Showtime Training Center

The difference between ordinary and extraordinary is that little extra.

— unknown

S H OW T I M E W W W. S H OW T I M E T r a I n I n g C E n T E r . n E T 493 Boone Road, newnan, Ga 30263 • BaRn 770-252-3300 • Tish Kondas 678-427-0595 • CaRla sChilTz 253-380-0853

Showtime Training Center: The Clients Speak Out

by Mary Kirkman Just six years ago this October, the Half-Arabian Park final at the U.S. Nationals reflected a curious phenomenon. Five riders in the class—four in the top ten, or nearly one-third—were on horses trained by Tish Kondas. A year later, when she and partner Carla Schiltz opened Showtime Training Center, in Newnan, Ga., those riders all continued as clients. And the ribbons kept coming.

Now the operation accounts for approximately 50 horses, with a show string that hits an average of 15 competitions annually. And the young stallion VJ Royal Heir, whose talent and Arabian type are rapidly establishing him as a hot property, stands there at stud. When asked how they have achieved this kind of success, Kondas and Schiltz just shrug. “Ask our customers,” Kondas says. “Let them tell the story.”

“Tish and Carla have created, in essence, a horse show family,” says Colleen Boylan, who has been on the roster for more than 10 years. She was one of the 2007 top tens. “We love going to horse shows, because Showtime is a team. We have so much fun.”

Of course, it is more than that. Both Kondas and Schiltz are extremely qualified for their work.

Kondas, who grew up among Saddlebreds and Morgans before switching

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to Arabians, was tagged as a child by observant horsemen (including, in a childhood clinic, the legendary equitation instructor Helen Crabtree) for her ability in the saddle. That translated to a professional career and 15 years at Vicki Humphrey Training Center. Now recognized as one of the top English trainers in the country, she has logged a list of champions that increases exponentially, many now ridden by Showtime’s amateurs.

Schiltz, in the meantime, grew up primarily in western and hunter, although her experience, like Kondas’, now spans the show ring. Best known for the national champion western specialist Noble Splendor, Schiltz began her Arabian involvement with Rick Gault, and worked for him for nearly a decade before moving on to Petroglyph and The Brass Ring. “She’s one of the most talented people I’ve ever had work for me,” says Gault. “She was able to get on and, in her very first lesson, comprehend what the whole process was trying to be. Some people are inherently natural seated, and Carla was that. Her balance is impeccable, and she has very, very good hands—very quiet, but controlling—and her timing is impeccable. So, she has that great one-on-one with the horse where they pick up exactly what she wants to teach them.”

As nearly a dozen Showtime regulars spoke up about why they choose to ride with Kondas and Schiltz, a pattern emerged in their answers. What is important is no one aspect of the operation, they say, but the sum of its parts.

Elizabeth Tyler, who has been riding at Showtime for five years, defines the picture. “It’s not about that one ride or one pass,” she says. “It’s about the whole journey.”

“It’s the IndIvIdualIzed traInIng.” “I love that Tish trains each horse individually,” says Colleen Boylan. “She adapts the training program to each horse’s needs. I feel very comfortable knowing that our horses are going to develop under her guidance, according to their own timeline.”

Judi Alvey, who grew up with Quarter Horses and whose daughter, Jordan, now rides at Showtime, nods. “A lot of trainers will take a horse and try to make it be what they want it to be, versus taking a horse and finding its true talent and growing that,” she observes. “Sometimes when you do that, you have a horse that may not perform to its fullest potential because it’s not doing the job that it was meant to do or that it wants to do.”

When the horses are given the best opportunities to be happy in their jobs, the results are impressive. “I’ve never seen an individual that can get on a horse—including, obviously, the more challenging ones—and make such a difference so quickly,” says Betsy Haas. “And she does it in a way that they love her.”

She just tries to keep her work positive, Kondas explains.

“What I like to do is say, ‘I’m going to incorporate something new today, but I’m going to follow up with something they’re confident in,’” she says. “I let the horse build on that.”

Pam Harris, who began working with Kondas eight years ago, mentions that her Connected To Huck had a

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tendency to “shy and jump and carry on.” Kondas resolved the issue. “It’s not that she took that out of my horse,” Harris emphasizes. “It’s that she’s controlled it so that she lets his natural exuberance come through. He loves to go, but I never have to worry that he’s going to do something foolish.”

“Carla has the same patience with the horse,” says Jeff Knight, who owned VJ Royal Heir before selling him to Kelli Aguirre, and who has ridden as an amateur at Showtime for years. “I don’t think a lot of people know that Carla does a lot of groundwork with Tish. They mirror each other’s work ethics, so whether a horse has been training with Carla or with Tish, they actually help each other out every single day. They really have the same mentality with the horses.”

“I admire her work ethic—no one works harder!” offers Jackie Demps, whose Blue Moon Stables are home to Showtime Training Center. She has known Kondas since 1992 and considers her a friend and member of the family. “The addition of Carla just made it perfect. It’s truly amazing what they can do with these horses. I have watched so many come in knowing nothing, and end up superstars in the show ring. These horses are number one here above anything. I enjoy having Tish and Carla here and I hope they never leave.”

“A lot of the things Tish and I do are similar, starting from the ground up, teaching them the things they need to know before you get on their back,” Schiltz explains. “It’s just taking your time and making sure the horse is confident in his job and that he knows it well enough to go out and be a show horse.”

“It’s the horse care.”

“Every horse is completely different to them,” says Knight. “Every one is an individual, and everyone is treated with the same love and respect, regardless of how much they cost.”

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“They have such a passion for the horses that I never, ever worry about my horses’ care,” agrees Kelli Aguirre, who, with her daughter Gabrielle, rides at Showtime. Aguirre also owns VJ Royal Heir. “They take care of my horses as well as I would take care of them. Never for a second do I think anything—anything—to the contrary.”

talent that attracts her to Showtime. “I’d watched Tish train for years and I thought she was one of the best trainers I’d ever seen,” she says. “She not only has the knowledge of training, but she’s also very good with amateurs; she has patience with people, and can convey what you need to do on your horse. I think that’s fairly unusual.”

“I love that our horses are always perfectly prepared for us,” Elizabeth Tyler says. “I don’t care if it’s just for a lesson at the farm in the middle of winter—they are perfectly turned out, they’re in excellent body condition at all times. There is never a shortcut on the nutrition, the conditioning or the grooming; you can walk into their barn at any time and every horse is in pristine condition.”

“Tish has brought out the absolute best in me,” says Elizabeth Tyler. “She can watch you ride for five minutes and she sees your strengths and your weaknesses. She can tell how much pressure you can handle—or maybe if you can’t handle any, that’s fine too, but she works on the individual.”

Even though she has enjoyed a lot of success in the show ring, what rivets Tyler’s interest most is the excitement of pushing her own limits and improving her ability.

Schiltz nods. “We’re really particular about what we feed them and their body weight. We monitor all of it year round. It’s a pride on how they’re turned out and their coats and how they look.” That kind of attention to detail doesn’t translate into taking a lot of time off, but that doesn’t seem to matter to either Kondas or Schiltz.

“Tish is my trainer because I’m in Half-Arabian English,” reports Jessica Tolson Stacks. She has known Kondas for “around 20 years, but who’s counting?” “But Carla spends a lot of time with my horse, and she does a phenomenal job; she’s the perfect complement to Tish’s training program.

She does a lot behind the scenes that I don’t feel like she gets enough credit for. She spends countless hours, lunging and warming up and grooming, and doing the most detailed clipping—and she expects the same perfection out of the grooms in the barn that she does of herself.”

“You can tell how much they adore the horses,” Harris notes. “I know that they take better care than I could give them myself, and as someone who does this for the love of the animal, that’s very, very important to me.”

“It’s the InstructIon.” The key element to instruction at Showtime, most of the clients say, is that Kondas and Schiltz can take a rider to new heights of potential—even though the rider might not ever have dreamed that he or she was capable.

Sandy Aft, who rides as an amateur and has bred her multi-top ten mare Carolina Kool to VJ Royal Heir, says it is the unique combination of training skill and teaching

“I’ve ridden horses with Tish that there is no way in a million years I ever would have ridden before,” Aguirre offers, and laughs. “She listens to me when I tell her I’m scared or I can’t do this, and she tells me, ‘Yes, you can, I know you can, I’ve seen you do it. I’m not going to listen to you, I won’t hear it.’ The skills that she gives in a ride, the self-confidence that she gives you—there’s nobody else.”

“She never gives up,” Colleen Boylan says. “She believes in every one of her riders 125 percent, and if she believes that you can ride a horse, then I have no choice to believe anything different. I feel like we develop as riders and learn things that we might not otherwise, if it weren’t for her persistence.”

“They’re great coaches,” Kim Castang, whose daughter, Maris, rides at Showtime, agrees. “They really encourage everybody just to do their best, and if you’re having a problem, they take the time to sit down with you and help you figure out what it is and get you over that hump. For Maris, it’s really easy to talk to Tish and Carla. And for me being a parent, it’s great to have two ladies like Tish and Carla to be mentors for my child.”

Jessica Tolson Stacks agrees. “I always watched Tish from afar and I just thought, ‘that woman can ride the hell out of a horse,’ and I looked up to her.” She, too, describes her long-term appreciation of Kondas. “As I got older, I got over the fear of talking to my mentor, and now she’s one of my best friends. Now I feel like I can ride the hell out of a horse too, because she taught me not to hold back.”

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Kondas and Schiltz cite the riders’ commitment as the important ingredient. “I think it’s really important that the riders put in the time necessary to learn how the horse was trained and how to communicate with their animal,” Schiltz says. “I’m very patient and I like to get into stuff and teach them the ABCs, so there’s nothing left out.

They know exactly the problems that can arise and how to address them. It just takes time and practice.”

It’s the trust, the clients say. “When you feel like you hit a personal wall, and Tish keeps encouraging, I just trust her so much that I think she would never ask me to do something that is beyond my ability, so I must be able to do it,” says Tyler. “Back when I was showing Evitaa, I would just replace my attitude with hers. That’s worked for me so many times and I still use it. It’s amazing.”

Kondas is outspoken about her appreciation for that level of trust. “They don’t question my decision making,” she says. “If there’s something—say, a shoeing change, or if I go up to their bridle just as the gate’s opening and I change a curb chain, they never say, ‘Oh, my gosh! What are you doing?’ It’s okay. You see this ‘I trust you, we have this.’” She smiles. “What I see in my riders is they have no limitations. ‘Can’t’ just doesn’t exist for me. They believe it because you believe it, and that is huge for me.”

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“It’s the team.”

“From the moment I got there, it’s just been amazing,” muses Betsy Haas. “They treated me like I’ve been there for 25 years, and I felt like I was the most important person in the barn. And I have one horse! Other people in the barn have a lot more than one.” Several others echo the observation and mention the level of service they receive.

“My son Cameron and I have developed kind of a new family in the Arab industry,” says longtime horsewoman Ellen McGee. McGee, who no longer rides due to a car accident, appreciates that Showtime coordinates with Florida halter trainer Mike Wilson to put their park horse, Fortune In Brass DN, in the ring for halter competition as well. She sees the whole picture. “The barn’s immaculate. Carla is great to work with. Tish can be hilarious, but she still is very much about every horse being treated based on what that horse needs. Everything is customized to each horse.”

A point of agreement for everyone is that the group at Showtime is pretty world class. “It’s probably the most supportive group of riders that I’ve ever witnessed at a barn and it’s a true family,” Judi Alvey says. “Even if they’re competing in the same class, they still want the next person at the barn to do well. It’s great.”

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On a recent weekend after many of Showtime’s clients had been in to ride their horses, text messages were flying thick and fast. “They were all saying how great everyone looked, how phenomenal the horses were, how much fun everyone had,” Kondas smiles.

“Bottom line, it’s the horses.”

Curiously, the clients—who have logged numerous national titles with Kondas and Schiltz—mention the show ring awards only in passing. It is all the rest of the Showtime experience that means the most to them, and time and again, what they care about most is their horses.

When Alexis Mattingly’s Mercy Mercy Me did not thrive at other operations, Mattingly brought her home to Blue Moon Stables, where the filly had been foaled, and put her in training at Showtime. “She’s grown tremendously under Tish,” Mattingly reports. “She’s conditioned, she’s muscled, and she’s at her top performance now. It took only six to seven months of their care, and Mercy was standing patiently in crossties, conditioned to a point where each muscle was shaped and transformed, and she was a hightrotting and happy show horse.

“Tish loves all her horses,” she continues. “In fact, at a horse show last year, a judge said to her, ‘You know why that horse does what she does for you? Because you love

your horses.’ If you want a horse ridden well and taken so well care of that you never have to worry about them, Showtime is the ultimate place for your horse to be conditioned and loved.”

Toni Mulford, owner of the multi-national champion Cool Night, who is now retired due to a medical condition, maintains her ties with Showtime. “I decided the best thing for Cool Night was to be with Tish because she just takes the best care of her animals,” says Mulford. “He’s come along so he can be ridden lightly, which she does often. He’s in beautiful shape, and I wouldn’t trust anyone else with him.”

“Carla loves these horses so much,” Elizabeth Tyler adds, “and she takes the best of care of them. She’s an awesome person.”

And Kondas is the same way, Jeff Knight observes. He has known her since they were youngsters. “I’ve seen her just setting her hand on the horse, reassuring the horse and letting it know it’s doing a good job,” he says. “She is so loyal to the horse. The horse always comes first; it’s not about the win. It’s not about the game. She has been taken advantage of for that by some people, but she always exposes herself to be vulnerable, because she believes that the horse has to come first.” ■

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Lady Marmalade

rta

(Phi Slama Jama x OFW Elyzabeth)

H/A English Pleasure Open with Tish Kondas AAOTR with Kelli Aguirre JOTR with Gabrielle Aguirre

Ka

Roundabout Midnite

(Sir Fames HBV x KA Dream In Color)

H/A Western Pleasure Open with Carla Schiltz AAOTR with Kelli Aguirre Owned by Southern Oaks Farm Kelli Aguirre - Jupiter, Florida 30 | ArAbiAn Horse Times

Cabana Boy

S H OW T I M E

SOF

(IXL Noble Express x Radiant Afire)

Arabian English Pleasure JOTR and JTR with Gabrielle Aguirre

Top Gun

Moonfyre Photography

CF

(Millennium LOA x Guns And Roses)

H/A Country Pleasure Driving AOTD H/A Show Hack Open and AOTR with Kelli and Gabrielle Aguirre Offered for your consideration

Millennium M Phlash (Xtreme Phlash x Dvinaa)

Arabian Western Pleasure AAOTR with Kelli Aguirre Owned by Southern Oaks Farm Kelli Aguirre - Jupiter, Florida Volume 43, No. 11 | 31

Tonka Toi

PF

(Matoi x PF Emotion)

H/A Park Horse Open with Tish Kondas AOTR with Colleen Boylan Cooper

Owned by Jeanne Marie & Anna Boylan, and Colleen Boylan Cooper Andover, Massachusetts

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Heir Ride

VJ

(Afires Heir x Matally)

Arabian Country Pleasure Junior Horse with Tish Kondas

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M u lt i - N at i o N a l C h a M p i o N

A Noble Pass

(IXL Noble Express x SA Passing Fancy)

Arabian Show Hack Open with Tish Kondas AAOTR with Colleen Boylan Cooper Arabian Country Pleasure AAOTR with Colleen Boylan Cooper

Owned by Jeanne Marie & Anna Boylan, and Colleen Boylan Cooper Andover, Massachusetts

34 | ArAbiAn Horse Times

Ghazi Dutch Warrior

S H OW T I M E

(El Ghazi x Rimone GW)

H/A Country Pleasure AAOTR and H/A Show Hack AAOTR with Pam Harris H/A Show Hack Open with Tish Kondas

Connected To Huck (Hucks Connection V x Infatuation LTD)

Arabian Park Horse AAOTR and Arabian English Pleasure AAOTR with Pam Harris

Owned by Pam Harris Galax, Virginia

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Double Platinum (Afire Bey V x Evitaa)

H/A Country Pleasure AAOTR and AATR with Elizabeth Tyler

Tornado Warning

PF

(Sir William Robert x Erinne)

H/A Country Pleasure Open with Tish Kondas Offered for your consideration

RGT

Major Tom

(AA Apollo Bey x Showtime’s Shanghai Lilly)

H/A English Pleasure Open with Tish Kondas AAOTR with Elizabeth Tyler Offered for your consideration Owned by Elizabeth Tyler and Walter & Shirley McNeely Alberton, Georgia

36 | ArAbiAn Horse Times

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Chixx Dig Me (Exxpectation + x Tradition N Ebony)

H/A Western Pleasure Junior Horse with Tish Kondas Offered for your consideration

Argentinaa (Afire Bey V x Evitaa)

H/A Hunter Pleasure JOTR and JTR with Jordan Alvey

Owned by Judi and Jordan Alvey Newnan, Georgia

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Fortune In Brass

DN

(WR Topp Brass x Fortunes Lady)

2011 Scottsdale Champion H/A Gelding Saddle/ Pleasure Type Open with Mike Wilson 2011 U.S. Reserve National Champion H/A Gelding Saddle/Pleasure Type Open with Mike Wilson

Heading to Region 12 for the first time in the AOTH division with owner Cameron McGee showing Fortune for the first time.

Thank you, Tish, Carla, and the whole Showtime Team, for making this dream come true!

Proudly owned by: Cameron and G. Ellen McGee Union City, Georgia

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TicketMaster

S H OW T I M E

VJ

(Triften +/ x KAZ Baskteena)

Arabian English Pleasure JOTR and JTR with Maris Castang Owned by Maris and Kim Castang Newnan, Georgia

Playing With Fire

VF

(Bask Flame x VF Elegant Miss)

Arabian Country Pleasure AAOTR and AATR with Betsy Haas

Arabian Country Pleasure Driving with Tish Kondas Owned by Betsy and Steve Haas Ingleside, Illinois

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S h ow t i m e

Mercy MercyMe (Apollopalooza x Perfect Attendance)

Arabian Celebration Reserve Champion Half-Arabian English Pleasure Open Offered for your consideration

Owned by

Alexis Mattingly Newnan, Georgia

w w w. S h ow t i m e t r a i n i n g C e n t e r . n e t 493 Boone Road, newnan, Ga 30263 • BaRn 770-252-3300 • Tish Kondas 678-427-0595 • CaRla sChilTz 253-380-0853 40 | ArAbiAn Horse Times