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ike many horse enthusiasts, my love for horses began at a young age. As a boy, I looked forward to visiting my grandpa’s house where I would have the chance to be around his ponies and ride in their cart. Although the rest of my family did not share my love of horses, in time they began to realize it was not just a phase, but rather only the beginning of what would become a lifelong passion. I was ten years old when my childhood dreams came true, and my parents bought me my first pony, who I named Misty. She was a spunky little mare and I had no clue what I was doing. We had a bit of a rocky start, but I loved her anyway. Despite not having any interest in horses, my father was so supportive of what was important to me that he set up a pasture in our backyard, and even built a barn. In 2010, when I was just fifteen years old, he lost his long battle with cancer. I’m forever grateful for the sacrifices he made that helped me discover my passion for the animals that would shape my life. I honestly don’t know that I would be the person that I am today, with the opportunities that I have now, if it weren’t for my dad taking that chance and giving me that opportunity. A month after his passing, I bought my first Quarter horse. Zip was a beautiful bay ten-year-old AQHA mare who turned out to be just the therapy that I needed during such a trying time in my life. I spent so much time with her, and she was the perfect horse for me to learn with. She was always kindhearted and forgiving of all my mistakes. Zip gave me the confidence to start showing in local open Western Pleasure
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afford to spend a lot of money on sending him to a trainer. I was going to have to put in all the work myself and learn alongside him, which in turn I found to be so much more fulfilling and rewarding. I would watch various training DVDs and then would go out and try things with Rio until I figured out what worked for us. Reining wasn’t my only interest. I was also fascinated with liberty work. As a young boy, I would read horse books with my mother, and would dream of someday having my own horse and being able to call to him in the pasture and have him come running to meet me, Photo by Lori Spellman Photography just like they did in the stories. While this usually wasn’t the case, in reality, it didn’t stop me from seeking out such a connection. Early on, I didn’t even know what liberty work was but I knew that I wanted my horses to want to be with me just as much as I wanted to be by Luke Gingerich with them. However, I had no and Trail classes, introducing little gelding would change the idea how to even begin learning liberty work. me to the competitive world of course of my life. In 2015, that changed when horse showing. Rio was the first horse that I Not long afterwards, my had started and trained myself. I had the opportunity to meet uncle asked me to gentle a He was not straightforward like Road To The Horse Wild Card competitor, James Cooler. Not weanling that he had bred. In Zip had been. He was quirky, exchange, he offered to give me sensitive, almost too smart for only did I love seeing the liberty work he did with his horses, a share of the profits when the his own good, and not afraid but I also appreciated the fact colt was sold as a two-year-old. to express his opinion. All of that he did performance riding The young bay gelding, who this forced me to improve my as well, as it was difficult to we called Rio, wasn’t much to horsemanship. Today, looking find a trainer with the abilities look at even as he grew into a back at the beginning of our to focus on both areas. I knew I scrawny two-year-old, nor was journey together, I’m glad he he even sound. He had come made me work for it, as I would wanted to learn from him, but I lived in Ohio and, at that time, up lame from the pasture one not be the horseman that I am he was based all the way down day for unknown reasons. I now had he not challenged me in South Carolina. So that sumhad become attached to him the way he did. mer, I decided to make the long and, despite the risk, I decidFortunately, after having haul down to James’ farm on ed that there was something the winter off, in the spring special about this horse and Rio came back fully sound and Hilton Head Island, with Rio in tow, and we spent a week trainthat I could not let him go. we went back to work. I was ing with him. Watching James So, in the fall, I decided to buy interested in trying the discihim myself. At the time, I had pline of reining with him, as he and his wife, Kate, achieving such softness and willingness no idea just how much this was bred for it, but I couldn’t
Born for This The Story of Luke Gingerich