Horses and hospitality: Germantown Charity Horse Show keeps riders returning each year

Neighs, clip-clops and laughter filled the Germantown Charity Horse Show grounds Tuesday, the first day of the five-day event where hundreds of riders from across the nation gather for some equestrian challenges.

This is the 73rd year for the show.

"This is probably our favorite show," said Taylor Hanes with Hanes Performance Horses. "We just enjoy being here, the hospitality is great."

For the past seven years, Hanes, 40, and his Gypsy Vanner horses, a breed native to Ireland, have trekked from Nashville to Germantown for the show. This year, he will exhibit his horses during the show's first Gypsy Vanner exhibition Thursday.

Germantown Charity Horse Show includes Gypsy Vanner horse challenges, but because this year brought in more of the breed, organizers decided to host an exhibition for stables to show off their steeds.

Samantha Crook with Rod and Gun Club Stables from Ardmore, Oklahoma, will feature some of her 12 Gypsy Vanners in the exhibition.

Crook first joined the show in 2015 but has not been back to Germantown for about four years because of horse injuries, scheduling and COVID-19. She's back now and excited to get her horses out again.

"The camaraderie, the atmosphere, the heritage of the show we love," she said. "Everybody seems to get along and have a great time, it's just a really well run show."

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Crook, 48, said she looks forward to the lemonade and ice cream socials mostly.

"We don't get that at any other horse show," Crook said. "We travel all over the U.S., and no one has ever hosted us like that before."

Stable and farm workers across the show grounds share the same sense of community at the Germantown event, which keeps them coming back each year.

Barbara Williamson, 66, has come to the show with a handful of her 26 Gypsy Vanners each year since 2013 — except 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic forced its cancellation.

This year also brings something special for Williamson, who hails from Weirsdale, Florida and owns Shenandoah Gypsy Vanner Horses LLC.

In honor of WR Young Latcho Lou, her multi-award winning stallion, the champion of the Gypsy Vanner liberty class will receive a trophy with her horse on it, which she spent about a year perfecting with a sculpture.

The liberty class allows a horse to perform loose in an arena without any ropes or someone riding.

Williamson said Latcho Lou previously performed in Germantown and the organization asked for him to come back this season, but health complications arose so he could not return. Instead, the show dedicated the award to him.

"I'm so excited," Williamson said. "This is the first year we're doing this, and that stallion is really what made Shenandoah. So, I owe it all to him."

The 12-year-old horse was one of Williamson's first horses, and she's proud to honor the winner with the one-of-a-kind trophy.

Germantown Charity Horse Show runs Tuesday through Saturday with the Grand Prix beginning around 5 p.m. on the last day at the show grounds, 7745 Old Poplar Pike. Tickets are available at the gate and cost $5.

The show also raises money for Kindred Place, a family counseling center. Since 1999 the event has supported the organization, donating about $750,000 total. The 2021 event raised about $35,000 to Kindred Place.

Dima Amro covers the suburbs for The Commercial Appeal and can be reached at Dima.Amro@commercialappeal.com or on Twitter @AmroDima.

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Germantown Charity Horse Show kicks off with hundreds of competitors