SmartPaker Whitney:
In October I was lucky enough to travel to one of the biggest horse events in the US, The All American Quarter Horse Congress with fellow SmartPaker Veronica. I have heard stories about how amazing this event is and trust me it exceeded every expectation that I had! It was amazing to see how versatile this breed of horse really is; we watched everything from bridle-less Cutting to Working Hunters. I am from New England so I don’t get to see a lot of working cow horses. Watching these horses work cattle was amazing. Since Congress is almost a month long we take turns swapping in and out, Veronica and I were the first to arrive. We got to set the stage for a great show! I met so many incredible people while attending this show, everyone from the show staff to the spectators were a joy to talk to. As excited as I was to get home to my husband, dogs and horse it was hard to say goodbye to the people who become like your family at shows like this. It was both Veronica and my first time at Congress so we relied on the vendors around us to teach us the ropes, we were so fortunate to be surrounded with such great people. I can’t wait for next year!!!
SmartPaker Kristen:
Fall is my favorite of the seasons by far. It means crisp, cool air and gorgeous leaves, great clothes and of course, the best riding weather ever. It also means the return of The All American Quarter Horse Congress. SmartPaker Paige and I attended the 3rd week at the Congress and had an absolute blast. This was my first time at this show and I was absolutely blown away at just how big this show really is. Horses and their riders competed in a variety of different disciplines and the food and shopping choices were fabulous. My favorite this year was the cowboy mounted shooting! I’d love to try it myself someday, but I’m not sure how my Thoroughbred would feel about that! We got to meet many of our customers and welcomed a bunch of new horses and their riders to SmartPak. We also were lucky enough to snuggle with the puppies that stopped by to visit. All in all, a wonderful trip. If you haven’t been to the All American Quarter Horse Congress before, add it to the list!
SmartPaker Kaitlyn:
I ventured out on not one, but two trips in October! The first stop was beautiful, sunny Ocala, FL where we visited with Team SmartPak rider Lynn Palm for the AQHA Trail Challenge that was held at her Fox Grove Farm. We enjoyed the nice weather and met so many of our awesome customers and their horses. It was pretty cool to see many different horse and rider combinations navigate through the natural obstacles trail course. Next, I headed to Columbus, OH for the beginning of the Quarter Horse Congress. I helped SmartPakers Whitney and Veronica get the booth up and running and had the chance to catch up with all of the vendors and customers that I’ve met at Congress over the last few years. It seemed almost as if no time had gone by!
SmartPaker Megan:
Brooke and I were lucky enough to attend the AQHA Novice West Championships in Las Vegas this October. I’ve been to a lot of trade shows for SmartPak in the past few years, but this was definitely one of my favorite experiences. First, the show was held at South Point, which has riding arenas INSIDE the hotel! Each morning, we walked from our hotel room to the showgrounds without ever leaving the building. Plus EVERYTHING was equestrian-themed (they even had a larger-than-life-sized statue of a cowboy on his horse in the hotel lobby). Second, we were in LAS VEGAS! There are some things that you can only experience in the City of Lights (like The Joker from Batman and Dr. Evil from Austin Powers hanging out together on the sidewalk).
But I would have to say the third reason is the one that really made this my favorite show, and that would be the people. Brooke and I got to meet many of our sincerely wonderful customers AND their beautiful horses. We made a lot of new friends that week! Since our booth was overlooking the main area, we were able to watch many of their classes and root for them throughout the show, which was really awesome. We had a really great time at Novice West and look forward to seeing some of our new friends at the AQHA World Show in November!
SmartPaker Paige:
When I found out I was attending the final week of the All American Quarter Horse Congress with SmartPak this year I was elated since I had heard so much about it, but had never attended! You just don’t quite understand the excitement, scope, and status of this show until you see it with your own eyes. Besides getting to meet and chat with so many of our wonderful Quarter Horse customers (with lots of Appy & Paint lovers mixed in there, too!) some of my favorite picks from Congress are: Puppy Alley, Sweet Shop Cinnamon Rolls, loads of shopping, participating in the NYATT Awards (t-shirt throw-outs!), and meeting many other lovely vendors, like Carolyn and Roger of World Champion Pepi! In addition, I got to spend time with one of my great friends, Megan, and her Quarter Horse, Lope N By Example (“Kalvin”), who were competing at Congress along with the rest of their crew from Powder Brook Farm in Connecticut! I absolutely love watching Trail classes, so I was lucky enough to get to sneak away and watch Megan and Kalvin (powered by SmartPaks!) rock it in their Trail class. Megan and Kalvin also finished 13th in Novice Amateur Western Riding, which is no easy feat at Congress – great job!
SmartPaker Becki:
In October, Lissa and I headed out to Prairie Meadows Racetrack in Altoona, IA for the annual AQHA Partner Summit. It was a fun weekend full of Quarter Horse Racing including the Bank of America Challenge Championships. We had a great time at our first AQHA Race (and our first time visiting the state of Iowa!) and got to catch up with lots of friends in the industry.
SmartPaker Jackie:
In October, I travelled to a Walkabout Tour in North Carolina. I met so many riders and learned about so many of their horses. We met dressage riders, hunter/jumper riders, barrel racers, trail riders and everything in between. I even met someone who uses his drafts to do actual work on the farm! I think my Thoroughbred would be much less than happy if I ever tried to hook her up to a plow! My favorite part of this show, and every show, was helping riders with challenges that they are facing with their horses. My second favorite part was how everyone I met in North Carolina really embodied that famous southern hospitality! It was truly a fun show and I can’t wait to visit North Carolina again!
SmartPaker Carolyn:
Last month Sarah and I headed out to the All American Quarter Horse Congress during its second week. We had an absolute blast! Here are a few of my favorite parts:
Adorable puppies visiting the booth!
Yummy fair food! I’m pretty sure I ate crepes for lunch every day I was there, they were delicious!
Meeting our wonderful customers, both two and four legged! Horse shows are always extra fun for us because of all the wonderful people, horses and dogs we meet. I particularly enjoyed the NYATT awards, where we watched mounted shooting, met some great young riders, and did a t-shirt throw out to the crowd!
SmartPaker Veronica:
As a Quarter Horse owner myself, I’ve always dreamed about going to Congress. Never in a million years did I think my job would lead me to the biggest horse show I have ever seen! The horses were beyond beautiful, the food was fantastic and as always our SmartPak customers were an absolute blast. I’m not going to lie, one of my favorite parts of Congress was puppy alley. I wanted to buy at least six!
SmartPaker Brooke:
This October I had the opportunity to attend my first ever trade show with SmartPak—the AQHA Novice West Championships in Las Vegas. It was a week full of beautiful horses and talented competitors, plus perfect weather and great food! I was also able to help hand out many of the awards throughout the show, giving me the perfect chance to meet so many of our customers and their fabulous horses! I can’t wait for my next SmartPak adventure!
SmartPaker Jamie:
This past month I had the opportunity to travel to another Walkabout Tour with my fellow SmartPakers, Jackie and Nina. This stop was in Williamston, NC which is only about 4 hours from my hometown in South Carolina—being a Carolina Girl at heart, it goes without saying that I was super excited to be back close to my stomping grounds and to have the chance to introduce the girls to some true southern “cuisine”. Jackie and Nina got their first taste of Bojangles which is a southeastern franchise known for their Famous Chicken N’ Biscuits…I think it’s safe to say that they’re hooked. All in all, we had a blast getting to put names with the faces of so many of our fabulous customers, as well as meeting many new ones. Until next time friends!