Youth Profile – Estelle McParlan

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380 – July/August, 2024

By Susan Winslow

Sixteen-year-old Estelle McParlan is carrying on the family legacy of passionate horsewomen. Her love for the animals and the sport was fostered by her mother–who participated in the sport of 3-Day Eventing in her youth–and her grandmother, also an enthusiastic horsewoman. Together, they gifted Estelle her first horse when she was just five years old. The daughter of Renee and Jeff McParlan, Estelle recalls, “I’d been around horses and riding since I was two. I’ve had a passion for horses for as long as I can remember.”

McParlan currently rides and trains with Shannon Walker along with Associate Trainers Hannah Lind and Spencer Groth of Show Horses By Shannon based in Woodward, Iowa. McParlan started out competing in small, local shows; and with each success, she became more determined to expand her goals to the AQHA and national competition.

McParlan describes her rise through the ranks, which is fully supported by her parents and older sisters, Jazmin and Mondrea. She says, “My parents knew how important horses were to me and wanted to get me into a lesson program so I could spend more time riding in a structured environment. I had a great trainer in the Appaloosa circuit who introduced me to showing and helped me find my first show horse. I fell in love immediately.”

Click here to read the complete article
380 – July/August, 2024