Making Dreams a Reality

Something changed when April stepped foot on the Oklahoma City Fairgrounds for the 2017 World Show. She finally felt like she belonged there with the other riders competing. She was no longer looking at them like an outsider showing a horse who may have been passed up as a show horse by other people. She was looking at them as an equal. Without even realizing it, that mentality would set her up for success.

“I could feel that something was different at that show,” she explained. “Jenny [Jordan] had been helping me when we’d attend the same horse shows and she told me she could tell how hard I had been working and that it was night and day difference from when I first started. That meant a lot to me. Being recognized for something I’ve been working hard at for so many years was such a big deal.”

When it came time to step into the show pen, the pair managed to complete what might have been the best pattern of their career, leaving April with tears in her eyes.

“I remember there being an extended trot in the pattern, which is always a good thing for us. George has a really nice extended trot because he’s so big, and I’m pretty long legged so it’s easy to make that maneuver look really pretty,” she shared. “He was spot on with every element of that pattern and when I came out of the arena everyone greeted me at the exit gate and by the look on all of their faces, I knew it was as good as I thought it had been. We ended up 7th in the level 2 showmanship, which was a huge for us.”