From Show Rings to Stick Horses: The Community-Building Magic of Horse Spot

Hobby Horse Competition at Texas Rose Horse Park PC: Jerry Mohme Photography

“Wait, wait. I want to tell you about how we are providing a platform for hobby horse competitions, too!”

Huh? I had called Michael Lenard, one of Horse Spot’s founders, to talk about their “Shadow a Pro” program. It's definitely feel-good story material! But now I’m laughing so hard my cheeks hurt, and I don’t know how the conversation arrived here.

For the uninitiated, Hobby Horsing is a rapidly growing sport in which the “rider” competes on a stick horse, a “hobby horse,” performing the same movements that a show horse might perform, even jumping!

“It all started when I stumbled on the Inaugural United States Hobby Horse Championship Competition that was being held in Michigan. So, I reached out to them and offered our software platform because I thought it would be a really cool use of our tools.

It was amazing! There were people there from all over the country!” Michael is beaming. After Michigan, he helped Texas Rose Horse Park to put on a hobby horse series alongside four of their USEF-rated horse shows, again running the management portion of things on the Horse Spot software. 

“It was an amazing opportunity! We ran everything exactly like real jumper classes, and the kids loved it! We had people showing up only to do the hobby horse classes, but then people who were there for the rated horse show signed up for them, too.

So, Texas Rose bought a dozen of their own hobby horses and built a corral for them so that anyone could participate!”

Texas Rose's corral of hobby horses. PC: Jerry Mohme Photography

As Michael talks, all I can think about is that I have got to figure out how to put on a hobby horse show here in Illinois because it sounds like the most fun I’ll ever have. Plus, personally, it would be nice to look out the window in the morning and see my herd of hobby horses in my backyard 😉.

It’s easy to want to join in the fun when you listen to the founders talk about their work. The trio is made of Michael, his brother Christopher, and Christopher’s wife Lindsay. Their story is that of so many equine professionals. Between them, they’ve done every job in the industry. You could say that the horse community made them, and now it’s easy to see that the community drives their decisions going forward.

After swapping Texas stories (don’t we all have a story about that time we went to Texas?), we eventually get back to the Shadow a Pro program. The concept is simple. Through their horse show management software, they have connections to those running horse shows and those competing in horse shows. Pairing up kids with the professionals who are managing, judging, or designing the show is a great way to get kids further involved in the sport they love.

What better way to let kids see what really happens in the judge's stand or the ideas behind course design?

Shadow a Pro at the Big Sky Classic, hanging out with the horse show announcer Nick Ames. PC: Emma Lynne Photography

Michael takes it further, "It’s a great way to bring everyone together and build community.”

That word again. Community. Community is the backbone of Horse Spot.

“The program is part of our larger Advocate program, championed by Lindsay Lenard. We really centered the program around one of our company’s core pillars, to use community engagement to improve the experience of horse show participants,” says Michael.

In addition to the Shadow a Pro program, Horse Spot regularly hosts town hall meetings where participants receive unique product updates and learn from special guests. It also runs a Facebook group, Horse Show Huddle, dedicated to sharing ideas, asking questions, and improving horse show experiences.

Cultivating community. Getting people involved. This is the driving force of Horse Spot. I have 100% bought in and drank the Cool Aid. I’ve joined the FB group and signed up for the Advocate Program.

As I finish my conversation with Michael, I’m struck by how Horse Spot has managed to capture the essence of what makes the horse world special – it’s not just about competitions or software; it’s about bringing people together and creating opportunities for everyone to participate, even if their “horse” happens to be mounted on a stick.