 |
| Joe Carter was honored as the Professional's Choice AQHA Professional Horseman of the Year. Then AQHA President Ken Mumy presented the award at the 2009 AQHA Convention. |
BY BRITTANIA CASSIDAY, JOURNAL INTERN
Joe Carter of St. George, Ontario, has come a long way as a horseman since his beginnings more than 35 years ago. At his second horse show, a judge explained to him what leads were. Now a respected judge worldwide with judge's cards in 10 organizations including AQHA, Joe has been awarded the title of 2009 Professional’s Choice AQHA Professional Horseman of the Year. Joe spoke with the Journal about his life-changing “left turn” and the beginning of his career in the American Quarter Horse industry.
AQHJ: What is your earliest horse memory?
Joe: Watching Hopalong Cassidy (movies) probably. [He laughed] No. Just as a young boy I always liked horses; I would run behind them just to touch them. Of course we didn’t have any money to buy one, and I lived in town.
AQHJ: Tell us about your first horse.
Joe: I worked at a farm on the weekends; this guy had horses he would let me ride. I bought my first horse in about 1958. I rode it to a show. I didn’t have a car or a trailer or anything. I ended up high-point at the show.
It has been 50 years that I have been winning ribbons and trophies. Time has gone by. That Quarter Horse is a great horse, and by God, that’s what I wanted. I wanted a cowboy horse, not a hunter/jumper. That’s what I ended up with, and it couldn’t have worked out any better. It’s been fun. I have the aches and pains to prove all the hard work that I did.
AQHJ: What kind of help did you get along the way?
Joe: I could make a list a mile long of people. Two people, other than my family, who really, really helped were Gill and Molly Henderson.
If I were to ever write a book, I would call it “Left Turn.” Way back in about 1967 one Sunday morning (my wife, Pat, and I) decided to go out and look for a piece of property. I came to a crossroad and I could have gone straight ahead or I could have turned right, but I turned left. I have no idea why, but I did. I saw a guy there and asked him about property for sale. He recognized me as a guy that had horses and he said that he worked for some people (the Hendersons) who had just bought a horse and they needed it trained. I was trying to get established in the training business.
A phone call put us together and that night I was at their house. Within a few days their horse was at my place and in no time they were building a show barn. I bought them some more horses, and they bought me a new truck and one of the first goose-neck trailers in Ontario and away I went.
That left turn was really good for me. (The Hendersons) really helped me, they were good people. I showed for them for quite awhile and then started my own business.
AQHJ: What have been some memorable moments in your judging career?
Joe: I’ve been really lucky. I’ve judged a lot of “first” things and all around the world. The two biggest shows I’ve judged are the All American Quarter Horse Congress and the AQHA World Championship Show. When I finally got to judge the World Show, and they gave me my World Show ring, that was a tremendous feeling because it was like I had made it.
I’ll always remember, one time when I was shoeing horses for a man, he said to me in response to a write-up about the current (judges committee) chairman in the Journal: “Man, just imagine that. If you were a judge, and then if you were the chairman of judges, just think of the stroke, the power you would have to show a horse. Everybody would know you.”
When I became the chairman of the judges (committee), what he said came back to me. I wish I could have talked to the guy and told him that when you get into those positions, you don’t feel like you have power, you’re humbled because you don’t want to mess up. [He laughed.]
AQHJ: What does being awarded Professional’s Choice AQHA Pro Horseman of the Year mean to you?
Joe: One judge came up to me and said he along with other judges, “In the whole horse industry, we think that is the ultimate thing, winning this ring.” Whether it is or not, I don’t know. But it is to me. I’m so proud of it.
Fun Fact - Joe and Pat Carter's daughter, Patti, was the 2006 Professional's Choice AQHA Pro Horsewoman of the Year.
