Women's History Month Saddlebred Strong Stories: Fully Invested

March is Women's History Month, and this year the ASHA will be sharing a selection of "Saddlebred Strong Stories" that celebrate the fantastic stories of strength, enrichment, and support that the American Saddlebred horse and community bring to our "Horse Girls" lives every day. Today we share a very special message from a very special ASHA Youth, Devin Sell. Sell is the 2020 ASHA Frank Ogletree Youth Award Recipient, 2020 US Equestrian Youth Sportsmanship Award Winner, and 2019 ASHA Youth Club 14-20 Member of the Year. Sell was invited to be the guest keynote speaker at the 2020 ASHA Youth Conference Awards Gala, and she used her platform to share with other ASHA Youth the impact the American Saddlebred has had on her life and can have on yours if you dedicate yourself to being "Fully Invested."

ASHA Youth Gala Devin Sell's Key Note Speech: Fully Invested

"Hi everyone. Is everyone having a GREAT time at the conference this year!!!!  I wanted to start off by thanking ASHA for all of their hard work they have put into this year’s conference.  For those who don’t know me, my name is Devin Sell. I have been riding Saddlebreds for 13 years with Brannon Stables. For 8 of those years I showed in Academy until I got my first show horse, He’s a Gale Force, that I call G. G and I show in the junior exhibitor five gaited show pleasure division and have so much fun together!  Tonight, I want to speak a little about what the   community and ASHA have meant to me and the importance of us all being involved and fully invested in what we all love to do. 

Throughout my years in the industry, I have gradually become more and more involved because I have learned that the more you are engaged, the more rewarding it is for you as well as others around you like your trainers, friends, community and horses.  Whether it is in the show ring, behind the scenes at the barn, in your youth group, or reaching out to your community, you’ll always find it rewarding. I’m not just talking about an actual award like a pretty ribbon or trophy, but the reward of FULLFILLMENT and knowing you helped someone in some way or made a positive impact in your community with no intent of anything in return. You’ll also receive the reward of KNOWLEDGE and GROWTH. The more you get involved, the more you will learn, and those are lessons you can take and apply to other things you do and help you see other places you can make a difference and grow more yourself.  I know all of you have probably heard your trainers say a thousand times “hard work pays off.”  That statement is very true.  The hard part though, often times takes your patience, time and commitment to see that happen.  But, when it does you will experience a very special feeling of happiness and satisfaction that is unlike any other.

As I have grown, I have gotten a lot more involved at the barn; spending more time with the horses and working together with each one on things we both may need to improve on, or just learning more about the horse in general as they have personalities like we do. And, it’s not just being more involved with the horses, but also becoming more active at the barn including helping with the barn chores – cleaning stalls, feeding and watering, or cleaning tack. Each of those things helps us to do what we do best, so we learn to love doing those things and make the most out of them. I’ve also found it very important, and meaningful, to build relationships with others at the barn – getting to know them at the barn, outside of the barn, and encouraging and supporting them. Being their support system is important because you urge them to improve, lift them up and inspire them when they are down, and celebrate with them their accomplishments.  Others we ride with at our barns aren’t just people we know, they become FAMILY we love and we want to watch them have fun and succeed.

As I have mentioned being involved, being invested, in the Saddlebred family and your local community is valuable to your own personal growth and also to those in the communities.  Being an active part of my barn’s youth group and ASHA has helped me to grow personally and has given me so many more opportunities than I ever imagined.  I have been a part of the Brannon Barnsters and ASHA since I started riding when I was 5 and it has kept me connected to the barn, the industry and has introduced me to the importance of community service. The past couple of years I have had the amazing opportunity to work with local homeless shelters and food banks to plan service projects for the youth group. We have held clothes drives, food drives, and school supply drives. Those activities have allowed us to contribute to those in need in our town and also helped us to see how fortunate we are and that giving back, even if just a little, makes a huge difference for others.  I also had the privilege to volunteer at the KY Equestrian Special Olympics with other girls from our youth group.  This wasn’t a Saddlebred specific event, but it was one that gave special needs kids the chance to work with horses and show off what they are able to do.  Watching them perform that day even with their limitations was inspiring. We also take in and work with rescue horses giving them another chance to do what they love to do.  I love being a part of a rescue horse’s life as you can see in their eyes their gratitude for another chance to make someone happy. 

I have also been given many opportunities through ASHA to keep growing my own Saddlebred knowledge and skills.  I have been at every one of these youth conferences since I was 6 years old!  Over those years I have been able to visit so many other amazing barns and meet kids from other youth groups all while learning a little more every year.  Every year I leave here re-energized and ready to take on the world and show it what the Saddlebreds can do!  Last summer with our youth group, I had the opportunity to set up a booth promoting the American Saddlebred at our public library to introduce the public to our amazing breed. Introducing people to the American Saddlebred has been one of my favorite parts about being involved in our industry because it’s amazing to see their reactions to everything a Saddlebred can do and then actually seeing them come out and take their first lesson and seeing how happy they are when they leave is rewarding. 

Being a part of ASHA and the Saddlebred community has been an important part of my life.  I have made friendships that will last a lifetime through others I have met in my youth group, from the ASHA youth conferences and also at shows doing ASHA activities like stick horse races, junior judging or seminars.  I have also stepped outside my box and met Saddelbred friends from other states and countries at camps and by volunteering at events like the Saddle Seat World Cup.  It has given me the skills and the confidence to do things like THIS, speaking in front of a crowd.

So, right now I want us all to take just a minute or two to write down either what we are thankful for about ASHA, our barns, Saddlebred community or something we want to get involved more in.  On your tables there are slips of paper with a question for you to answer.  Write that down and place it in the jar on your table.  Then I would like ask all of the trainers in the room to take those jars back with you and talk about those things at the next youth group meeting.   

Being fully invested in our industry can make a world of difference.  That doesn’t mean just being fully invested in showing, or fully invested in going to the barn and hanging out.  It means being fully invested in every aspect of this business.  Each type of involvement (riding, barn chores, youth group, community service) all go hand in hand and helps you to become the best version of yourself that you want to me.  We are the future for the American Saddlebred.  So, BE INVOLVED, BE ENGAGED, and BE INVESTED in the future of others and our industry.

Thank you!"

The ASHA is thankful for having the future of the American Saddlebred in the hands of ASHA Youth such as Devin that is not only Fully Invested in the breed, but in the community we all love. 

If you know or are a “Horse Girl” that has a great Saddlebred Strong Story about how an American Saddlebred has helped start a new personal journey, fulfill a lifelong goal of being a “horse girl”, or helped develop someone as a person please send to [email protected], Jessica Cushing ASHA Marketing and Communication Manager, today for a chance to be featured during Women’s History Month.