In Denver each January, the National Western Stock Show convenes for a 16-day run of rodeos, draft horse competitions, $8.00 corn dogs, and the “Super Bowl” of livestock shows. The 109-year-old event draws hundreds of thousands of cowboys, future farmers, fence vendors, equestrians, mutton busters, and fans of the Western lifestyle to the Mile High city each year.
Among the myriad of scoring sheets from the hundreds of competitions at NWSS 2015 is the name of my niece, Julia Fischer. While that fact is unlikely to raise the eyebrow of Stock Show historians, it provides the backdrop to a significant milestone along Julia’s competitive riding path: it was the first competition with her horse, Amedeo (as well as Amedeo’s first competition in the United States). Over a five-day span, the two took part in the Stock Show’s United States Hunter Jumper Association-sanctioned A-Rated show for Hunters & Jumpers from across the country, competing in the Children’s hunter and National Children’s Medal classes. She and Amedeo were two of the 13 exhibitors from Fall River Farm, where Amedeo is boarded.
Being their first time in the ring, the Stock Show was something of a shakedown cruise for Julia and Amedeo. At Fall River he’s known for two things, Julia said: being tall and being easily frightened. “I was worried he would be bad and gallop and buck around the horse show. But Amedeo was able to contain himself well beyond what I had hoped,” she said. He even weathered the onslaught of being on display. The public can wander through the various barns and paddocks at the Stock Show in close proximity to the animals housed there. Julia said that commotion left her horse a bit anxious his first day in the ring but he adapted to the routine and there weren’t any lingering effects for the rest of the show.
The horse wasn’t the only one who was nervous. Julia had to deal with some butterflies of her own. “I would remain calm until right before the class, and I would tell my trainer (Jill Pelzel) I was nervous. But as soon I got in the ring it was like walking, and I was calm.”
That they didn’t place in any of their classes didn’t faze Julia. She took a ‘bigger picture’ approach in evaluating their performance. “I am pleased with our rounds due to Amedeo’s attitude. He never thought about not going over a jump and was able to perform what was asked. From this experience I can tell what we need to improve on and what he has already mastered.”
Julia’s already has sights set on their next competition. It’s another week-long A-Rated show, but this time it’ll be in Arizona at the Scottsdale Spring Classic. “This will be my first show with my own horse out-of-state,” she said. Last spring she competed in the Interscholastic Equestrian Association equitation finals in Massachusetts. “This show will probably have the same feeling as NWSS without as many exhibitors. We will hopefully have the same luck,” she said.
