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Nick Smith
Horses have always been a tremendous part of my life and I can say with all truth that I practically grew up on the back of a horse. I have always loved horses and feel very blessed to have an intricate and special bond with them. From the time I won that first blue
ribbon at age 4, I spent every minute of time possible with horses. I might be cleaning stalls, soaking wet in the wash stall, feeding, working in the hay field, or riding horses for a trainer to get ready for a big sale. It didn't matter to me what I was doing, I was just happy to be with horses. Money could not buy the knowledge and skills I acquired working for no pay with a trainer who has gained national recognition from the ground up. He and his wife carried me all over the United States for many years to ride for them and others when I still had to jump to reach the stirrups.
I continued riding in local, state, and national rankings in a wide venue of classes. In Western Pleasure, I held status of Champion and Reserve Champion in local, regional, and state. I totaled high points in AQHA Western Classes during the years that I competed in Western Pleasure, Trail, and Ranch Horse.
When I was 12-years old, I decided that I wanted to have a little fun along with the hard work, concentration and dedication that is required to compete with the best in AQHA Western riding, so I bought a little horse to run barrel and pole classes for fun and that little horse took me all the way to the NBHA World Championships three years straight. My time in Pole Bending remains unsurpassed at several local and state arenas. That same little horse won me cash, ribbons, trophies, buckles, multi-state titles in Barrel Racing, Pole Bending, Trail Classes, Team Penning, Calf Sorting, but he had already won my heart. My legs outgrew him or I would still have him in my barn today.
I had begun competitive calf-roping and working with reining horses for a year or so in 2003. Two days after my 21st birthday in 2004, I was critically injured in a freak farming accident when my jacket and left arm was caught in an auger on the back of a tractor. My entire body was twisted like a dish rag and I was literally hanging upside-down and asking God was I going to live or die. I was flown from our pasture by Life-Force Helicopter to a catastrophic injury hospital in Chattanooga, Tennessee and underwent 11 surgeries there. My neck was broke and I was paralyzed from a spinal-cord injury. Several weeks later, I was moved to Shepherd Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia and had seven more surgeries. The accident left me quadriplegic, and yes, there have been some rough days, but I was blessed and had no brain injury.
This life-altering event did change me physically and I have to do things a lot different than I used to, but it did not take away my love
for horses or my determination to ride again. With a special saddle, I am able to walk, trot and lope again. My bond with all horses has
not changed either, and I can still talk to a horse and tell you if we are going to have a good relationship or if a certain horse doesn't
have the demeanor or build to be the kind of horse someone is looking for. Safety for the rider and horse is the most important aspect when looking for the right horse.
I hope that this bit of information about me will ensure you that I still know horses just like they are my second skin, and you should give me a call or send me a message and let me help you find the horse that you are looking for.
Thanks,
NICK SMITH
ribbon at age 4, I spent every minute of time possible with horses. I might be cleaning stalls, soaking wet in the wash stall, feeding, working in the hay field, or riding horses for a trainer to get ready for a big sale. It didn't matter to me what I was doing, I was just happy to be with horses. Money could not buy the knowledge and skills I acquired working for no pay with a trainer who has gained national recognition from the ground up. He and his wife carried me all over the United States for many years to ride for them and others when I still had to jump to reach the stirrups.
I continued riding in local, state, and national rankings in a wide venue of classes. In Western Pleasure, I held status of Champion and Reserve Champion in local, regional, and state. I totaled high points in AQHA Western Classes during the years that I competed in Western Pleasure, Trail, and Ranch Horse.
When I was 12-years old, I decided that I wanted to have a little fun along with the hard work, concentration and dedication that is required to compete with the best in AQHA Western riding, so I bought a little horse to run barrel and pole classes for fun and that little horse took me all the way to the NBHA World Championships three years straight. My time in Pole Bending remains unsurpassed at several local and state arenas. That same little horse won me cash, ribbons, trophies, buckles, multi-state titles in Barrel Racing, Pole Bending, Trail Classes, Team Penning, Calf Sorting, but he had already won my heart. My legs outgrew him or I would still have him in my barn today.
I had begun competitive calf-roping and working with reining horses for a year or so in 2003. Two days after my 21st birthday in 2004, I was critically injured in a freak farming accident when my jacket and left arm was caught in an auger on the back of a tractor. My entire body was twisted like a dish rag and I was literally hanging upside-down and asking God was I going to live or die. I was flown from our pasture by Life-Force Helicopter to a catastrophic injury hospital in Chattanooga, Tennessee and underwent 11 surgeries there. My neck was broke and I was paralyzed from a spinal-cord injury. Several weeks later, I was moved to Shepherd Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia and had seven more surgeries. The accident left me quadriplegic, and yes, there have been some rough days, but I was blessed and had no brain injury.
This life-altering event did change me physically and I have to do things a lot different than I used to, but it did not take away my love
for horses or my determination to ride again. With a special saddle, I am able to walk, trot and lope again. My bond with all horses has
not changed either, and I can still talk to a horse and tell you if we are going to have a good relationship or if a certain horse doesn't
have the demeanor or build to be the kind of horse someone is looking for. Safety for the rider and horse is the most important aspect when looking for the right horse.
I hope that this bit of information about me will ensure you that I still know horses just like they are my second skin, and you should give me a call or send me a message and let me help you find the horse that you are looking for.
Thanks,
NICK SMITH
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