Most everyone in the horse show world knows Jim Lowe of Lowe Show Horse Centre and his branded group of youth and adult amateurs known as the Lowe Riders. Jim has been training, showing and breeding Arabians since the early 70’s and obtained his judge’s card in 1980 at the ripe age of 22. Through the years, you’ve seen him at horse shows, in advertisements, articles, books, calendars and such. He’s known and respected by many even outside of the Arabian horse circle. For one reason, because he’s been around since dinosaurs roamed the earth but mostly because he’s just a likable guy. He’s first in line if ever someone calls for help, he’s honest almost to a fault, never has an ill word to say about anyone (even if it’s warranted), he can make you laugh to the point were you think you might piddle your pants and he’s the hardest working man I’ve ever known. So here’s what you might not know about Jim Lowe.

If you asked him over 11 years ago when we first met if he envisioned his future with children, he would have likely said, “No, I really don’t think so.” And if you asked him if he would be a father of four (with a newborn at age 51), he would have said, “Definitely not.” But hearts and minds change, and he’s now the most adoring father of four children who look amazingly more like him than me. (I look like the adopted one in the family.) Slayde is 6, Diesel is 4, Arista is 3 and Venzia is 15 months. Even with almost 30 years of Regional and National Championships on his resume, Jim would consider his children to be his greatest accomplishments in life. For him, there’s no accolades equal to or greater than his family.

I do on occasion take part of the credit in all of this as I had always envisioned having a large family. He knew my intentions from day one … that was part of the deal if this was to be a forever thing. So, life happened and it’s been Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride ever since.

We’ve lived in California for most of our lives.
Jim was a Michigan transplant when he was in his twenties and I’m a home grown California native.
In 2002, we purchased an equestrian facility just north of Los Angeles. It was a foreclosure property (so it was pretty much a mess) but it had great bones, a huge barn and was rich with history. Our property was once owned by Hollywood socialite and actress Zsa Zsa Gabor, who used it as her city escape. Her retreat home became our very small main residence — a 1940’s concrete block house with no air, no heat and we shared a bedroom with our children. There were five of us in one room at the time we finished building our new home in 2008.

Our property is also 20 acres West of the old Binglin Stable established by Bing Crosby and Lindsay Howard (son of Charles Howard, owner of Seabiscuit), and it’s rumored that Seabiscuit is buried there. We’ve spent the last 8 years bleeding, sweating and crying while transforming a run-down ranch into a horse and man’s paradise. We are very proud … proud and immensely blessed.

Our association with Show Season is actually two-fold. Jim’s first purchase was a teal colored Western shirt that is immortalized in his 1985 U.S. National Champion Western Pleasure photograph. It was his first National Championship and a moment that rings as being highly memorable, not only for Jim but for the spectators who witnessed an overly excited 27-year-old. (If you were there, you know exactly what I’m speaking of.) He has counted on Show Season and one of our dearest friends Melissa Holmes, to suit him up in styles that are current and professional but which always express the little bit of rebel in him. They have been the place we go to year after year, not only for their unparalleled experience and service, but because their suits are simply superior in quality. For a professional, when you exhibit in as many as 20 classes at any given show, it’s got to hold up and still look good for the next 20 and beyond.

I met the staff of Show Season while helping put together a few of his suits which lead to my own association with them. I own a graphic design and marketing business and I produce the Show Season advertisements as well as the monthly Show Season Buzz.
I’m not a “horse girl” but I’m very much a part of the horse world. While Show Season
is busy making my husband look good in the show ring, I’m busy making Show Season look good in print.

It’s been our personal connections and friendships with the people in this business which have kept us both “employed” and have turned employment positions into fulfillments of our passions. We are all connected by the amazing horses that ask so little of us and give us so much in return. They have become the introductions to treasured, life-long relationships. And while the show seasons can be long and hard on a marriage and family life, we continue this journey because life without the horses and the people involved with them, would simply feel incomplete.”

SHOWING AT NATIONALS?
It’s a few short weeks before U.S. Nationals. Time to try on all your show clothing for repairs and alterations so we can get the necessary items repaired before we leave.  SHOW SEASON will have limited availability for on-site alterations during the show.
To avoid disappointment, give us a call and get your clothing to us no later than October 1.

VACATION TIME AT SHOW SEASON
Time for the SHOW SEASON staff to re-charge our batteries now that the Canadian Nationals has wrapped and school is starting. Our breathing time will be
August 27 — September 6. We will be back to hit it hard on Tuesday the 7th.
Give us a call as our design minds will be refreshed!

Share your photos with our facebook fans
Have you joined our 5,200+ fans on FACEBOOK? Post your show pictures on our SHOW SEASON fan page and tell us about your 2010 Show Season!  Go to 192.185.154.251/~showseas and click on the FACEBOOK icon to become a fan and post your favorite photos.

A safe journey to everyone as you travel this great country!

“The way you get meaning into your life is to devote yourself to loving others, devote yourself to your community around you, and devote yourself to creating something that gives you purpose and meaning.” — Earl Nightingale

“In my seventeen years, I have come to the conclusion that passion is what keeps our lives in motion. I have been around horses all of those seventeen years as well, and I believe that it has introduced me to some of the most passionate people in the world. It is a passion for the beauty, the competition, the community, and the unprejudiced love that horses give. From little Perry Heathcott to Mr. Bob Battaglia, everyone has a story to tell about a horse, which makes it impossible to imagine a life with out them. This single passion that we all share is what brings us together, and not only can I not imagine a world without the horses, but without the people that accompany them.

“Sometimes I think to myself, where would I be if there weren’t horses? Well to be honest, I probably wouldn’t even exist! All the people who I have known since I was born would not be in my life. These people are my family, whether they are related or not. I have so many people that I love and care about within this community that I can’t find any other word to describe them.

“I began riding soon after I could walk — just ponies and such — but I definitely felt that equestrian ardor since the beginning. At age four, I began riding western with Miss Crystal McNutt, and couldn’t get enough of it. At five, I showed for the first time in my little red western outfit (Show Season attire of course!) and I immensely enjoyed having an audience. This began my love for the competition our industry presents.

“Once I began riding English, there was no turning back. I remember at age six, getting up before school to take lessons with “Uncle” Jim Lowe on a little mare named Bailey. I also have had many halter opportunities with my dad (Terry Holmes), and even though I understand first-hand the meaning of the quote ‘The blacksmith’s horse and the cobbler’s child are always the last to have shoes,’ I still love it. With all the last minute lessons, it is a good thing my dad is great at what he does! And with Meliss and the girls at Show Season always so busy designing such beautiful clothes, I’m always getting fitted and picking out fabrics at the eleventh-hour. Thank goodness Show Season only makes the best!

“My first English class was in Walk/Trot English Pleasure at Scottsdale. There was no stopping me after that, and Peter and Susan Witte taught me for many of those first years. I won my first National title with them — National Reserve Champion Half-Arabian Country Pleasure Walk/Trot on Fairre Warning. Since then, I have had the opportunity to ride with so many people, and so many great horses. So far, throughout my showing career, I’ve earned multiple National Championships, Reserves, and Top Tens in Country Pleasure, Halter, Costume, Saddle Seat, Show Hack, and Hunter Pleasure. Besides those I have already mentioned, these are some of the other incredible teachers I have had: Bob Battaglia, Jeff Lovejoy, Mike Lamb, Kevin Price, Rob and Caralyn Bick, and David and Lori Mikosz. I would also like to say how grateful I am for the generosity everyone has shown me, whether it was taking the time to give me a lesson, allowing me to ride one of their horses, and everything in between! I know that I am extremely lucky for all of the amazing experiences I have had, and am thankful for all of them. I would especially like to thank Sharon Chauncey for letting me ride TC Matador again this year, and Bob and Jeff for all the amazing work they’ve done.

“To the horses, I am grateful not only for their general being, but for the people they have brought into my life. I have more aunts and uncles than anyone else in this world, considering all of my parent’s closest friends are like family. All of my dearest friendships began with horses, and they are the people I know will always be my friends, regardless of the outcome of our classes. Once again, it is that passion that draws us together and started all those bonds that grew into friendships.

“People become united with a shared love for something. Horses are our something. We all understand that passion I have been talking about. For those who experience it should feel blessed — blessed because of the love given by the horses, and the love given to each other because of the horses. I know it is what I live for, and everyday I am thankful for my passion for horses.”

The powerful life lessons learned from growing up with horses resonate on a level beyond the show ring.  This month’s featured client – BrookMarie Jarvis – shares how her horses have taught her more than just the art of riding and showing.

“My story with horses began before I was even born.  With my mother as the president of an equine insurance agency and my father being a top breeder of Arabians and Saddlebreds, it was in my pedigree to be involved with horses.  I was immersed in the horse industry from the very start, atending my first Buckeye at the ripe age of three months.  Although my mother attempted to get me into piano and dance rather than the horses, I knew where my loyalties were…the Arabian horse.  Through the years, I have stuck wit the horses and after 14 years of showing, I will be competing in my very last Youth Nationals this year.

“There were many people who made this a passion for me:  my mother, Kimberly Jarvis, being my backbone (and bank); my aunt, Sandy Jarvis Vesty, being my own personal cheerleader (who has never missed one of my classes); my uncle, Stuart Vesty being my personal photographer and surrogate father; and my grandmother, Patricia Jarvis, who has influenced me the most in my horse showing career.  Additionally, Cindy DeNapoli, Russ Vento, and Miss Lollie Ames have contributed to my passion for the horses.

“There are also those people who have helped me get to where I am other than my family and friends.  My mentors – Jo and Ralph Brown – in my early years of Walk/Trot Western and Hunt and my current mentors at Stachowski Farm – James and Peter Stachowski and Sharon Bledinger.  And who could forget the most amazing “Miss Melis” from Show Season who has made EVERY single one of my riding suits from English to Western and Hunt!  It has become a yearly ritual that one afternoon, we escape the blistering sun at the Scottsdale horse show and see Miss Melis for a fitting and the picking of the new suit for that up-coming show season.

“Something that has been unique for me is the fact that my horses have not only become my friends, companions, or my expensive hobbies, but the yhave also become my teachers.  One of my horses in particular has been my teacher not only in the show ring, but also in life lessons.

“I believe in the way she lives her life.  I admire her glee in the simplest of things.  She approaches the arena for a workout like the in-gate of the show ring – with ambitions of reaching her full potential.   While I struggle to wake up and show enthusiasm, she dances around the arena as I try to mount her to begin the athletic workout I have planned for the day.

“I believe in her equal views towards all people.  She never judges or dehumanizes anyone.  She taught me that when walking down the street, I have no right to shy from anyone that looks different from me.  She taught me to approach all people with no expectations.  She taught me this because she does not stop and look at anyone before we enter the show ring, and she does not refuse anyone to her back.  She allows everyone an equal chance and an equal opportunity for greatness.

“Before she graced my life, no one ever depended on me.  She changed me.  She depended on me to do all the right things, cue her to take the correct lead, and sit long enough to come up on the correct diagonal for the final trot around the ring.  I have become her captain, her director.  Pheobe Afire depended on me, as I depended on her to do the right thing.  While I realized that I could meet her needs, I also realized that she met mine.

“I believe that we learn more from others than we learn from stuffing our noses in textbooks.  Some of us stuff our noses in manure, like Pheobe, but apparently there is a lot to learn there.  I’ve learned that we all need to be open and willing to learn, and yes, even if that means learning from a horse.

“The horses have become such an important part of my life that I chose to show at the Buckeye horse show rather than walk and participate in my high school graduation festivities.  And in hindsight, I picked the right place to be!  For me, the horses have helped me through the hardest of times and have defined who I am today.  And the people who I have met in the horse industry have been the people who I’ve always been able to depend upon for anything.  My heart is with the horses and it will always remain there.”  – BrookeMarie Jarvis

It’s amazing what you find out when everyone is gathered in the booth selecting their clothing for the next show season.  The Scottsdale Show provided a glimpse into the life of the Boylan family – Colleen, Annie, Vicki and Aunt Nikki.  They not only show horses, but they are a family that shows the world the grace kindness and therapeutic nature of the Arabian horse, putting their retired show horses back in the ring for a totally different job – therapeutic riding.

HORSES HELPING OTHERS TO FLY – HOOF BY HOOF

Wings and Hooves Therapeutic Riding, Inc., a young nonprofit in East Kingtson, NH, aims to enhance the lives of individuals with physical, emotional and developmental challenges by building confidence through equine- assisted activities and partnerships.  Wings and Hooves assists with therapeutic riding, providing the North American Riding for the Handicapped Association (NARHA) certified instructors at no cost to the participants and their families.

Wings and Hooves relies on the kind generosity of enthusiastic volunteers and donors.  Founded by Karen Cunea, a former competitor on the Arabian Horse Association show circuit, Wings and Hooves is the result of Cuneo’s lifetime medical battle with lupus and a desire to give back tho the community.  The time spent with her horses and the “magic” they provided, gave Cuneo the inspiration to start Wings and Hooves.

Wings and Hooves is not only a safe and fun alternative therapy for individuals with a variety of challenges, it’s a place where very experienced and talented horses receive a second chance.  The program uses retired show horses as the program’s therapeutic mounts, noting a renewed sense of self-worth and energy among the horses working for the program.  The majority of the employed equines are former Arabian and Half-Arabian superstars, including purebred English Pleasure multi-champion, Mr. Wise Guy, and Youth National Reserve Champion Half-Arabian Hunter Pleasure, Memory Maker.  The “retired” horses are not only given a new job after their impressive careers come to an end, but they are also involved in re-connecting with new riders.  The horses’ new responsibilities are lofty, but the gifted animals embrace their new jobs enthusiastically and seriously.

Many of the volunteers and individuals responsible for Wings and Hooves’ development are currently involved in the Arabian horse community.  Aside from Karen, who teaches many of the lessons and oversees the volunteer lesson instructors, Karen’s daughter, Kristen Cuneo, is integral in assisting with the lessons and volunteer training.  Kristen is no stranger to the Arabian horse show circuit and enters her amateur career this year with many regional and national honors.

Colleen Boylan, wings and Hooves’ Executive Director is excited to be part of the program and looks forward to its future, as well as the opportunity to showcase the versatility of the Arabian horse.  Riding since age 7, her first horse Napolia, holds a special place in her heart.  She says, “there are no other men in my life who can compare to my Half-Arabian gelding, Johnny Rocket.”  She confesses to hiding her jeans under her bed after riding lessons when she first started, just so her mother couldn’t wash the horse smell off of them.  Now, she works for Wings and Hooves with an office “in the barn where I get to smell like a horse every day.”  After the 2009 U.S. Nationals, Colleen was wearing roses to the barn for her win in Half-Arabian Amateur Park.  She is no stranger to the winner’s circle, having captured 2 Canadian Reserve Championships and multiple Top Tens.

Colleen’s sister, Annie Boylan, also an active AHA competitor, volunteers and recruits for the therapeutic program.  She began riding at 4 just to keep up with big sister Colleen.  Besides her achievements in the ring, Annie plays Division 1 lacrosse at the college of the Holy Cross.  She has an equally impressive show record starting with Reserve Champion Hunter Pleasure 13 and under and Canadian National Champion Hunter Pleasure 14-17, along with multiple top Tens in Park, Costume and Equitation.

Mother Vicki Boylan, assists with volunteer training and special event planning for Wings and Hooves.  Speaking of her daughters great riding accomplishments, Vickie continues, “Of course, part of their success is in their clothes.  If you look god, you do well with the confidence it gives you.  I have Melissa and Patti to thank for that.  People stop me in the aisles and in the show rings to ask where I dress my girls and I can’t tell them how many times Annie was stopped at Canadian Nationals so people could admire her brown tux.  I tell them Show Season … where else!

WINGS AND HOOVES THERAPEUTIC RIDING, INC.
HELPING OTHERS TO FLY — HOOF BY HOOF

PO Box 336, East Kingston, NH 03827
Phone (603) 642-3722 – Fax (603) 642-3707 – riding@wingsandhooves.org
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