NEW NRHA MILLION DOLLAR OWNER 2020 TOP TWENTY NRHA NON-PRO
Tish Fappani Interview Q - Your great success as a youth has now been matched by your success as an adult. How do you stay motivated to get out there and ride over the decades of time? A - I love showing and being with my horses everyday. That is definitely my happy times, its just my let down for the day when I get to be out there riding. Showing, I did a lot when I was a kid. I was on the road showing all the time and never got sick of it. I just loved it. As I have gotten older, I still love to compete and I will keep competing as long as I am competitive. Q - How do you make the time? A - It just depends on the time of year with Jeremy’s Motocross schedule. I have to pick and choose certain races and that means I miss some horse shows. His racing is the priority right now over me and me showing. We have been really lucky this year. We have a new mechanic that is helping us, and he has freed me up in the fact that he takes Jeremy to his training now, so I don’t do that. So that has given me more time at home. But it is just balancing the schedule. Q - You gave your really good horse to Luca to show, and that gave him a great start to his career. How does that feel? Is there a back story? A - When Luca started showing he started on my good gelding Premier Diamond. This horse taught him a lot. In the show pen sometimes he was a booger for him, but that’s what made Luca a stronger rider. And then the one Luca took over, because I was so busy with Jeremy was Spooks N Jewels. That made me really, really proud to see him go and really step up his game in the derbies on a horse like that. It made me super proud. Q - The family requires a lot of your time, and meeting the needs of Andrea one would think is a tough job. How do you make time to ride, and how often do you get the opportunity? A - This last year, and this year I have been able to ride more that I was a couple of years ago. Because I have been freed up with the trainer helping Jeremy. It was kinda hard to step back away from that, because I have always been with him when he is on the road with his bike. Training, racing, no matter what. But I realized that he is growing up and I realized I was not as helpful on those runs is when stuff would break with the bikes. I am not a mechanic. So, we could get the basics done. Jeremy and I have some amazing memories from all of those years doing that, but he needs a mechanic there. We just got to that level and he needs that. He does not need his mom so much, but mom still wants to be there. Q - Your parents were very supportive of your interest in showing horses. How big an impact were they in your success in the show pen as a youth and adult? A - Definitely my Mom was a huge part. She was the one. My Mom had me on a horse before I could walk. I was very lucky that I got to do horse stuff everyday. It taught me so much because we fed, cleaned and took care of our horses ourselves. It taught me a ton because thats what has made me who I am today. My Mom also 30
was very smart and put me with Glenn Gimple. Of course I had an attitude when I was younger and she always made sure to be the Mom and to be there being supportive. It was the right move to have me with a trainer. She would always do her best to make sure that I was with the best trainer and the best horse that I could be mounted on. I was really luck for that. And then rolling into the Reining. Same thing, my Mom was one that really made it happen. I remember when we met Brett Stone. That was big change, it was a big step for us. Coming to Arizona and having a trainer out here. I had just started driving, so that helped me being able to drive over here for training. Even as I had gotten older, my Mom was still a huge support for me even if she was not able to be with me. Towards the end, even with her health problems, she was always there to support, tell me when I was good or bad. She created a huge base from which I draw from all the time. The horse person that I am today is because of my Mom and her dedication and guidance - for sure. My dad was the support. Financially, Dad made it possible for me to show. He supported all the horses. He always took care of the horses and was always a good sport but it was always my Mom and I. That was our deal together. My dad is the perfect horse show Dad in the fact that no matter what, you always look good. Even when I would go off pattern or something silly, my dad didn’t know but he was always good with it. No matter what he said, “You look great Pumpkin” That’s just my Dad. Q - You have excellent equitation skills. What effect did that have on your becoming a success in reining? A - Equitation growing up doing all the Stock Horse classes and the patterns, trail, everything that I did, it taught me pattern placement and to be correct on a horse. Obviously I think the seat, the equitation, that what made me the rider I am today. You need to be pretty on a horse and smooth. I have learned in the later years now that I have smoothed out a lot in the show pen. I feel like that’s something that definitely from going from the stock horse to the Reining I had to learn to smooth things out even more. Equitation is a huge part. You can always tell the girls and guys that grew up doing some of the other events - you can just tell when they are on a horse. Q - You’ve developed into a role-model for girls, and women, to see that they can have it all; family, friends, and a winning horse show career. What three tips can you share to encourage them to chase their dreams? A - Well, for sure for me you have to have the passion and the love for what you are doing. You have to keep your head down and work hard. It is best if you have good support team behind you so that has helped me tremendously. From my parent to now being older and having my husband, my family and others as support. That is a huge piece. And to never give up. Always keep your head down and keep going. If you put the time in you will get there - for sure.
MARCH 2021
