Hard to believe it’s been TWELVE years since Mike’s last Region 8 show. Yep, in 2009, he started at the WGA Equine program in March, but came back to Denver in June and July to show Region 8. So this year is the first time in quite a while that Mike and I have been able to coordinate a trip together.
Many of our earliest memories of this show revolve around our first Arabian stallion, Ibn Mabrouk and it was Sharon that earned his first Regional awards 1994-1996, so it’s fun to be a part of scene as Sharon competes with Hero, a horse that has more than fulfilled the potential we saw in him as young horse—that of an exceptional amateur owner horse. It's impossible to separate the two components that make up the Hero we have today. The fantastic disposition bequeathed to him by his sire, Armando El Ayres and dam, Foolish Fashion BF was apparent at a very young age, but added to that is that Hero was handled pretty much daily from the time he was a weanling. Of course, his "training" was always age appropriate—short daily sessions that built the foundation of the horse he is today.
Hero leading in from pasture with his "baby butt rope" in place just in case he forgets how to go forward, but you can see that he already is very competent at "leading" as his dam is behind him.
Taking "schooling" out of the arena for "big outside" lunging
Hero Long Lining
Mike with Hero's first "step up"
I think Mike's smile says everything about this moment when Hero was three.
Keeping things interesting inside and out!
First show with Sharon, Elmira NY, 2018
Second show with Sharon, Eastern Classic, Hamburg NY, 2018
Sharon and Hero Scottsdale 2020