Amanda Delgado Western Dresage

Amanda Delgado has an uplifting story about a rescue horse and a woman plagued with health issues who became World Champions in Western Dressage. I know you will enjoy meeting her and hearing her story!

Transcript

Rose Cushing: 0:30

Hi, it's Rose Cushing with today's Horsewoman, and we have an amazing horsewoman on chat for you today. Her name is Amanda Delgado, and Amanda has literally just come home from the World of Sar Shows, a huge winner. So let's take a minute and welcome Amanda in. Amanda, we're so glad you could join us today.

Amanda delgado: 0:50

Thanks so much for having us, Rose. We're very excited to be here.

Rose Cushing: 0:54

Tell us a little bit about your trip.

Amanda delgado: 0:57

So um we went to Guthrie, Oklahoma at the Lazy E Arena for the Western Dressage World Show, um, world championship show, I should say. Um it's about a twenty two to twenty-four hour drive from where we're at in North Carolina. So we have to break the trip up into two days. Um it's a lot of prep work to get there and get the horse ready for that trip, but with the going there, it was a relatively smooth trip and we got there okay. And as soon as we got to Oklahom Oklahoma, Athena kinda just settled right in and was ready to go to the show. So we were really blessed to have a safe trip.

Rose Cushing: 1:33

That is awesome. Had you been to the world championships before?

Amanda delgado: 1:38

So yes and no. So we had actually planned on going to the Western Dressage World Championship show last year for 2020, but you know, COVID kind of just threw everything up in the air and they had to shut the show down. And um they ended up moving the entire Western Dressage World Championship show to like a virtual show online where we did the sh we did um tests virtually. So we did our tests at an arena, we filmed them and then we sent them in to be judged and um we did really well last year. We did I think we got a couple of, you know, top fives. I think we got a world championship in one test, but um we got fourth overall in each of our divisions. And so that was like a virtual one, so it was it it counts, but it kinda doesn't count. It's not quite the same thing. Um this year was our first time going in person and it was a a really incredible ins experience. Just the people are amazing.

Rose Cushing: 2:36

That is amazing. So tell me what what classes did you enter Athena in?

Amanda delgado: 2:42

So we did the level one division amateur, so we did test one, test two, test three, and test four, and then we also did the amateur basic division test one through four. We also did a couple of rail classes. We did the western dressage um suitability and the western dressage hack, and then we also did the western dressage equitation on the rail, and then the western dressage equitation metal seat, um, which is where we do kind of like a horsemanship pattern and a rail um class all in the same and then it's score fifty-fifty. So we were we were really busy.

Rose Cushing: 3:19

Sounds like it. And you brought home what, four world championships?

Amanda delgado: 3:24

Yes, ma'am. We got four world championships. Um in the level one division, which is our more advanced division that we were in, we won almost every test that we entered, and the one test that we didn't win, we got reserve and we only lost it by point one five of a point. So it was really, really close.

Rose Cushing: 3:44

That is really close. So tell us a little bit about your horse, Athena.

Amanda delgado: 3:50

So Athena is very, very special to me. We've had a really long journey together. Um, I used to kind of have a long story, but I used to volunteer at a horse rescue and um I did a lot of like their marketing and coordinating and I helped with the care of their horses. And we got a call about a horse that these people just weren't taking care of and they just wanted her gone. They um it was just a really bad situation and they had actually listed her on Craigslist to free to a good home, which you know anyone in the rescue community knows that if you list a horse three on Craigslist, they're gonna get snapped up by a kill buyer real fast. So we at the rescue stepped in and tried to facilitate an adoption just right from the the grounds that she was on because we didn't have the money to take her at the time. We were really struggling. And so we actually coordinated an adoption and they went out to go get her with their horse trailer and they said no, we don't want the horse. And so we got another one out there and they went to go get her and they didn't want the horse. And they informed us they're like, hey, this horse doesn't have any food, doesn't have any water, it's in really bad conditions, you guys really need to get out there. So we actually had coordinated a third adopter to go out, but they were gonna pick her up the next morning, and so we went to go test this horse out and see the conditions they were in, bring it food and water and things like that. So I went with the rescue, um the rescue's kind of like CEO and manager, and we went out there and I've I have to like preface this as saying, you know, working at the rescue, I was really good about not getting extremely ta attached to the horses because we were trying to adopt them out. But as cheesy as it sounds, we stepped out of the truck and I saw this horse and I like my heart kind of just skipped a beat. And I was like, Oh my gosh. And there's this this big, beautiful sorrel overo and with these big belly spots and she's just this bright copper penny. And even with as skinny as she was, you could tell that she was a really nice horse. She was just very correct confirmationally, and I just I fell in love with her and so we gave her hay, gave her water, and the sterodopter was coming out and I went out to the pasture and you know, I I petted her and gave her some treats and she was so scared. She just sat there and shake and um so anyway I I we leave and all night long she's just on my mind. I just couldn't stop thinking about this horse. And for whatever reason, that third adopter came back out and they didn't want her. And so, um, three people went out to go get this horse and they all said no for whatever reason and so I told the lady at the rescue, I'm like, I'll take the horse, I'll take her and so um anyway, so I I committed to her and it took me four days to get a halter on her. She was deemed really aggressive. Um, she was she was she's not a mean horse, but she had been beaten and abused so bad. Um, in fact, like when we started walking around her pasture and like clearing up the garbage, we found horse skeletons in her pasture. And um there was just garbage and down to barbed wire. There was like this rusted malt legged beetle sitting in the pasture. She had grazed the entire pasture down to dirt and then about three feet around the pasture where you could see where she had stuck her head through the fence trying to get grass. And so it it was a bad situation. It was really bad. She was skin and bones and she had been beaten pretty bad. There was bullets and chains hanging on her gate and you'd go up to touch her, she'd just sit there and just tremble like a leaf, and then if you got too close or she felt too pressured, she strike out and kick or, you know, try to run you down. And so, um took me four days to get a halter on her and and then I kinda start teaching her how to lead and things like that. Um, we moved her to the horse rescue to get her vetted and get her a coggins and things like that so I could move her to a boarding facility 'cause at the time I didn't have my own place. And um she ended up cutting her leg on a round pen panel. And yeah, within two within the first two weeks of me getting her and most of it told me to just put her down because an infection had gotten up underneath the stitches and it ate its way down to the tendon. We didn't know it at the time, but her immune system's kind of compromised from being starved for so long, so anytime she gets a cut she's like immediately put on like SMZs and we like we treated for um infections pretty aggressively, but at the time we didn't know. So she's got this flesh eating bacteria that ate its way down to her the digital tendon. And yeah, it was it was awful and most vets are like, You just need to put this horse down, she's too aggressive, you're never gonna be able to ride her. Just put her down. And luckily my personal vet, Dr. Brian Garrett, he was amazing. He's like, Well, we can try to do a surgery on it, but you've got like a thirty percent chance of being able to ride her. And I was like, Yes, let's do it. Even if she's just a pasture pet, I just I wanna give her a home.

Rose Cushing: 9:09

Right.

Amanda delgado: 9:09

And um I had really bonded with her at this point and I just I felt like she deserved kindness. Like she she just really deserved kindness in her life. So we took the chance and I rehabbed her for like six months, which was really tricky because she was she was pretty wild and we were trying to teach her ground manners while she had a leg injury, so we were so limited as to what we could do with her. But um anyway, long story short, six months later she was cleared to ride and um it was great. So I started groundwork with her and we started you know, I was getting ready to ride her and it felt like everyone I knew because she had she had a quiet reputation for being explosive and being pretty wild and people were like, Oh, you're never gonna ride this horse and um it took a while, it took a lot of groundwork, but I started riding her and then people were like, Oh, well, you're never gonna show her. She's just not that type of horse and we went to our first horse show and won every class. And then I was like, you know what, we're gonna start going after some world championship shows. I I I know she can do it, and they're like, Oh honey, you need to set your expectations. She's never gonna be world champion, you're setting yourself up for disappointment. She's you know, she's never gonna be a horse of that caliber. And now I think she's got, gosh, like eight or nine, maybe even ten world championship titles.

Speaker 4: 10:37

Right.

Amanda delgado: 10:37

So it's been it's been really an amazing journey, and I just I absolutely adore this horse. She's extremely willing, and um as long as you're kind with her and you don't get real rough with her or aggressive, she is just she tries so hard, she's so smart.

Speaker 2: 10:57

Hey y'all, this is one for me. It's a work for that. It's a works for us.

Rose Cushing: 11:58

You were sick too, right?

Amanda delgado: 12:01

Yeah, so I've I've had um I have stage four endometriosis. So throughout all of these years, I think I've had about four surgeries while I've had Athena. And so it's been pretty difficult to try to manage sometimes because the pain can be so debilitating that it's hard to get up and get motivated to go ride and go train. Um, in fact, last year when we were filming our rides for the virtual world show, I did two days of riding and then the very next day I had a a very major surgery where they took out my left ovary and they had to take out my right appendix. Well, my my appendix because my right ovary had fused to it. So, um it was a pretty major surgery and then they wanted me to get another one right now. I was like, No, I have a world show, it's gotta wait till after that But um and then also while dealing with the endometriosis, they think that I might have Hashimoto's on top of it. So I've got a lot of autoimmune issues and so it's it can be a challenge for sure.

Rose Cushing: 13:06

Well, I think you're amazing and and I remember w we went out to film a TV show with you and and Athena was a l a handful, you know, she was tough. I really admire how far you've come with her and your thank you. Your compassion for believing she could.

Amanda delgado: 13:23

Thank you. Now was she just she just needed some time and I think she just needed some kindness to be shown, like, hey, there you can do this and y we we have the time to do it. It's you know, we never pressured her like, oh well we have a show at this time, we have to have it ready by it. You know, and I think by s you know, dialing things back and just giving her some space to just be a horse and learn, I think it's really made her realize like, Oh, I can trust these people and she learned that being willing and you know, trying through all the training is really rewarding for her too. So it's really fun to see the switch and how she's thought and how she thinks. It's really cool to see the change, I guess.

Rose Cushing: 14:08

Oh, definitely. Now, what was your background in riding before you got Athena?

Amanda delgado: 14:14

So I grew up riding a bunch of like auction horses and backyard horses. We've shown uh we showed like at some small open shows growing up as a kid, but my family's military and so when I was in I don't know, probably about eleven years old, we had to pack up and move all from North Carolina all the way to Washington and we took our horses with us and we were there for a few years and right when I got into high school I was gonna join their IEA team and we got orders to move to Japan. And so yeah, it was a big shock. And so unfortunately we had to sell all of our horses and it was one of the hardest things as a kid I ever went through because the horses gave me like so much peace and that was that was my thing. That's what I did and um so it was really hard. And so all through high school I didn't ride being in Japan. They had one tiny itty bitty stables on the island. I lived in Okinawa, Japan, and um that stables well they had an amazing American instructor, the the people there just didn't really take care of the horses. So it was kind of hard it was hard to be there and see the horses not being taken care of. So we didn't really ride very much there. But from the army or or from high school, I joined the army and enlisted and I was supposed to go to West Point and ride on their equestrian team. But unfortunately, when I was in the army I got medically discharged because I got hurt, I ripped cartilage out of my knees and my hips. So I had a big gap from horses, um, probably from, you know, high school almost up until I met Athena. I had just started getting back into riding again, um, where I was like volunteering at any barn that I could to get in the saddle, whether it was Hunters or Western, I'd go muck stalls on the weekend and to be able to ride. So um it it was really cool because I had always dreamed as a little kid, you know, showing at those big shows and going to world shows, going to the big breed shows, but we just we never had the resources for it. And so it's been a very surreal experience walking into some of those arenas that you dream about as a kid or young adult and being like, Wow, we're here right now. Like this is insane on a rescue horse.

Rose Cushing: 16:36

I know. I mean what an amazing, beautiful story.

Amanda delgado: 16:39

Thank you. It's been it she has allowed me to chase my wildest dreams and it's been pretty incredible. So we never I've never shown on this level until I had Athena and so it's been a huge learning curve, but I think we've got it down pat now.

Rose Cushing: 16:54

Yeah, I think so. Yeah. So what's left on your bucket list for you and Athena?

Amanda delgado: 17:02

So, um, it's kinda wild because after every world show, it's like, okay, well now what? Like we just did it, so now what? And so we kinda go through this really weird period of like, well, what's next? And so the cool thing about Western Tristage is they've got all of these levels. And so you're never really done. Like kinda with the Pinot and the Bricho stuff, you know, you win a title and then you're like, Okay, well now what? But Western Dressage, you always have something next. And so next year we're moving up to level two and level one.

Speaker 4: 17:34

Mm-hmm.

Amanda delgado: 17:35

And um so we'll be showing at those levels. And um we plan on trying to go back to the world show, the Western Dressage World Show. Um, and then I also on my own, um, I've bought a double registered um quarter horse paint Philly, and so she's um a yearling. So we're getting her ready to do some groundwork, and I'd like to take them all to the Pinot World Show again in June and show Athena and the dressage and the Western Dressage and some overfensive stuff, and then show the baby in the in-hand stuff. So we'll just have to see.

Rose Cushing: 18:10

We can't be successful without your donations as our partner. Every event that Cushing Media Productions produce donates one dollar for ticket sales to Cush and Equestrian Fund. Join us. Cushion Equestrian Fund Source in an emergency. Follow us on Facebook. Yeah, you can donate on our website www.cushingmedia.net. How old is the thing?

Amanda delgado: 18:38

She's about twelve, so when I rescue her, we thought she was about five or six, so it's been six years, so yeah, she's got a lot of life left in her and she's she's very healthy. So hopefully. I'd also eventually um we'll just have to kinda wait and see like what a good time is. I plan on trying to breed her, um, which I know some people are, you know, is very controversial breeding horses, especially a rescue, but you know, she's she's so accomplished and she's such a you know, great put together mare, so I think we're gonna try to breed her to a dressage sport horse. A real fancy dressage horse out of her.

Rose Cushing: 19:19

That's very nice.

Amanda delgado: 19:21

Yeah, we're really excited about it. She just wanna as again, as cheesy as it sounds, this horse has completely changed my life and she's she's my heart horse.

Rose Cushing: 19:33

She's that once in a lifetime and so you know, I I want a piece of her with me, you know, for the next few years and a good horse is a good horse regardless of of its heritage or papers, and you know, I think you're wise to keep developing that line because she obviously is something special. And definitely have I think that's very smart.

Amanda delgado: 19:55

Thank you. Yeah, and kind of some story. So when I rescued her we knew that she was a nice horse and we're like, there is no way a backyard breeder got this horse. Like, there's just no way. And so we I I probably went in every paint horse forum, you know, asking people like, hey, do you recognize this horse? Does anyone recognize this horse? And no one did. And so we ended up sending her DNA to AQHA and APHA.

Speaker 4: 20:24

Mm-hmm.

Amanda delgado: 20:25

And the Quarter Horse Association, they're like, she's definitely quarter horse, but we don't have papers on her. And the paint we had to have um we had to know which who her parent was in order to run it in the system. But we ran um her DNA with the um with UC Davis and she's technically a quarter horse. And the craziest thing is she doesn't carry any white genes that they currently test for.

Speaker 4: 20:49

Wow.

Amanda delgado: 20:50

And so we think that she's a quarter horse crop out and kinda like our theory behind all of it is that she was born right around the time where people, you know, you couldn't really register your quarter horse if it had a lot of excessive white. But she threw the excessive white on her belly spots and someone dumped her. Which is so crazy because I'm like, man, you dumped a really nice horse.

Rose Cushing: 21:12

But that makes sense. You know, I I know for a while they wouldn't register a crop out at all.

Amanda delgado: 21:17

Right. So we think that she came from a really nice show barn or a nice corridor show barn 'cause she's a gorgeous mover. She's put together really nice, but she's through the excessive white, so they called her out, yeah.

Rose Cushing: 21:30

That makes sense.

Amanda delgado: 21:31

Yeah.

Rose Cushing: 21:32

So one last question. Um for all the young women coming into the horse industry, what advice would you give them as how to leave their mark on the horse world?

Amanda delgado: 21:44

So the biggest thing is I would say is don't listen to the to the negative people. If I had listened to everyone who told me what I couldn't couldn't do, I'd be stuck doing, you know, very little and it it w it was really hard because I felt like I had these huge dreams and people were just so unsupportive and they're like you're never gonna be able to do this. You need to set realistic expectations and so just when you're met with that sort of attitude, have some grit and be like, no I can do this and surround yourself with positive people who believe in you. Um I learned the hard way that you have to have a positive, effective team to do whatever you do. I was I couldn't do this on my own and so I've got amazing coaches who encourage us and believe in us and who's correct and who's allowed us to grow in our training and who's educated us and helped us. You know I I wouldn't have been able to just do this on my own without coaching. And you know same with like your veterinarian teams and you know your farriers just having everyone around you just be that positive light and who believes in you and in your horse it it makes a huge difference. Um you know I I was once told by a former coach that I had no feel and that I was never gonna make it in the industry and it really hurt and I was like man like that's that's tough. And so instead of like being discouraged by it, I was like, you know what, I'm gonna prove that wrong and you know I I've surrounded myself by coaches and taken every opportunity to develop the that feel and to develop that education and never said no to an opportunity because I feel like every opportunity is just another way to learn and here we are and you know we we've accomplished so much and I'm getting ready to this is kind of of a it's kind of it's kind of been a secret but I'm I'm getting ready to drop my amateur card in the next two years and go pro. And I just it it's been a reflection and I'm like wow if I had listened to that person who said I had no feel no talent and I was never gonna make it I would have never gotten here. And I'm like that person was absolutely wrong. And so I think it's just really important to I don't know I I know it sounds crazy but just not to listen to people. Especially like the negative, you know, and try to find whatever reasoning that you have to believing in your dream and just really hanging on to it and remembering it. There were so many times where I never thought that I I thought we were done or that I thought that I wouldn't have been able to overcome an obstacle but we just kinda put our you know, we just kinda went to the grind and kept working really hard and we came out through on the other end and so it's it's it's been really hard and you know even still when we first won our first world title some people like oh well it was just a fluke and it was really hard to hear that and I guess it it it was it's just been tough listening to other people. And so it's it's been a it's been a challenge learning how to tune 'em out and just kinda have blinders on almost and just keep going and believing in yourself. Um because if literally if I can do it, anyone can do it. You know I like for example, I used to sleep in the tax cell next to my horse at horse shows to be able to afford to be able to do this. And you know I made a lot of sacrifices to make this happen even within like my personal life, you know, financially and so you know if you really, really want it, you can absolutely do it. Just look to where you need to see look to where you need to make those sacrifices to make it happen. Make whatever goals that you have an absolute priority and then just kind of tune out all the negative naysayers because they they can really mess with your head.

Rose Cushing: 25:44

Absolutely I I'm just you you just have so much dedication. I you have my ultimate respect for everything that you thank you done. I mean that's just crazy good. You're right if you don't surround yourself with positivity they do bring you down because misery loves company and they try to beat you down. And folks are made absolutely they get jealous of you and then so they start filling your head with doubt so that they can one up you and that's so bad. It's so wrong.

Amanda delgado: 26:13

Yes. That was something that I feel like when we first started our horse show journey that was like a really hard lesson because I think some people kind of saw the potential and instead of being encouraging and helpful and excited about it, they were threatened by it. And so it's almost like they try to like shut you down. And it's it just it floored me 'cause I was like, wow like if I had listened I would have missed out on so much and I would have held this horse back so much. And so I think that's definitely like a big thing that people do that that I'm personally trying to like help fix and kind of advocate. Like, hey we need to encourage each other. This horse industry is already difficult enough. Like it's hard. It's a lot of hard work and a lot of obstacles. You know we need to be there for each other and you know help support each other. And that's one thing that I absolutely just love about the Western Dressage community. They are so encouraging and it it was really refreshing because at this world show if they saw a good ride they were like cheering for you because they knew how hard you had to work to get to that moment. And they appreciated it. Even if you were competition, even if they knew you just beat them they were just like wow that was an amazing ride and it like everyone was like that. And so it was a huge huge breath of fresh air being around like minded people like that. And um I I was like wow this is like all the other associations and all the other organizations really need to take a page from their playbook and be like this because it was so much fun. And it's contagious. You know when you see one person doing good and you cheer for them and then they're cheering for someone else who did good and then they cheer for you. It just it's so fun. And it was really cool too because, you know, by cheering for people they've come out of the arena you know with like a reserve and they'd be in tears and they're like, oh my gosh, like I've had this horse for you know twenty years and we've gone through all of these obstacles and we did it. And so it was really fun being like wow you know you see this really put together team in the arena and you cheer for them and you talk to them when they come out and you realize they had had a journey. You know, they had just had this long, long journey it was all these obstacles and they are just so overwhelmed about finally making it. And so it was really, really cool to see that.

Rose Cushing: 28:37

That is that is really good inspiration for everybody because support and kindness are two of the only things in the horse industry that are free.

Amanda delgado: 28:46

Yes absolutely and you know I I'm so so thankful for the people who kept encouraging us and who believed in us through this whole journey. Um I mean even people that I don't necessarily work with anymore that w you know where we've gone a different direction, you know, they they've there are people who are single handedly responsible for like our confidence and building us back up after we've been knocked down a few times and I don't know if we would be here without them and we owe them so much for that. And like you said, it's free. You know it it doesn't take very much effort to encourage someone.

Rose Cushing: 29:25

And you know you're such a nice person. You have eight or ten world titles and you're still the sweet, kind, humble woman and that says a lot about who you are. So I I really really am just overwhelmed with respect for you.

Amanda delgado: 29:41

Thank you. To me to me it's not necessarily reflection on me, it's just my horse. Like I've got a really great horse and you know all it was is that I saw potential in s in in her when no one else did and we worked really hard for it and I and I think the reason why it's not like oh my gosh look at me I really do feel anyone can do it. If I can do it anyone can do it. All you need is to work really hard and when you're presented with obstacles whether it's you know financially or mentally or you know time you sometimes you you have to be you have to make a sacrifice somewhere to make it happen. And so as long as you have like your priorities in check and you have that focus and you have that drive, I really truly believe that anyone can do it. It just takes a lot of work.

Rose Cushing: 30:34

It does it really does and most people aren't willing to put forth that much work. So you know kudos for you little girl you've done great.

Amanda delgado: 30:42

Thanks. I appreciate it. I just um you know I I I know what it's like to be that person in that raggedy taggedy lean trailer with used tack and being like okay I don't really know what I'm doing but we're gonna try it and but all those women out there just keep going and keep pushing like you know even if you started there you can grow to become something else. It it is so possible.

Rose Cushing: 31:07

That's awesome. Well thank you so much for being with us today and I've really enjoyed talking to you and I know the audience is going to enjoy getting to know you better. Thank you so much for having me Rose thank you. You're very welcome honey thank you for listening everybody I hope you enjoyed today's show