54/ MARCH/APRIL 2014 THE RIDER
Pam Christopher and Stone Maples Mackenzies Joy Win Division A Driving Horse Of The Year
owner/exhibitor Pam Christopher has a special place in her heart for geld- ings; and with good reason. In 2013, for the fourth year running, her AMHR gelding Stone Maples Mackenzies Joy, a.k.a “Steve”, won Division A Driving Horse of the Year! “I show AMHR as an amateur and started this journey back in 2002 with an under gelding that my parents gave me.” The “journey” Pam speaks so glowingly about took a turn towards more serious showing in 2006 when she decided that she was
Written by Garnet Barnsdale Miniature
horse
going to expand her exhibiting from showing exclusively in Canada. So she and Steve ventured south of the border for the first time to show in Ashland, Ohio. “We won all our driv- ing classes that weekend and met many wonderful friends and have never looked back” Pam beams. In 2008, the dynamic duo took a crack at the big stage, AMHR Nationals, again with great success. “I went down to Nationals with my dad and Steve and the three of us made it to center ring three times in amateur classes. The best part for me was a Reserve National Champion Amateur Ladies Country Pleasure Driving title
belts, Pam sought out a new challenge for Steve. “For quite some time a couple of my friends had been telling me that Steve would do well at car- riage driving shows, specifically the prestigious Walnut Hill Carriage Driving Competition in Pitts- ford, New York,” she recalls. “Walnut Hill is a five day internationally recognized driving event attracting competitors from over twenty states, Canada and Europe. Looking for new and fun challenges for Steve I decided to let my good friend, Dr. Michelle Courtemanche show him there in 2013. She is knowledgeable in this discipline of driving and had shown Steve several times at AMHR shows as well.” So, how did it go? “It was exciting and nerve-wracking to go and watch someone else show my horse,” Pam confides. “The first class they showed in was reinsmanship in the mini division and even though I am likely biased I thought they looked amazing. The judges obvious- ly agreed with me when they came away with the win!” Preparation for the turnout class took hours between braiding Steve, harness cleaning, brass polishing and making sure everything was looking
ing a fabulous show year in 2011 for Pam and Steve, so what next? A “three-peat?” “Maybe,” Pa, remembers thinking. “I now had two new horses on my show string I was breaking to drive and was going to focus on. I decided I would show Steve and have fun with him and whatever would be, would be.” So with three driving horses on the go and shows most every weekend by the time show season came to an end Pam recounts that she was “worn out”. Moreover, due to unforeseen circum- stances, she missed AMHR Nationals in 2012 and was really unsure if she could win a Horse of the Year title without attending. “The wait from my last show in late August until results were announced in February felt especially long,” she notes. “After disappointment over missing Nation- als and the long wait it was extra rewarding to find out I had won AMHR Division A Driving Horse of the Year with Steve and AMHR Division B Driv- ing Horse of the Year with Mccarthy Grassmere Smoke N Mirrors. It was a huge honor to receive both of those awards at convention in Lexington, KY in November of 2013!” With three Horse of the Year titles under their
she and Steve were going to go for the repeat. “I didn’t have to think very hard about it, the previous season had been a ton of fun,” she remembers. “The registry changed the Horse of the Year divi- sions in 2011 so there was now a Driving Horse of the Year division and a Performance Horse of the Year division. Previously there had only been a performance division which was typically won by a driving horse. We started our season in mid- April and finished off once again with AMHR Nationals. After traveling through many states vir- tually every weekend that summer, we had nothing to do but wait for the points to be tabulated early in 2012. It was so exciting to get the news that we had once again won a Horse of the Year title, win- ning AMHR Division A Driving Horse of the Year!” So another show season rolls around, follow-
earned Hall of Fame titles in Country Pleasure Driving, Halter and Roadster. They were looking for a bigger challenge so Pam decided they should try for a Horse of the Year title. They travelled with Bruce Abbott and Eddie McCarthy II that summer and went to shows in several states and provinces and attended AMHR Nationals. “I was very excited to win Reserve National Grand Road- ster 32” -34” in Tulsa” Pam says. “When all the year-end points were tabulated we were the first Canadians to ever win an AMHR Div. A Perfor- mance Horse of the Year title!” This Canadian champion team could be considered pioneers as the first ones from this nation to reach such lofty heights. For those wondering: “what does it take?” Pam explains how they got where they are. “To reach this level of success it takes time and dedica- tion; my show season starts very early in the year in the cold of the winter, out in the arena fitting up my show string,” she begins. “Shows may start as early as mid-April and we show until mid-Septem- ber at Nationals. During that time there aren’t too many weekends we don’t go to a show. It means clipping every week, travelling every weekend, lots of hotel rooms, health papers, show entries, meals, bedding.” What about cost, in terms of time and money? “I never add up the money or the hours spent, I probably don’t want to know,” she chuck- les. “It is a labor of love.” In 2011, Pam’s friends started asking her if
in a class of 63 entries which was the highlight of my year!” Pam exclaims. “It was exciting to have the live feed online and having friends and family back home cheering for us.” By the summer of 2010 Pam and Steve had
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