Showtime Training Center

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Saddle Up

Showtime Training Center making a name for itself in horse world Written by MARTHA A. WOODHAM Photographed by BOB FRALEY

Tish Kondas

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Carla Schiltz

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Carla Schiltz, left, and Tish Kondas founded Showtime just five years ago but have quickly made a name for themselves among Arabian horse owners and breeders.

TUCKED AWAY IN western Coweta County is a well-kept, unpretentious gray barn surrounded by white fences. Not many Coweta residents know it’s there, but Showtime Training Center with its string of national champions is big time in the Arabian horse show world.

Partners Tish Kondas and Carla Schiltz founded Showtime just five years ago, but their operation quickly made a name among Arabian horse owners and breeders. Inside the 64-stall barn are dozens of Arabs and halfArabs who frequently take top honors in English and Western classes at shows around the United States that are sanctioned by the Arabian Professional &

Amateur Horseman’s Association and the Arabian Horse Association. At one regional Arabian show in 2012, the 20 Showtime entries came home with the tri-colored ribbons from 15 championships and reserve championships. The partners have also trained and mentored young Georgia riders, Maris Castang of Coweta County and Gabrielle Aguirre, who rode their way to the National Youth Championships in 2011 and 2012.

By focusing on different disciplines, Kondas and Schiltz offer horse owners a comprehensive training program.

Kondas, who has received two national best trainer awards, handles the English saddle seat

Carla Schiltz rides Noble Splendor, above, and Tish Kondas rides A Noble Pass, below. (Photos courtesy of Showtime Training Center)

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“Our barn is like family,” says Showtime Training Center’s Tish Kondas. “We work hard, but everyone in this barn is about the horse.”

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and driving divisions while Schiltz concentrates on Western and hunt seat classes. A 6-foot-tall wroughtiron sculpture depicting Arabs in English and Western bridles is a symbol of their partnership and accompanies them to horse shows, where it is prominently displayed.

Kondas and Schiltz, who both began riding at a young age, usually compete in 14 shows a year and keep about 50 horses in training for clients who come from as close as Athens and as far away as California, Massachusetts and Canada. These clients trust Kondas and Schiltz so implicitly that many of them have bought horses sight-unseen simply on the pair’s recommendation. The farm where Showtime is located is owned by Jackie Demps and Bill Clettenberg, who have been Kondas’ clients since 1995.

“Our barn is like family,” says Kondas. “We work hard, but everyone in this barn is about the horse.”

Kondas says her philosophy is to match the horse to the job and the rider to the horse: “I try to see the best thing in every horse, not the money value, but the best place for the horse to be. You don’t fit the horse to the program, but the program to the horse.”

That attitude spills over into finding the right horse for every client so everyone—humans and horses—has a pleasant experience. Above all, Kondas stresses consistency when training Arabs, known for their intelligence and sensitivity.

“We take an old school approach,” she said in a cover article for the Arabian Horse Times magazine. “No short cuts.

We’re about having a program

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open enough to be unconventional, to be able to try whatever works for the horse.�

Kondas, who competed in her first horse show at age 2 in the lead-line class, is the third generation of a family of Ohio horsemen who focused on high-stepping show horses. “I like any horse really, but Arabs and American Saddlebreds are my heritage,� says Kondas, who became a professional rider and trainer at age 17. After several years on her own, Kondas moved to Georgia to work for noted Arabian trainer Vicki Humphrey in Canton. During her 15 years specializing in Arabs and half-Arabs with Humphrey, Kondas was named 2002 Saddle Seat Female Trainer of the Year.

In 2008, Kondas was named “Totally Tops� trainer in the English division, and she and Schiltz opened Showtime Training Center. Like Kondas, Schiltz made her name in the Arabian show world, training with nationally known horsemen such as Rick Gault and Greg Harris. She also ran a horse operation in Washington state with her sister, successfully training and showing multiple national and regional champions.

The support Kondas received from her family has inspired her to “pay it forward� by creating a riding club for young people with talent and desire but who might not have access to experienced trainers and horses. The horsemanship club will include training in horse care as well as riding. “There are so many great kids who would like to ride but whose parents put them in gymnastics or swimming because they don’t know about horses,� she says. “This is primarily for kids 6 and older, but it’s open to anyone.�

Showtime is also making its first foray into breeding with an exceptional young stallion, VJ Royal Heir, owned by one of their clients. A horse with classic looks and impeccable bloodlines, Royal Heir is “like Christmas every day,� says Kondas. “He’s kind, he’s brilliant, he’s extremely athletic. If I were an artist drawing a horse, I couldn’t improve on Royal Heir.�

Despite her enthusiasm for Royal Heir, one horse will always have a special place in her barn—and in her heart: Cool Night, a classy looking gray who was national champion six times. Kondas bought the 15year-old “Bird� when he was 3. “He’s the greatest horse I’ve ever ridden, as far as heart and temperament,� she says. “He’ll have a place with me forever.�

Learn more about Showtime Training Center at http://www.showtimetrainingcenter.net. NCM

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