The World Championship Horse Show, held every August in Louisville, Kentucky, at the esteemed Freedom Hall, is a prestigious event focused on Saddlebreds, Hackney Ponies, and Standardbred horses. Additionally, the equitation classes are a highly regarded division for junior riders.

Pieter and Alida Snyman operate Snyman Stables, a Saddlebred training facility in Tennessee. This year at Louisville, their granddaughter, Jenny Snyman, needed a horse for her 11-year-old equitation class. Although she gathered wins on various horses all season, she could not find a horse with the shortage of equitation horses in the Saddlebred industry.

Alida decided to call Skylar Desoto to see if she had a trustworthy Arabian that would take care of its rider. Any breed can compete in an equitation class since the rider is primarily being judged. “Mo immediately came to my mind,” Skylar says. “He has been with us since we started our business in 2020, and to say he is the barn favorite would be an understatement.”

Skylar and her husband, Gabe, own and operate Desoto Training Center, where they compete on the Arabian and Saddlebred circuits. Motion Afire or “Mo” is a 13-year-old Arabian gelding sired by Afires Heir, out of the Promotion daughter, Leslei, and is owned by Barta Show Horses. He has carried numerous riders to Reserve National Championships, National Top Tens, and Regional and Scottsdale Championships.

Jenny and Mo had a couple of practice rides before entering the Louisville ring. In the competitive field of equitation riders, they came out in the Top Four. “Mo was prepared in grand style by the Desotos and took Jenny through a flawless, beautiful class,” Alida beams. “Like a little well-trained machine, Mo carried her to a top ribbon, and the smile on her face said it all.” Lastly, Alida adds, “Mo brought kindness and softness that made us fall in love with the breed. He is a great ambassador.”

“Mo made me feel safe. He brought kindness and respect to me as his rider and the show ring,” Jenny states. “I hope that by showing a different breed [at the World Championships], we could set an example for every rider to not give up on their dreams and that kindness in people and horses exists. I can’t thank the Desotos enough for their support and love during this experience. I am an Arabian fan forever!”