Extraordinary would sum up this month’s featured client, Nicci Reeder Waldschmidt and her accomplished ring companions. Enjoy reading about a few of her favorite and most memorable things.
Multi-National Champion JKF MacGregor — “Every day I refer to him as the Best Horse in the World. This horse will literally do anything that he is asked to do. He has taken me to the National’s winner’s circle (Champion or Reserve) for 7 consecutive years and in 3 different disciplines – English Pleasure AAOTR, Pleasure Driving AOTR and Show Hack AAOTR. He has won a total of 7 National Championships, 5 Reserves and has loved every minute of it! We will be taking on Side Saddle this year.”
Memories – “It’s really hard to choose a favorite show ring moment, but this past U.S. Nationals was just beyond belief. My finals with MacGregor and SA Rapid Fire were just two classes apart from each other. MacGregor and I had just won the Show Hack AAOTR when I had to quickly dismount and race back to the stalls to change for my next class. I didn’t even get the chance to give Mac his carrots, let alone realize what we had just done. It was pouring rain and muddy everywhere! I got back just in time to hop on Rapid Fire and enter the ring. We then won the Half-Arabian English Pleasure AAOTR 18-39! It wasn’t until I was back at the stalls, with a margarita in hand, that it finally hit me what had just happened. What an incredible afternoon!”
Clothes – “Someone once said to me that I show horses just so I can wear the clothes. That is not really true, but I put a lot of thought and preparation into what I wear every single time I go into the show ring. I bought my first show Season suit in 1988 and just purchased a new suit this year; that’s 22 years worth of wear! I’ve never doubted that my Show Season clothes have helped me achieve a complete presentation on our horses.”
Downtime – “Spare time is spent with my family, especially Haley, our 4-year-old daughter. She loves riding her pony, Colby, going to swim lessons, and we are adding soccer this summer. I also love to cook huge meals from scratch with my mom.”
Success – “We’ve come such a long way! We started out in central Illinois with just a few Arabians and Quarter Horses of our own, managed a boarding stable and showed in 4-H. Now we have our breeding program, Stargate Arabians, in Kentucky and are fortunate to show multiple National Champions! All along, this has been done as a family, with my parents Gerry and Loretta Reeder.”