PG . 22
AQHA FEATURE ~ WESTERN PLEASURE
Open title . As part of the AQHA Youth Team , I then travelled to Texas , USA , for the 2018 AQHA Youth World Cup .’
High School done , Taj returned to America to work as assistant trainer and coach , at Reid Thomas Performance Horses , travelling America-wide , preparing show horses for Select Amateurs and Youth , at the major horse shows for 2 years . Returning home , Taj worked for Holly and Kane Skopp at HK Show Horses , as an assistant trainer . This season he took a leap of faith to go out on his own , with full support from Holly and Kane , who live just up the road .
‘ Kane and Holly are my biggest mentors , teaching me almost everything I know about training . From the way you connect with your hands and feet , to the energy you ride with , and all the different ways to break a horse ’ s body loose to create softness and slow legs . They ’ ve guided me in my life growing up , which has set me up in a great position of knowledge and understanding , at a young age .
While USA-based , Reid Thomas was also a great mentor , teaching Taj about the way a horse training business runs , many different coaching methods , activities and terminologies to use when coaching someone , and how to look after a client ’ s needs and goals , as clients pay a lot for the service provided for their dream or hobby .
PLAYING FAVOURITES
‘ At 17 , I first had the honour of showing Man What A Diva , one of my favourite horses to show . Daisy . Daisy ’ s outstanding and has won countless buckles and Futurities in Open classes . I consider her to be ahead of her time . Her progeny , too , have been outstanding in Australia , and continue to raise the standard for our Western Pleasure horse into the future . One of those , Don ’ t Doubt Daisy , is our 5 year old mare , by No Doubt Im Lazy . Tanzy ’ s prettiness and consistent elegance , as she moves , sees her shine in her dam ’ s hoofprints – a stand-out everywhere she shows . Tanzy has a very special place in my heart . From her early training stages , we ’ ve developed a great bond , so I know she ‘ ll always give 100 %. Riding Don ’ t Doubt Daisy to win the Junior Derby at Summer Sizzler 2022 is a great memory – my first feature Western Pleasure class on a horse
‘ The phenomenal Man What A Diva Q-80663 & Taj - NPHA 2021
AUSTRALIAN QUARTER HORSE ASSOCIATION - WWW . AQHA . COM . AU