Pam Fletcher. Most of you know Pam as a great timer and Grandma to Makinley and Maddie Nielsen. I’m sure you’ve all heard Mack say GRANDMA in that tone whenever Pam tells her to do something when riding. I know that tone well, as my son Heath used to give me that same tone when I would suggest something to him. I learned to have Kathleen, Deb or Pam tell him what I thought would help so he would try it. KIDS! Every time I hear Mack say that I have to laugh to myself, because I know just how great of a horseperson Pam really is. Unfortunately there are very few members left that got the pleasure of seeing Pam ride. You have missed out on seeing one of the all time greats. And not just her, but her brother Buddy and sister Charlotte not to mention her husband Ralph and sister in law Lori. When I first joined WHO I quickly realized these were some of the elite riders in WHO. I watched them run Bareback Relay and thought these people are crazy! They never asked their horse to slow down even when coming into the next rider and I watched as Pam and Charlotte just dove off the horse as it turned the guys and hit the dirt and rolled a couple turns and then popped back up to prepare to help when the horse came back in. After getting to know them I found out they were all crazy, and fearless. It was a thing of beauty to watch these five run their horses through the patterns at speeds that we can all only wish we can. I was lucky enough to have Pam take me under her wing and give me advice and help me learn to ride. I had never been on a horse until I was twenty years old and really was hungry to learn how to be the best I could be. It was the generosity of people like the Hoffman/Fletcher family that helped me with the success that I have achieved. Even Dareece, the matriarch of the family would give me pointers and believe me I listened to everything I was told. It’s families like these that make WHO the awesome organization it is. Nowadays you will see the kids and grandkids ride and you will realize why Kattie Ackley, Kaycee Josi, Makinley, Maddie, and Briana Guenther are such great riders and genuinely nice people who are willing to share their knowledge about horses. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention Matt and Tanya in here. They both are great products of the family, and even though we don’t get to see them ride like they used to, we can keep hoping they will start back as they keep saying they will. The exciting part is that we have another generation of the family with Briley, Laney, Reagan and Dylan riding in the peewee classes. I just wish Mack and Maddie had the pleasure of seeing their Grandma, Buddy, Charlotte and Lori ride and I consider myself lucky I did. I was lucky enough to have Pam ride with me on her last Interstate Bareback team and with my kids and Ralph in teams on his last Interstate. I will say that there was one piece of advice I should have listened to Pam on and that was “Tully, paints aren’t bred to run”. She told me that when I brought Patch, my first paint and one of the first in WHO to his first show. I told her I didn’t pay much for him and I should be able to get my money back if he didn’t work out. After he ran his first 19 in poles I went over to Pam and said paints aren’t bred to run and to this day I still say that to her. But only once in a while since now I have Turner. What can I say Pam, Paints are cheap to buy is my only excuse. The moral of this story is if someone tries to help you out by giving you a suggestion about something that might possibly help you get better, listen and see if it works. The one thing I have always loved about WHO is the willingness of our members to encourage each other and root for them. And listen when someone gives you advice about something they think might help you get just a bit more out of your runs. You never know when you might have gotten advice from one of the best riders ever.
Happy Holidays, Tully