Colorado Horse Professionals Share What They Learned From the Kiowa, Colorado, Reining Trainer
If you’ve spent much time in Colorado’s western horse scene, chances are pretty good you crossed paths with a tall, lanky cowboy with a great big smile—Guy Vernon. He probably told you a joke or willingly answered your question, whether it was about horse care, a training technique, or a penalty from the National Reining Horse Association rulebook. Or maybe he jumped in at a horse show you competed at when they needed a hand running a gate, setting up markers, or filling in for an announcer. Vernon never held back when it came to helping others.
“That’s the biggest thing that stands out to me about Guy,” recalls Franktown, Colorado, professional horseman Devin Warren. “There was never a stranger. He was always there if anyone needed anything.”
Vernon died suddenly on April 20, 2022, and our Colorado horse community, along with his wife, Valerie, and daughter and son-in-law, Lacey and Shane, will never be the same. In honor of Vernon, we asked a few of his peers to share their memories about their friend and fellow professional horse trainer.
Mister Personality
When Vernon graduated from Lamar Community College’s horse-training program, he went to work for reining professional Terry Wegener. The two were quite a pair, and both loved a good joke and never tired of playing games or tricks on each other. There was an ongoing fight with rubber-band guns, playing a version of chicken on fence posts, and more that kept the two of them entertained and their customers laughing—if not also on their toes!
Warren recalls a past Rocky Mountain Reining Horse Association Summer Slide show back when it was in Brighton when Vernon and Wegener served as entertainment during drags in the main arena. They might’ve drawn more of a crowd than the horses and riders showing during the event.
“Sometimes he’d be on the mic at a show,” Warren shares. “I remember a rider ran down to stop, lost a stirrup, fumbled to get into position, and fell off the horse. Guy got on the mic and jokingly said, ‘You OK, princess?’ He was always there if you needed a laugh or a hand.”
A Rulebook Master
Vernon knew his NRHA rulebook front to back, probably backward, too, and took becoming a carded NRHA official very seriously. He was a sought-after judge for many large shows and events, and his mentor Wegener remembers that Vernon basically never missed anything that happened in the show pen.
“He could see it all,” Wegener, who now lives in Idaho, recalls. “He never missed a penalty and could always support his card with facts. You could call him any time of day to ask a rule question, and no matter what he was doing, Guy could tell you exactly what page the rule was on, and probably even the subsection.”
Wegener remembers judging shows with Vernon and arguing over penalties. Vernon would dig in his heels if he felt he was right, but always kept it gentlemanly.
“He didn’t have a problem disagreeing if he thought you were in the wrong,” Warren agrees. “But he did it without being a jerk.”
Elbert, Colorado, professional Shane Brown concurs on Vernon’s commitment to his role as a judge.
“Judging was important to him,” Brown says. “Most good judges are always trying to improve, and he definitely was constantly talking to other judges to get better. He had a lot of respect for the NRHA judges’ system and always wanted to make it better, as well as improve his own skills and those of people around him.”
A Top-Notch Showman
“Guy could get on just about anything and show it better than anyone else,” Wegener recalls. “Catch-riding isn’t easy, but Guy made it look like it was.”
“I remember him showing in an open class at Gladstone, New Jersey, for a United States Equestrian Team event when his bridle broke mid-run,” Brown recalls. “I think a Chicago screw fell out, and the bit was around his horse’s neck, but Guy still had ahold of the reins. Instead of quitting, Guy kept right on showing and actually put together a phenomenal run.”
Along with the ability to show off the best traits a horse has—even under tough circumstances— Vernon was an accomplished freestyle reining competitor. Freestyle reining requires the rider to choreograph his own routine by including required reining maneuvers in a pattern to music of the rider’s choice—costumes are encouraged. Vernon rode in just about every freestyle competition hosted in Colorado, as well as at other major events including the NRHA Futurity and many others.
The Committed Committee Member
Vernon served on more committees and boards for various organizations of all levels than one can count. No matter if it was a committee for a national association or as a leader in the local reining club, he looked at all decisions through the same lens: What’s best for Colorado horse people?
“Guy always voted and spoke on behalf of what was best for Colorado,” Warren states. “He never thought of himself or one singular group of people. He always put everyone else—the greater good—ahead of what might be best for him personally. Everyone else was always first.”
“Guy was kind and smart,” NRHA Commissioner Gary Carpenter says in an official press release. “He didn’t think exactly like everyone else, which was part of his charm. He was a champion for NRHA’s affiliate program.”
Always for the Horses and the Riders
“Guy always had great perspective,” Eaton, Colorado, professional Michelle Chapman recalls. “We were at a show in Nebraska shortly before he passed. I’d finished a run I wasn’t pleased with and was watching my video. I was picking it apart and being negative. I didn’t realize Guy was behind me until he told me not to be so negative; that there’s another show, another run. His perspective helped all of his riders as well as his peers. He taught me that it’ll always look better after a few hours.”
Everyone we spoke to recalled Vernon’s commitment to putting his horses and customers first, something he came by naturally and was further emphasized when he worked for Wegener and implemented after Vernon went out on his own.
“We didn’t let our egos get in the way,” Wegener shares. “If we knew a horse or a rider would do better in another trainer’s program—or even if it just made their lives easier because they were a shorter distance to one of us—we’d encourage them to go ride with the other trainer. There were horses I knew would do better with Guy, and I told my customers that they might have more success in his program with that particular horse. We always wanted each other to be successful, but we really wanted our customers and their horses to be in the best situation, which leads to their success.”
This integrity led Vernon to be loved and respected by his customers and drew new riders to him. Competition and prize money can sometimes alter commitment to integrity, but never for Vernon.
“It might sound cliché, but we all strived to be more like him,” Brown concludes. “He was such a good human, super-honest, and he gave back all the way around.”
If you’d like to support the Vernon family and honor Guy Vernon’s memory, please make a contribution to the Guy H. Vernon Memorial Fund via Venmo (guyvernonmemfund) or send a check payable to Guy H. Vernon Memorial Fund, C/O Bank of the West, P.O. Box 955, Elizabeth, Colorado, 80107.
See this article in the July/August 2022 online edition:
July/August 2022
Jennifer Paulson, a creative content strategist with a strong editorial background and who is also a lifelong Colorado horsewoman. She is currently the Editorial Director for The Colorado Horse Source Magazine. “The Colorado horse community is one of the reasons Jennifer is where she is professionally and in her horse life. Editorial direction and membership modeling played large parts in her role as Western Editorial Director for the Equine Network, and she’s excited to apply her key learnings on this brand as well as develop new ideas for content and service to our audience.”