We Ride Sport and Trail Magazine September 2016 | Page 36

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GotCHA

American Horsemen Challenge

Association Texas Affiliate

By KAREN LARUE

In November of 2014 I was privileged to have the opportunity to assist in building the Gulf Coast Horsemanship Association (GCHA,) or GotCHA as we like to call it.

When my friend, Shelly Sylvester, told me that she wanted to start an affiliate to the American Horsemen Challenge Association I was very excited. I am not sure why, because, did I have any idea what riding obstacles on a horse was all about? A Big Fat “NO”. But it sounded like fun.

And off we went, or I should say, off Shelly went, to tackle all the items on her list; Find a venue, Build some obstacles, Enlist some help from her horse loving friends. And, with the help of Rhonda Lebbin, I developed a flyer and the paperwork we needed to host a Challenge Event.

Shelly started out by giving full day horsemanship clinics, where we learned and practiced our skills in the morning and had makeshift challenge events in the afternoon. And then our first real event. Blue tarps on the ground, a teeter totter, a mailbox, a piece of plywood with a black circle painted on it; a couple of barrels, just to name a few of the 13 obstacles necessary.

That first event was definitely a learning experience. But, month-by-month we progressed. At first, Shelly had to foot the bill for most of our expenses; ribbons, concession food and rental of the arena or pasture where we held our events. There were event days when it rained and we hoped against hope that anyone would show up at all. Then there were the days that were sunny and beautiful and many riders came and conquered the obstacles.

As the months passed, a bond, a family of sorts, had begun to form. These were wonderful folks that encouraged each other, helped each other, and became friends. The competitive spirit was there, but there was also something else… the love of horses, the camaraderie of people with like-minded ideals and values, the good-natured bantering by those competing against each other. I have never seen anything like it. Some folks just came to hang out with us, to watch and have a good time.