Page 40 • MARCH 2011 • PACIFIC COAST JOURNAL
Moran Quarter Horses -AFamily Affair
by JenniferWalker One of the wonderful things about
showing American Quarter Horses is that it is such a family friendly activity—there’s something in it for every age, skill level and taste, and for every member of the family. This holds true for the Moran family, who run Moran Quarter Horses as a family oper- ation. Parents Joe and Karen share the fun
with their three daughters: Kelly, Shelby and Theresa. “We started having horses about 14
years ago,” recalls Kelly, the oldest daugh- ter. “We had one horse called Dolly that all of us shared.We showed in the local board- ing stable shows that had like 45 classes in a day, with the ‘non-blue’ class at the end. After a couple years, probably about 11
Theresa 2010 Congress Lucy (Vital Signs Are Good) on right - Mikey (Chip Van Winkle) on Left
years ago, we started showing at AQHA shows. Shelby had a pleasure horse called Miss Monita Sands with Bob Kail, and I showed reiners with Donnie Bricker. Our involvement withAQHA has kind of grown exponentially since then.” This year, Kelly plans to show Sweet
N Custom, a four-year-old stallion who was 2010 Reining by the Bay Futurity Champion, in the non Pro Reining Derbies. Shelby, the middle sister, just graduated from college and is concentrating on her internship at Sony Studios for now, but the youngest, Theresa, has a busy show year planned. “She took over
Shelby’s horse Chip Van Winkle and has done very well with him in Western Riding,” explains Joe. “She’ll be showing a lot this year. She usually has three horses at every show. She really likes Pleasure, Western
Riding,
Horsemanship, and Trail.” One of those horses
is Vital Signs are Good (AKA Lucy), a ten-time AQHA World Champion, including the 2010 World Championship in Senior Western Riding with Jason Martin. Charlie Cole and Jason will show the 11-year-old mare in Senior Western Pleasure, Western Riding, and Trail, and Theresa will show her in Youth Western Pleasure, Western Riding, and Trail.
Show Diva is one of Theresa’s
favorites. This 10 year old mare is a three- time AQHA Reserve World Champion and four-time Congress Champion. Theresa will show her inYouthWestern Riding and Trail, Adam Wainscott will show her in Senior Western Pleasure and Western Riding, and Charlie Cole will have the ride for Senior Trail. Beth Case will show Diva’s son Only in Showbiz, a four-year-
AdamWainscott & Teddy (Showstopper) 2010 Congress
helps with my lead changes, but Reining is my thing. What I really like is being a show daddy.” Karen complements that perfectly. While she grew up riding and showing horses, now she prefers to be a great show mom, making sure everyone has what they need at the shows. Since they started showing Quarter
Horses, the Moran family has amassed countless World and Congress titles in numerous divisions, including All Around and Reining horses. Their success is made possible by their trainers: Tracer Gilson of Gilson Performance Horses for the Reiners and Jason Martin and Charlie Cole of Highpoint Performance Horses for the
Continued on page 42...
old gelding and 2010 Congress Champion. Another Diva son, Showstopper, was Top
Ten at the 2010 Congress in the Open Limited Two-year-old old Western Pleasure. This year, Beth Case and Adam Wainscott will show the three-year-old gelding in Junior Western Riding and the major three-year-old futurities. “As for me, I dabble,” Joe adds. “I love
the horses, but I’m not a big shower—I’ll show maybe four times a year. My favorites are the Scottsdale Classic, Arizona Sun Circuit, Sun & Surf, and Reining By The Bay. I show in Western Riding because it
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