the barn. Today, he runs a bar in San Diego and absolutely loves it. He’s a go-getter. Ashley has been riding horses since birth. At four days old, she was strapped to my chest while I rode, so she’s literally been around horses her entire life. You’d always be able to find her in a cozy place in a barn aisle sleeping.”
Raised as part of the team, Ashley’s budding APHA youth career had to be balanced with her parent’s many youth clients. Karen admits that part wasn’t easy on Ashley. “Tim and I never put any one client above anyone else, so we always made Ashley a part of the team and gave her an equal place. She was always taken care of, but sometimes she just wanted mom and dad. We couldn’t be that because we had to also be trainer and coach to our clients. I sympathized because being a trainer’s kid is a challenging roll. They never get that one-on-one time with their parents, especially since our barn was exclusively youth exhibitors.”
Entering her first year in the Amateur division in 2013, Ashley and her gelding, Heza Texas Hobo, received their rightful share of individual attention when the team captured the 2013 All-Around Amateur award at the APHA World Championship Show last November by winning World Championships in Classic Amateur Hunter Hack and Classic Amateur Hunt Seat Equitation, Reserve World Championships in Classic Amateur Hunt Seat Equitation Over Fences and Classic Amateur Trail, and top five placings in Classic Amateur Horsemanship and Classic Amateur Western Riding.
“Ashley had our constant support at the event,” she says. “It was only me, Tim, Ashley and three of the horses Tim shows,” Karen says. “It was probably the best thing that could have ever happened to us, to all be together. We’ve never had that. To watch Ashley win the all-around title was amazing. We always thought Ashley was capable, of course, but we were not expecting it to be during her first year of Amateur. Ashley didn’t have the set goal to win it in 2013; it was more of a long-term goal.”
The 2001 gelding, Heza Texas Hobo, affectionately called “Hobie,” possesses a story that’s uniquely his own. Originally purchased for a youth client in 2007 after winning a World Championship in 13 and Under Hunter Under Saddle, Hobie and his new owner didn’t get along. As a result, the youth client purchased Ashley’s previous horse, Slightly Fancy, and Ashley was given the option to shop for a new horse or to train Hobie.
Karen reminisces, “After months of shopping for a new horse, Ashley couldn’t find anything that was as good-legged as Hobie, but the problem with Hobie was that he had a lot of really bad issues. He wouldn’t walk into arenas and he reared. He would start a pattern and then, all of a sudden, rear or kick out. When we bought him, we had no idea he had these habits. It was very well hidden, but in the end, it was all worth it. We are grateful for the circumstance. We always thought Hobie was an amazing animal, but he was one of those horses that got passed around so much because he had issues, so he just got worse. Nobody wanted to stick with the problems and actually work through them because it wasn’t easy; it was downright embarrassing. Ashley had to work through them all, and it was really tough for her.”
Believing in her horse’s undiscovered heart, Ashley vouches for Hobie. “He just wanted somebody, no matter what, to believe in him and stick with him,” she says. “It was an incredible amount of work and a very emotional journey for me. I worked through a lot of Hobie’s foundational problems and neither one of us would give up. All of a sudden, Hobie would give a little and I would give a little. We somehow always worked through those moments successfully.” Karen remembers, “Ashley would enter a class with Hobie, he would rear up, and she would be forced to scold him in front of judges. The judges would often correct Ashley for scolding him, and she would speak up and say, ‘you don’t understand. If I don’t scold him in this class, he’ll never get better.’ Ashley took a lot of criticism for many years, but she stuck with it, and I’m so proud of her for that.”
“I did end up getting through it all,” Ashley says. “I persevered and made him the winner he is today. Hobie hardly acts up at all now, but it took me never giving up on him. I would tell my parents, ‘I have to stick with Hobie. I know he’ll get through this. I can see it.’” Karen adds, “Ashley was right. She knows that horse better than anyone else. She never gave up on that animal, and, in the end, that animal never gave up on her.”
For the last three years, Ashley and Hobie have been poetry in motion, working tirelessly to reach their goals. “A lot of determination, a lot of heart, and a lot of love made it happen,” she says. “There’s never a day I don’t see that horse. Whether I ride him or not, I go down and visit him every single day. We have a bond like no other. Hobie has been that one special horse in my life thus far, and we will never sell him. He will always have a place in the barn.”
Currently in college working toward becoming a veterinarian, Ashley also works as a vet tech. Naturally transitioning out of an emotional, yet proven youth career, Ashley’s story will undoubtedly serve as inspiration to all youth exhibitors. Valuing longevity over instant gratification is the driving force behind Ashley and Hobie’s well-earned success, which is a direct reflection of Tim and Karen’s primary goal as trainer and coach.
“It’s not about the here and now,” Karen avows. “It’s about the longevity and the future. Our barn isn’t a barn; it’s a family. It’s a team of people who want to show, who want to do well, and who have their own personal goals. Sometimes, someone has a bad day or a setback, but at the end of the day, we all know we are going to be there for each other and help each other. No matter what happens, we’re all winners. If I have six kids in one class, I would tell them to go out and earn the top six placements. Last year at the World Show, my kids were World and Reserve World in many classes, and as a coach, there isn’t a better feeling.”
Balancing endless goals and the delicate, often exuberant, hearts of teenagers, Karen’s masterful ability to connect with her clients is a secret key to the their success. Emphasizing the difference in each child, Karen nurtures her youth clients methodically. “
As a coach, I would never tell a child they were capable of something if they weren’t ready. It’s a matter of gauging the child, but if I feel that child can get it done, I’m going to drive that child every step of the way and not give up until I see he or she reach his or her full potential. Sometimes, kids need someone to keep telling them, ‘you can do this and you have what it takes.’ They may not believe it at first, but as long as someone believes in them, they will discover their ability and can attain anything. It’s similar to training a horse. No one should have ever given up on Hobie, but no one wanted to invest the time or the effort because it wasn’t an instantaneous success. They didn’t see the long-term picture.”
Camaraderie and teamwork is the motto in the Wildes’ barn. Admitting that the horse show industry is a highly competitive and demanding world, Tim and Karen go beyond the call of duty to preserve good sportsmanship, fair treatment, and genuine friendships among competitors.
Karen states, “Everyone matters equally to Tim and I and they are treated exactly the same way, no matter who they are or what they accomplish. I think it’s really important that everyone realizes we are all at the horse show for the same reason. I always encourage each of our clients to enjoy the class, be fair, and be at peace with whatever the outcome is and whomever you’re up against, [which are] often youth from our own barn. We’ve all worked equally hard to get there.”
Precisely gauging each client’s personal goals, Karen teaches her youth competitors to stay focused and apply themselves. Her persistent method of encouragement has fed the passion of many youth competitors to national level success.
“We have a big saying in our barn; ‘never give up and never quit.’ All of our kids do the all-around, so it takes a tremendous amount of dedication. The kids who win the all-around are exceptional young people with unstoppable drive and a lot of heart because they are the ones who are out there 24/7 pounding it and getting it done. We tell our kids to dream big and strive big. No, it may not happen tomorrow, but it doesn’t mean it can’t happen in a few years. Dream it, own it, want it, and go for it. In two years time, the child should be so dialed in with us, that anything is attainable.”
“It’s never about Tim or myself. It’s about these animals, these kids, the barn we have, and what they’re doing together to achieve the end result. Watching our clients attain their goals never gets old. For as long as I’ve been doing this, when I see my kids win, I cry every time for them. It’s like winning my very first buckle with somebody. Even though I’m blessed enough to say those moments have happened time and time again, I never take them for granted.”
Prioritizing their time to attend all major youth events, there’s seldom an opportunity for Tim to compete in the open division. However, a breathtaking horse named Gota Take A Chance would live up to his name and pilot Tim to a Reserve World Championship in Green Western Riding at the 2013 APHA Open/Amateur World Show for owner, Delaney Kough.
Karen explains, “Now that the APHA World Shows are split events, it’s challenging for my husband to haul horses back to Texas twice a year. It was an extra expense for our clients because they had already paid to haul out to Texas for their kids to show, but they believed in Tim and they believed in their horse. Our youth client was willing to give up her horse after the Youth World last year for Tim to consistently train and refine for the Fall World Show, which was a big sacrifice. It was so meaningful for Tim to have the opportunity to receive a buckle because it’s never about him. Tim’s last buckle was won in 2008, so he got to have his moment, which he so deserved.”
Ramping up for the 2014 show season, Karen and Tim have been on the road since the day after Christmas hitting the circuits, while Ashley and Hobie have started a new adventure. Karen says, “Ashley just taught Hobie how to drive. She loves it and he loves it. She just went out and got fourth overall her very first time driving him, so it was pretty phenomenal to see. She will probably go back to the 2014 Amateur World Show and pick and choose her classes.”
Understanding the vital importance of keeping the next generation engaged with the horse industry, Karen and Tim work tirelessly to keep their youth inspired to compete. “I always preach about our ‘legacy’ and that’s what it’s about, keeping the Paint Horse legacy going. It’s our responsibility as trainers to create attainable goals for these kids to achieve and make the journey worthwhile for them. That’s what’s going to grow our industry and merge it forward. The kids are our future, and we want to see the industry continue to grow in a positive light.”
Exhibiting pure ambition for what they do, through the ups and downs and the hardships and the miracles, their raw enthusiasm for the Paint Horse industry has captured a life that Tim and Karen couldn’t have imagined any differently.
“Tim and I are so blessed to immerse ourselves in what we love every day. We pray to God to keep us humble and never take our lifestyle for granted. We get to be around our horses, we get to develop everlasting relationships with our youth who we love, and we get to help make dreams come true. We couldn’t ask for a better life.”
To contact Wildes Show Horses, call Karen at 760-402-8566, Tim at 760-809-1720, or email karenwildes@aol.com.
Click here to read the complete article
