At only 13 years old, Gavin Morrow is quite an accomplished show woman. For several years, she has shown steers and hogs, going from county, to state, and even to national shows. This year, she decided to take a chance and step out of her comfort zone to show a horse from their ranch, Diesel. Her risk and hard work paid off when Gavin and Diesel walked away from the Union County Fairy in New Mexico with the Grand Champion Gelding prize. “I was so excited we won. It was a great way to start the fair week!” she says.
Her winning horse, Diesel, was bought by Gavin’s Grandpa about six years ago as a weanling. Registered as TFR Copper’s Diesel, he has a strong pedigree and Gavin says he is making a great ranch horse. Her dad has been riding and working with Diesel from the beginning. This year, they felt that Diesel had matured well, and was looking good, so they decided to show her in the halter event.
Gavin, like many ranch kids, has been riding since before she could walk. “I’ve been riding with my dad since he could hold me in the saddle.” Gavin says “My grandpa bought me my first horse, a pony named Barney, for my first birthday.”
Gavin is a busy and accomplished student. She is a member of the Des Moines, New Mexico FFA, Folsom, New Mexico 4-H, and she plays basketball. In addition, she does both livestock and dairy cattle judging. Last December, her team won the Arizona National Junior Livestock Contest where she was the second-place individual.
Diesel, not just a pleasure horse, is also quite busy. “My dad rides Diesel regularly for ranch work.” Gavin notes. “Diesel gets a lot of exercise moving cattle, roping, at brandings and working cattle.”
With busy day time schedules, Gavin and Diesel would spend most evenings practicing on halter to get ready for the competition. As a first-time competitor in this type of show, Gavin wanted to get it right.
When asked what inspired her to try showing horses, she speaks with great respect for the animals. “Horses are amazing creatures. They know when I’m anxious, happy, excited, sad. I know I can make my horse anxious if I’m anxious so the horses help me stay calm. I’ve had to learn how to stay calm because they need me to be.” That sort of care is often a challenge in the ring. “Showing animals is an emotional experience. There can be a lot of pressure, because you work hard all year for just a few minutes in the ring.”
While hard work is a huge part of that process, feeding Diesel a great feed to keep him going was also important. “Diesel gets Alfa-Pro because it’s the most complete feed on the market. My dad says it’s also the safest and most convenient feed for our horses.” says Gavin. “My uncle, Dr. Chris Morrow, is an Equine Veterinarian. He recommended Alfa-Pro, and the quality really reflects his standards as a veterinarian.”
Winning this year has inspired Gavin to keep going. She is already eying her dad’s ranch horses to find the best one to show next year.
Hi-Pro Feeds is proud to support accomplished, hard-working students, and wishes Gavin Morrow the best of luck in the future.
