Susan Friedland-Smith’s ‘kooky’ Horse Hubby Mark makes regular appearances on her blog, Saddle Seeks Horse
Horse Hubbies do the darndest things! They look super sexy cleaning stalls, and absolutely fabu-ridiculous when resting atop mighty steeds (or clinging desperately to the smallest of ponies). Whether you are a horse husband yourself, or merely ‘own and operate one,’ you most certainly have a trove of outstanding, awe-inspiring, and hilarious action shots. If only there was a way to immortalize these images for the ages!
Submit a horse hubby picture and a brief narrative. If you are a horse hubby (including horse husbands, boyfriends, and horse show dads), this means submitting a picture of yourself. If you are not a horse hubby, then it means submitting a picture of your husband. Please do not submit a photograph of someone else’s husband. That would be weird.Narratives should provide some kind of descriptive and humorous context to the submitted image. Narratives will be displayed alongside entries during the open voting period, and will be included in the final calendar itself. Maximum narrative length is 150 words.You must own the rights to both the image and narrative you submit. By entering the contest, you agree to the sponsors’ use of your name and submitted materials in any media for any commercial, advertising or trade purpose without limitation or further compensation, unless prohibited by law.Only one entry per horse hubby will be accepted. Email submissions to Timothy Harfield at the@horsehubby.com
Image Format. Images should be 300 dpi 3,000px X 2,550px in jpeg format. The dimensions and resolution are important, since winning images will be printed. Download a template HERE
Submission Deadline. Images must be received no later than October 31, 2015
Prizes. The twelve photos that receive the most community votes will be heralded from the rooftops for their awesomeness, and will be published in the 2015 Horse Hubby Calendar. Winners will also each receive one free copy of the published calendar, which they may install wherever they would like: wall, refrigerator, barn, bathroom, etc.
Judging. Submitted images and narratives will be posted to horsehubby.com and selected by community voting. Community voting will open on November 2, 2015, and close on November 14, 2015. Final decisions will be made by the contest sponsors, and announced on Monday, November 16, 2015.
Eligibility. U.S. and Canadian residents only.
Entries
Submitted by Abby Welch. This is my husband Ian and the lovely Rebel. I captured this sweet moment after a 5 hr ride in Sligo, Ireland where I convinced him to do a 4 day ride as part of our vacation. He spent all summer, between his busy work schedule to improve his riding skills including galloping (which was a requirement to go on this self-guided ride). His biggest “aha” moment was realizing they didn’t steer like motorcycles. I think he takes back his comment about wanting a hobby farm when we first met…I happily filled our home with 3 horses, a mini donkey and 2 dogs.
Submitted by Tiffany Hudson. Not sure he knew exactly what he was getting into when he married a horse woman, but this horse hubby is a good sport! He often finds himself doing the yuckiest chores and the hardest work, like dragging this nearly – impossible – to – move old bathtub turned water trough. I think it brings out his big muscles and rugged good looks. Horse hubbies are a breed all their own!
Submitted by Jess Bowen. This is my amazing husband, Chris Banks. Even with a busy job as a med flight helicopter pilot he always finds time to help me around our farm, support our daughter and I at horse shows and fox hunts, take videos and pics, repair jumps and much more. He is amazing and the horses also love him!
Submitted by Stacey Chepren. Shane and I took Mochi to the beach for the day and he insisted on leading her around and getting in the water with her after I was done riding. On our way back down to the water, I turned my back for two seconds to check something with my truck and trailer and when I turned around there he was, showing Mochi the tortoises.
Submitted by Courtney Zannella. This is my husband Phil. He’s a barrel racer, but he thinks that all of us eventers are beyond nuts. He decided to take my new xc helmet for a spin…. I found him running around our barn head butting things.
Submitted by Aimee Blalock. I’m attaching a picture of my husband and my mare. We are in between rides at an event, he was bored, she was bored, and I was out walking a course. He tried to offer her beer. She didn’t care for it and that’s pretty clear in the picture!
Submitted by Patrick & Michelle McKinney. Patrick is the Horsehubby to Michelle and Charm, and the Horsedad to Brynne, Elle and their pony Riley. 15 years ago when he and Michelle met, it was the first time he had been around horses. Through the ups and downs (and MANY remedies to try and control his allergies), he has grown into the quintessential Horsehubby and Horsedad he is today. Although his first attempt at putting on a halter needed some work (throat piece goes UNDER the jaw), he mucks stalls and rings, repairs blankets, and assists his wife and daughters with tack before and after rides and shows. He’s the “team mom” for the riders at B2Eventing leading the tailgate at offsite events (his walking tacos are to die for) and occasional photographer.
Submitted by Isabela Mailman. Eric, a Baltimore City Boy who before me, didn’t know the front end from the back end of a horse. The poor guy had absolutely no idea what he was getting himself into when he married me. Twelve years later, Eric has become an avid horseman. Eric and his sidekick Howdy can be seen in the cattle pen, mounted shooting arena, or out in the wilderness on a grand adventure. Howdy is Eric’s pride and joy and when work as a doctor in the ever bustling Emergency Room gets to be too much, Eric will take his favorite pal Howdy out and disappear into the mountains to decompress. Now we have to fight over who gets the horse trailer!
Submitted by Rochelle Costanza. This is my husband Nick and my horse Liam. Nick was taking Liam for walks when out of town and did this horse selfie with him. They worked a long time on it and Liam is staring right into the camera/phone! They are two hams for sure!
Submitted by Hillary Marler. Zander was a total city boy when I met him and has rather unexpectedly come to be a horse lover and rider himself. I wanted to submit this picture to show the ringside suffering that occurs when horse hubbies must wait for the rider to appear. It was a cold day, so Zander and Poppins were sharing blankets to stay warm. I wasn’t even the rider – Zander is so proud of his mare he lent her for a college equestrian team show and was waiting for her randomly assigned rider to arrive.
Submitted by Jessica Russell. This is my husband Corey & Mr.Wilson our rescue. My husband is afraid of horses, but still chose the green broke, abused rescue horse as his horse to ride when we were purchasing a 2nd horse so I had someone to ride with. Mr.Wilson has been a blessing to our family and we wouldn’t pick a better horse as our second horse because there isn’t a better horse than him out there to fill that spot. Mr.Wilson is 10 years old, TWH. We even used our two boys Mr.Wilson and Shadow in our wedding!
Submitted by Shawn Goez. Shorts, Burton shirt, and running shoes…my wife let me hold her horse, that’s all I’m qualified to do.
Submitted by Heather Forest. While I was getting my tack together a friend snapped this awesome photo of my horse, Doolittle and my husband, Christian scoping out the competition at a local dressage show. I don’t think Christian had any idea what he was getting into when he got involved with a horse enthusiast(ADDICT), but he has done an awesome job hauling us to shows, grooming, walking courses, helping memorize dressage tests… the list goes on! Plus it’s a bonus that he’s over 6ft tall and can reach Doolittle (16.3h) when he decides to raise his head higher than I can reach 🙂
Submitted by Lauren Schlesselman. This was taken 2.5 Hours in on a 4 hour long ride on the beautiful island of Sao Miguel in the Azores. In this photo my new husband Bryan had a giant golf ball size cyst in his butt, he also had never ridden until he met me! His horse just wanted to eat and he just wanted to be done! Smiles for days anyway because we were married!!
Submitted by Wendy Long. Larry a horse show husband was entering the big time. After attending horse trials of
various levels, he was attending Rolex. Tailgating had become an option at this time
so he decided in good spirit he would make the best of it. He read all the information
and even a few blogs… He felt that he should provide a safe have for all those “Horse
Husbands” that were lost with there wives walking for miles to get a glimpse of Boyd Martin
or William Fox Pitt. He made the signs set up the tailgate and he was a hit. Horse
Husbands from many states and several counties stopped to visit and have a drink and
share there woes. Turned out to be a great day at Rolex…
Submitted by Stacy Brown. Here is my Horse Hubby looking so cute on my Haflinger Mare. He normally rides BMX Bikes instead of Horses. Hence the helmet…
Submitted by Brian Rosati. Apparently, not all that happens in the barn could stay in the barn, as Horse Hubby Brian Rosati takes on babysitting, and horse sitting duties, as well as general tack overwatch from this local AQHA show.
Submitted by Mary Jo Duffy. My husband, Buster Carter has a muck rake in his hand; both he and Amigo are smiling broadly . Amigo was an Arab gelding that we lost at 38 years young several years ago. Amigo was the horse that taught Buster that it was possible (and rewarding) to have a relationship with a horse. He taught him that there was no reason to be afraid and to be comfortable with halters, leads, and bringing horses in during a lightning storm in the middle of the night. Amigo taught Buster that horses have feelings, emotions and pretty damn good communication skills. He taught him there was such a thing as a (fairly) trustworthy yard horse who could just walk around loose. He taught him that there was a reason to always keep carrots in his back pocket. Amigo taught him how to love a horse.
Submitted by Jeri Fuller-Matheny . My husband, partner and best friend, Andy Matheny with our Hanoverian mare Whimzical Princess at a local breed show. Andy gives Whim a pep talk and tons of sugar cubes to keep her love and loyalty. Such a nice hind end, don’t you think ?
Submitted by Deb Hudson. Stephen has always adored our precious Scrappy Darling. He was trying to feed her cut up apples in bucket one day and she refused to touch them several times because they weren’t carrots. He finally said, “Well, I guess we will have to give them to some other horse.” She truly almost jerked his arm out of socket getting to the bucket and did not pull her head out until they were gone. We’ve never gotten over her seeming to know precisely what he said.
Submitted by Kim Sellers. This is my husband Troy with our 4 month old Friesian foal Zoe. Zoe likes to lay down while she eats–we don’t know why–but she makes a pretty comfortable pillow.
Submitted by Jesse Howes. At a show and I wanted a picture of my horse and my boyfriend. This is what I got. To be all modern and with the times, I like to call this photo “When #Bae Meets #Bae”
Submitted by Helen Dombrowski. Hello! This is a photo of my “horse hubby” Thomas and my horse Grandmaree.You have to excuse my poor English… We are from Germany and really enjoy your Facebook page.
Submitted by Janice Cohen. Ears up for a photo? I thought you wanted a kiss!
Submitted by Prudence White. My boyfriend decided to tame the bigredhorse. He said “So this is what it feels like to sit on thousands of dollars….”
Submitted by Hannah Houseworth-Williams. When my husband first learned of my love for horses his response was, “They can’t be trusted! They’re always plotting against you!” Almost five years have passed since then and look at him now! This was taken right before his first ride and I couldn’t be more proud of him. Having the support of your spouse through such a demanding sport is the biggest blessing I’ve ever received.
Submitted by John Keene. Horsey daughter: “Dad can you hold my martingale, while I go into my flat class?”
Show Dad: “of course I can hold your around the neck horse jumpy thing, while you do your not jumpy class. As you can see I have a blue ribbon in horse junk holding!”
Submitted by Mary Donovan. Once I bought Flash, Jason (my hubby) and he became best friends. They love their snuggle time!
Submitted by Jolene Mooney. This is my honey David and buck the patient good boy that is ( as I’m sure you can tell lol ) Buck is 27 years young this year . David really can ride , but is a big goof ball !
Submitted by Jenn Meister. This is one of my two OTTBs, 14 year old gelding Toby and my long-term boyfriend (he says fiance soon!) Joe. Joe and I started dating 2.5 years ago and we were set-up by a mutual friend who works with Joe, but who boarded her horse at the same farm I did. She knew that Joe, an engineer, missed the farm life (he grew up on a small hay farm in the mountains of WV) and thought he might get along great with a horse girl. Our friend was right and we hit it right off! He LOVES Toby and he was very encouraging when I wanted to get a second OTTB to help further my eventing training. While he loves both boys, he and Toby have a special bond and I’m positive that Toby likes Joe better than me! I think it’s all the treats …
Submitted by Amy Burkall. A real horse husband hand-walks his wife’s geriatric horse every day at 7AM in his work clothes. He graciously puts up with his wife’s demands at horse shows. He encourages the purchase of yet another Devoucoux saddle though he drives a domestic car. I feel lucky to have found such a man in Scott Burkall, who does everything from soaking & wrapping hoof abscesses to distinguishing between the piaffe & passage. He was amazing helping evacuate and load 70 horses (in the dark) during the Jesusita Fire and then carried water buckets into the wee hours. Scott never begrudges the considerable amount of time I spend at the stables and he is sweet to cook vegan dinners during the week. He rarely bats an eye at our horse bills and is genuinely excited when my green horse reaches a training milestone. What a gem of a horse husband!
Submitted by Stephanie Cantrell. This is my horse hubby and his 16hh Tennessee Walking Horse, Dawson. Dawson likes to trim the branches of the apple tree, but he had trimmed all he could reach. Hubby jumped on bareback and was picking apples for him. I was very proud of him, it was his idea to direct his horse with only his seat, legs, and mane. They did pretty well! Don’t they look happy?
Submitted by Mylene Hengen. Tommaso, who has no prior contact to horses before I came into his life, has proved to be the best horse hubby around and acts as the self proclaimed “carrot man.” From grooming to holding duties to, yes, the all-important carrot dispensing, all the horses *love* him, as you can see here with a very happy little Junebug hamming it up before her ride.
Submitted by Tammy Anderson. Here is Ross Anderson on a beautiful Sunny Saturday in Colorado. He is horse show dad and a horse hubby.
Lucky him! He has 2 ladies in his life that own horses. He has just cleaned out his daughters horse stall after a long weekend of cheering her on at her dressage show! He helps load, trailer and yes muck stalls. He is a great husband and dad 🙂
Submitted by Susan Friedland-Smith. I didn’t know just how horsey my husband Mark would turn out to be when we got married five years ago. I realized his potential in 2014, at a point in my life when I was horseless, trying to get back into riding. Mark and I were at a tack shop and I lost him temporarily. He re-emerged wearing riding breeches, and asked me if they fit correctly. Thinking that as the actual equestrian in the family, I should be the one to get new Tailored Sportsman, not him, I skeptically asked, “Are you really going to ride?” He said, “I’m not going to ride, I’m going to JUMP!” He bought the breeches, followed by half chaps, paddock boots and a helmet (I had to explain to him that although fancy looking, white breeches were not appropriate for his level of experience, trying to cushion the blow by stating they also showed too much dirt.) Mark is an avid mountain biker so going fast, trail riding, navigating obstacles and two-pointing are second nature to him. Theoretically his skills in the bike saddle should transfer over to a jumping saddle. As of today he is doing a great job at the walk and trot, although he did tell me he is struggling with posting on the correct lead. He’s learning to canter, and one of these days when life slows down enough so he can ride more consistently, I’m sure he’ll get to jump his first X. Until then he is a great barn story listener, show picture taker, and provider of zany horse husband material for my blog (like the time he rode his bike and I rode my green, not-really-a-trail-horse Thoroughbred on a trail with cliffs and switchbacks). I love my horse husband more than my horse, which is saying a lot.
Submitted by Megan Woods. My boyfriend had never even heard of eventing before he met me, but lucky for me he was intrigued by our use of studs. Because he gets to use manly tools, he is now My Official Stud Man!
Submitted by Shaune Horan. Early mornings just aren’t their thing!
Submitted by TJ Ligouri. Here is a picture of my horse hubby helping with mucking out stalls (that’s a wheel barrow full of horse apples that he’s pushing)—a VERY unexpected conclusion to our “date night”. We had gone out to dinner and I asked him if he’d like to stop by the barn just to say hi to my horse Cash; like many horse hubbies, Lou really has no interest in horses other than that it makes his wife happy for some reason. We discovered that the gal who was supposed to be mucking stalls was very sick and Lou pitched right in to help, white socks and loafers and all. I love my horse hubby more than words can say.
Submitted by Holly Leasor. Here is a picture of my husband Jon and my fresh off the track Thoroughbred Pal of Mine (Puck). They have an understanding of sorts. If they both act clueless l won’t ask for more than then standing there together. Though Jon is a farrier, he’s much more comfortable under a horse than at the end of the leadline! This is the view I most frequently have of them.
Submitted by Amber Houston. Marty and Cashmere met 10 years ago, and their bond continues to grow every time they see each other. Cashmere has a special nicker that he reserves only for Marty. Marty has been with Cashmere through colics, breaking water in winter, and even taught Cashmere to free lunge by chasing him around with his arms up like a bear. This timeless picture melts my heart because it reminds me of our wedding day and how I rode Cashmere down the aisle. Once Cashmere saw the nature valley bar in Marty’s hand, he was laser focused on getting to Marty despite the wedding distractions. These two are the foundation of happiness in my life and I’m so grateful every day. Thank you Marty for your support of my love for horses!
Submitted by Amy Cherwin. This is my boyfriend Brad Tomasheski. He’s a faithful barn boyfriend. Schlepping my things back and forth, washing various smelly horse things, and grooming my “other man”, Manny. He even played vet assistant when I was trapped on my train home and he had to meet the vet for shots. He learned all about equine dentistry and what it means to clean a sheath, and he’s still here!
