by MARY KIRKMAN On Sunday night, February 25, 2018, at the APAHA Awards Dinner,
To be nominated for an APAHA Award, one must be a leading show
the organization confirmed what anyone who pays attention in the
ring contender, and in the competitive Arabian world, that usually
breed has known for a long time: Rob Bick and Caralyn Schroter, of
means a professional trainer specializes in one discipline. Bick and
RBC Show Horses, are consummate horsemen. The pair, who have
Schroter defy that stereotype; since the early 1990s, they have ranged
been training partners since 1992 and married since 1994, were
near the top of just about every main ring
honored as 2017 Horseman and Horsewoman of the Year.
division except working western and jumping, which require space and equipment that their Smithfield, N.C., farm
And that wasn’t all. Rob also nailed
does not accommodate. English, country, driving,
Professional Western Horseman; Grant Krohn,
western, hunter,
assistant trainer at RBC for five years, was
halter—they do it all, as well as develop young
named 2017 Professional Halter Trainer of
horses. That’s right: not just performance, but
the Year; long-term clients Frank and Sara
halter as well. At the national level. Successfully.
Chisholm, of Palmetto Arabians, were inducted into the Hall of Fame as Breeders; and the
“It’s like an athlete that plays a lot of sports and
Chisholms’ beloved senior sire, the late Sun-
is really good at all of them, versus those that
dance Kid V, was cited as 2017 Overall Leading
concentrate on one thing,” Chisholm explains.
Sire. His purchase, Frank Chisholm states
“Those that put all their effort into one discipline
definitely, would not have happened without
are probably going to be more dominant in it than
the aid of Rob Bick.
someone who tries to do it all.”
Given Bick and Schroter’s record of accomplishment, it’s fair to
Bick and Schroter didn’t set out with a game plan to remain diverse, but
wonder why their trophy case isn’t stacked with awards like this
at this point, they wouldn’t have it any other way. As Bick celebrates
(previous, and frequent, APAHA nominations netted only two titles,
his 36th year in the breed and Schroter nears three decades, they agree
Schroter as 2003 Western Pleasure Female Trainer and Bick as 2014
that it has preserved their business and their sanity.
Horseman of the Year). Those who know the couple observe that the truest reason they are uniquely qualified as “Horseman” and “Horsewoman” is also why the awards have been elusive.
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photos: Schatzberg, Kamm, King Ar abian Horse Times | 127 | Volume 48, No. 9, Issue #4
Much of their success today traces to their early history in the breed. Caralyn, a native of Edmonton, Alberta, invested time in top organizations, while Rob, who was born in Montana but acquired much of his Arabian education in California, circulated among some of the most skilled horsemen in the business. From Murrell Lacey, he learned how to start a horse, and from Ray LaCroix, how to put on an elegant finish. (LaCroix also polished his riding skills; after growing up a self-taught bareback rider, Bick had spent his early professional years in halter). At the same time, he absorbed critical pedigree knowledge during the breed’s golden 1980s, observing firsthand the rising young stallion *Padron and his rival, SR Nadom; working with Glen Wilson, who selected Bey Shah, and at Nicasio Valley, where the stallion stood; assisting Dick Adams, who was developing Fame VF; and now and then opening his own operation. He and Caralyn met when he was transitioning from LaCroix’s operation to his own place; Ray hired her to replace him. Schroter, meanwhile, had a sound background herself, starting in Canada with Pam Zimmerman and then signing on with Mike Whelihan at Pinnacle Arabians during the era of landmark English stallion Zodiac Matador. By the time Rob hired Caralyn away from LaCroix in 1992, they both had a world of experience, and when the economics got thin here and there, their ability to work in a variety of divisions paid the bills. But it was more than that. “I don’t think I could do just one discipline,” Rob says. “I’m a little ADD—I have to kind of go from one to the other. It helps to stay fresh.” “It’s the challenge of changing balance, mindset, everything, from the different disciplines,” Caralyn, the more cerebral of the two, reflects. “One of the biggest joys I have at a horse show is being able to walk into the reining pen and have friends, and then to school horses at night with the English guys, and then with the hunter people and the western people, and then go hang out with the halter people. I think it’s an advantage to have an open mind and always be willing to learn, to go to others and learn. It keeps me interested and challenged all the time.” That said, it doesn’t explain how their barn breaks down from year to year in talent. Some years, English horses dominate, while others, western or hunter contenders are ascendant. Their roster of champions over the year is eclectic, too numerous for a definitive list, but a
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sampling would include, in western pleasure, U.S. National Champion Junior Horse May Dancer V, as well as national titlists PA Kid Khan and Possesion PGA, who have gone on to become significant sires; in English, DA Trinidad; and in country, Beyberry Fyre. In halter, during a definitive decade at Dolorosa Arabians (how they landed in North Carolina in 1996), Rob started multi-national champion Afire Storrm and showed the mega-sire DA Valentino as a yearling. Some of Caralyn’s favorites are national champions CBS Top Dog (western), PA Lucchese Always (hunter pleasure), and Steel Strike (English, costume), as well as national reserve champion CP Neon Riot (country and driving). And BP Meditation Bey will always be special. Rob led her to a U.S. National Top Ten in Futurity Fillies, and Caralyn added U.S. and Canadian National Top Tens in Hunter Pleasure Junior Horse before the mare went on to become a foundation producer in the Palmetto Arabians program.
“One of the biggest joys I have at a horse show is being able to walk into the reining pen and have friends, and then to school horses at night with the English guys, and then with the hunter people and the western people, and then go hang out with the halter people. I think it’s an advantage to have an open mind and always be willing to learn, to go to others and learn. It keeps me interested and challenged all the time.” ~ Caralyn Schroter
Although it is not common for trainers to score so well across the board, many horsemen would welcome the opportunity to train a wide variety of contenders; the trouble is that once they make a name in one division, they often are typecast there. Bick and Schroter avoided that primarily by nurturing strong relationships with their clients, many of whom breed Arabians—very good youngsters, pedigreed for different skills, that they start at RBC Show Horses. “Rob and Caralyn have had breeders that are loyal to them,” Grant Krohn says. “Having breeders who trust you as a trainer, and as someone who can look at their program to help them get better, is part of it. Rob is one of the best breeders I know, and his eye for an Arabian horse and his honesty are what I think has kept people coming back to him. [For instance], Frank and Sara Chisholm breed western horses, and there have been others that bred English horses, so Rob and Caralyn were able to sell good horses to [other] clients in their barn and keep many of the best ones in their care.” Frank Chisholm, who was just getting into the business when he met the couple during their Dolorosa years, agrees. “Palmetto Arabians wouldn’t be here without them,” he says succinctly. “They were good assessors of bloodlines and helped me identify good mares.
Caralyn and Multi-National Champion Steel Strike
continued
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[At the awards dinner], I was sitting there thinking, ‘Here we are going into the Hall of Fame as breeders, and the people primarily responsible for it are sitting here at the table with us.’ Pretty much everything I’ve done as a breeder I’ve bounced off Rob and Caralyn.” He remembers the early days of their association at Dolorosa. “They’d sit down and talk about lines and breeding and this and that, and that’s what I was thirsty for—learning more about what I was getting into. If you talked about a horse, Rob had either ridden it or its parents. He had some knowledge about every major horse in the business, and he was someone I could trust.”
Caralyn and Multi-National Champion PA Lucchese Always
That’s just the business end. The real spirit of the operation is the Frank and Sara were not the only ones to feel that way. In 2007, when
character and style of Rob and Caralyn. Clients say that it’s not just
Dolorosa took a breather from the business and Bick and Schroter
the winning at Nationals that keeps them there; it’s the education
founded RBC Show Horses, many of their customers came with them.
that is available. Bick and Schroter are known for their ability to communicate—and while they are individually excellent as instructors,
Over the years, they have discovered other benefits to having so many
when they work jointly with a horse-and-rider team, they can be
avenues for their show ring prospects. As horses, especially young ones,
downright entertaining. It’s hard for an amateur not to learn.
come in for training, they have a selection of pursuits open to them; their talent and suitability dictate the decision. As well, as old stalwart
Their priority, customers say, is not just teaching amateurs to compete.
contenders (or their human partners) change or age through a disci-
It’s teaching them to be horse people, to improve how they relate with
pline, they can easily find another and continue to be competitive and
their horses. Goals far exceed show ribbons, and even decades into
enjoy their involvement. “It keeps their clients engaged,” Chisholm
their profession, Rob and Caralyn continue to examine what they do,
says. “It’s a huge asset to them.”
charting their own growth.
“I have spent a lot of time the last few years working on listening to what my horse says to me,” Caralyn offers, “and listening and watching the people who ride the horses. I feel that I have the ability to translate into words what I need to have a person do.” One experience from Scottsdale illustrates her enjoyment of thinking creatively. She uses ear pieces to instruct some riders, and this time she added music from her iPod. “I said, ‘I need you to listen to the rhythm of this singer’s voice—not the music, but the rhythm—and I want you to soften your body and move to this rhythm.’ And she did and it was awesome. It’s the little things like that, finding out what helps the person to trust themselves, tone down the voices in their head. It’s fun—it’s so fun. Rob and 2017 AWPA National Champion PA Maya
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“Rob and Caralyn have had breeders be loyal to them. Having breeders who trust you as a trainer, and as someone who they can look at their program to help them get better, is part of it. Rob is one of the best breeders I know, and his eye for an Arabian horse and his honesty are what I think has kept people coming back to him.” ~ Grant Krohn
Rob and PA Kid Khan
“It comes down to the individual horse and helping it be the best it can
horses, the ability, the clientele—they bring me better horses and that
be,” she continues. “Physically is a consideration, but to work with a
makes it easier. Great horses make you look really great.”
horse on the learning process and go through the hang-ups they come with is an interesting gig. Had I gone to school, I probably would have
It was especially appropriate this year that the Chisholms, who had been
been a teacher.”
with RBC from the beginning, and Grant Krohn, an integral player for the past five years, were part of that over-the-top Sunday evening.
For Rob, the perspective now is different from his earlier years. In the old days, he says, he was driven to prove himself by succeeding in the ring.
One of the greatest compliments to Bick and Schroter is that Krohn, who
“Now, it’s more about showing off a horse that I have ‘created.’” The filly
left after the 2017 U.S. Nationals to open his own operation, is aiming
PA Maya, who at the 2017 U.S. Nationals was named Champion in the
for the kind of career they have. The son of Blake and Genna Krohn
$100,000 AWPA Western Pleasure Futurity, is a good example.
and brother to trainer Jason Krohn, he has the skills to train in multiple divisions and that is his goal. “What I enjoyed the most about Rob and
“It was a year-long project of me and her getting along, and my figuring
Caralyn was how good they were at training every discipline of horse,”
out how to show her to people,” he says. “She was fairly sensitive. I
he says. “When I went there, I didn’t know how exceptional they were—
enjoyed the challenge—it was more just about showing her off to
there was a wealth of knowledge that I was not expecting.”
people than winning.” As with the RBC clientele, Krohn remains a part of the family. “In Even so, the change in priorities hasn’t diminished his win record. “I
January, Caralyn called and needed extra help for Scottsdale,” he grins.
think they’re winning more, but it’s because I’ve had the opportunity to
“I had one horse I wanted to take, so basically, the first show I went to
have better horses,” he says candidly. “I’ve been fortunate to have the
on my own, I was there with Rob and Caralyn.”
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continued
The awards in February were well-deserved, Bick and Schroter’s industry-wide associates agree, but what they represent resonates far beyond one evening, or even two careers. What has made RBC Show Horses so formidable has benefited not just the trainers and their clients; they illustrate, Chisholm points out, a recipe for the future of the Arabian breed. “Rob and Caralyn are totally dedicated to the Arabian horse,” he maintains. “They have a passion for it that translates through to clients. When you go up there on weekends and you see them with 20 clients, and they’re giving riding lessons to 20-25 people on Friday and then another 25 on Saturday, you’re like, ‘holy cow.’ I want to say, ‘thank you for being so patient and so willing to give of yourself like that.’ [In their barn], there are so many personalities, so many levels of ability, and they have patience with all of them. Within months, they can have the newcomers in a class A show, showing with a lot of confidence.” That may be the essence of Bick and Schroter, but no discussion of them is complete without a comment on their personalities. Sure, Rob is the extreme extrovert, while Caralyn is the more organized, analytical one—but they share a rapport that allows them to thrive on 24/seven contact. A few weeks after the awards dinner, they were still flying high, demonstrating the goofy chemistry that grounds their relationship. Knocking the top out of the Arabian horse Oscars? Rob: “That was a kite ride!” Caralyn: “I’m Canadian; we never had proms in Canada—but it felt like Rob and I were the king and queen of the prom!” Seriously, Frank Chisholm says it best. “They love the Arabian horse, Caralyn and Multi-National Champion Possesion PGA
and they not only get people in, they have a waiting list. They’re the future of the breed.” v
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I could never thank you enough for all of your support and guidance over the past twelve years. I feel so fortunate to have you both in my life. Congratulations on your much deserved awards! Love, Maggie Maggie Barker, Smithfield, NC
Through the joy, the laughter and the tears I am forever thankful to have you both in my life and proud to be a part of Team RBC!! Congratulations on such a tremendous accomplishment!!! Love, Janie Janie Heslep, Smithfield, NC
No words will ever convey the joy that fills my heart when I look back at the past two years spent with you and Vera. I admire your talent, but most of all, your respect and compassion for my mare. Thank you and God bless!
National Reserve Champion
vera wang
Sundance Kid V x Verset Melessa Jenkins, Salineville, OH
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National Reserve Champion
maarching orders Baske Afire x Marry Me
National Reserve Champion
maximum Love
Delovely WF x Olanda
National Champion
pa maya
Possesion PGA x May Dancer V
Rob and Caralyn, You two have allowed us to achieve lifelong dreams. National wins in Hunter, Show Hack and Western! Your talents are many, but your kindness and every day humor make the journey as enjoyable as the achievements. It is never just about the winning, but sharing Jan’s first national championship at the age of 78, was so priceless!
Janice Colwell & The Harkins Family Kristin, Keith, Kiir, KinkĂŠla, Chillicothe, OH Ar abian Horse Times | 134 | Volume 48, No. 9, Issue #4
Multi-National Champion
cbs top dog+// Baskafix II x Top Kat
National Reserve Champion
pa cassara dancer
Sundance Kid V x Cassandra GA
Multi-National Champion
possesion pga+//
Khadraj NA x RA Po Okela Standing at RBC Show Horses
I have known Rob and Caralyn for 20 years, and have shared many happy moments and a few tears. I owe a lot of who I am in the Arabian world to them. Thanks, guys!
Nan Harley, Newnan, GA
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National Reserve Champion
National Reserve Champion
Phi Slama Jama x NDL Anjelica
Vegaz x Ima Dancer Too
tres kool
cp neon riot
George & Debbie Attwood Alexandria, AL
And the awards go to ... two of the most talented individuals who work so hard on behalf of their clients and their horses. We congratulate you both on this wonderful recognition of your accomplishments!
Melinda Roberts Princeton, NJ
Congratulations, Rob and Caralyn, on your many successes this year. Thank you for your amazing work with PA McKoy, WR Khourageous Cadet and WS Last Call!
National Reserve Champion
pa mckoy
PA Kid Khan x Maggie May V Ar abian Horse Times | 136 | Volume 48, No. 9, Issue #4
National Champion
National Champion
Sundance Kid V x Magdalena V
Possesion PGA x May Dancer V
may dancer v
pa maya
pa kid khan
Sundance Kid V x Kharrea PGA
From the inception of our Arabian horse experience, we’ve enjoyed irreplaceable memories and overwhelming success with the guidance of Rob and Caralyn. Rob was in the saddle of our first National Champion May Dancer V, then again, thirteen years later aboard her Palmetto Arabians bred daughter, PA Maya, winning the AWPA $100,000 Western Pleasure Futurity. Honestly, it was one of the highlights of our career and representative of the relationships between breeders, owners, buyers and riders RBC has. Congratulations on your ever so deserving APAHA Horsemen of the Year Awards!
Frank & Sara Chisholm,Timmonsville, SC | www.PalmettoArabians.com Ar abian Horse Times | 137 | Volume 48, No. 9, Issue #4
er-rhettee
Love Our Dream Team!
Versace x Magnums Aimee
2018 Top Ten Scottsdale Western Pleasure Junior Horse
Congratulations Rob and Caralyn!!! Awards Well Deserved!!
Judy Crisp & Bill Connor Sebring, Florida 863.446.1438 SCID & CA Clear / Standing at RBC Show Horses 919.202.8384
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Multi-National Champion
pa mayhem+/
Possesion PGA x BP Meditation Bey
We have had the honor and privilege of calling Rob and Caralyn our trainers and friends for the past seventeen years. Through highs and lows, the love and excellent care they have shown our horses is unparalleled. The honors and awards they have been given could not have been more deserving! Multi-National Champion
pa lucchese always++//
Always A Jullyen V x Lily Dancer V
Multi-National Champion
steel strike+/
Appollopalooza x Usandra
National Champion
rc iron man+
Black Daniels x DA Lady Tiffany
Brooke & Debra Hines Macon, GA
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I am so proud to be a part of Team RBC, and beyond proud of both of you for getting the recognition you deserve with your APAHA awards. Your hard work, patience and perseverance have made you the best in the industry. Congratulations!
National Top Ten
ghivago KD
Jullyen El Jamaal x Goddessey Diane Huchet, Newnan, GA
Multi-Regional Champion
dca pilgrim
DA John Wayne x Koweta Reflexxion
Amazing achievements for an amazing team! We are honored to be along for the ride.
National Champion
vincent pcf++/
PCF Vision x Que Psarah McKenna & Meghann Rossomme North Charleston, SC
Multi-National Champion
lady toi+
Matoi x Sultan’s Uptown Lady
We have trained with Rob & Caralyn, off and on, for over 20 years throughout my junior exhibitor career and now as an amateur. I am eternally grateful for their guidance and hard work over the years and their unwavering commitment to the Arabian breed! They partnered me up with a horse of a lifetime, Lady Toi+, who I still trail ride today! Rob & Caralyn were vital in my being able to achieve one of my lifelong dreams of winning a National title in English Pleasure in 2016! Rob has gone above and beyond our expectations with The Muffin Man, and we are so honored and excited to show under the RBC banner!
National Top Ten
the muffin man
My Royale Charm x Eloquent-Godiva Patty & Tiffany Adams Clayton, NC
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National Reserve Champion
tulane loa
Millennium LOA x Roses On Fire
National Champion
pa valparaiso kid
Sundance Kid V x Verginia
National Top Ten
spanish charm
Dakotas Shadow BHR x SC Spanish Dream
National Top Ten
optimistic ariel loa Optimist x Wymsical Jeanne & Allison Contois and Laura Witter Baton Rouge, LA
Rob and Caralyn, thank you so much for helping us achieve our first National titles. We couldn’t have asked for a better experience and certainly shared many laughs along the way! Congratulations on your APAHA awards; you certainly are deserving! We love & miss our RBC family!
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National Reserve Champion
wb sirround sound++/ TF Sir Prize x WB Libertarian
Congratulations, Rob and Caralyn! Honest, hardworking, and dedicated to the clients you serve and the horses you train. You are truly inspiring, and we wish you continued success in all you do. Katie and Bella Wiese Tom and Debbie Whelan Winston-Salem, NC
Congratulations to the greatest team ... Caralyn and Rob! Your love for the Arabian horse, your clients at RBC, and for each other, is apparent in all that you have achieved. Best wishes for continued success in the future!
Multi-National Champion
cbs bahznia Bahz x Top Kat
Dorothy Keith Kennesaw, GA
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Rob Bick & Caralyn Schroter | 2379 Creechs Mill Road | Smithfield, North Carolina 27577 | 919.202.8384 | www.RBCShowHorses.com