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Kristen Glover Galyean and her horse, Lucy, made American Quarter Horse history because of their relationship, not just their ride. Article Ali Barnes | Photography ImpulsePhotographyMB.com
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ost Tulsans are familiar with Kristen Glover as the spokesperson and commercial star for Jim Glover Chevrolet, where her “Dad’ll Do It.” While she is greatly involved in the marketing and customer relations of the family-owned business, Kristen is nationally renowned for a more natural HORSEpower. Kristen shows quarter horses: competing nationally in Western Pleasure riding, which evaluates the smoothness of a horse’s gait and response to the rider, and Western Riding, which focuses more on the effortless lead changing and natural mannerisms of the horse. Her horse Vital Signs Are Good won 27 All-American Quarter Horse Congress events, both amateur and professional, throughout their reign. They won the 14
Tulsa Lifestyle | October 2014
American Quarter Horse Association World Show nine times and Kristen was awarded All-Around accolades. Experts agree that Vital Signs is the greatest Pleasure horse of all time. But Kristen is far from the princess who just shows up, holds on, and smiles. As she puts it, “I could’ve paid another trainer to prepare her, but I enjoyed the journey getting
there. The championships and ribbons are great, but I cherish all the work.” Kristen fell in love with horses at a very young age. At four years old, she couldn’t wait for her dad to get home from his dealership, because they’d spend their evenings together in the barn. That Christmas, Santa brought Kristen a pony (really!) and from that moment on, she was obsessed, spending as much time as possible with her pet. She later trained and showed quarter horses in 4H competitions. The hours learning the craft from trainer Jackie Krshka (Yukon, Okla.) and the thrill of competition gripped her, and at the young age of 11, Kristen won her first Congress, the largest quarter horse show in the world, held in Columbus, Ohio. She sold continued >