Lyle Lovett Loves his Quarter Horses

Smart and Shiney with WEG USA Team Gold Medallist, Tim McQuay in the saddle

53 year old Texas native, Lyle Lovett, a well known country singer, has had a busy year with touring, numerous benefit appearances and a return to acting in ABC's Castle. He's also been occupied with his prized Quarter Horses!

In addition to a successful singing and acting career, Lyle Lovett, is a dedicated Quarter Horse enthusiast. One of his stallions, Smart and Shiney, competed in the World Equestrian Games and won a bronze medal for the Italian team. Lovett also competes himself, non-professionally, in reining events. He took time out recently to speak with The Dallas Morning News, by phone from Ardmore, Oklahoma, (where he was attending a horse show) and answered a couple of questions about his horse life.

When asked how many horses he has and how he got involved with reining, Lyle replied, “more than I can ride in a month... One of the things I enjoy about them is that I get to spend time in North Texas and Oklahoma. In 1998, I was just looking for a nice, gentle horse to have at home, for my dad to ride around the place. We were always trying to make our retired running horses into riding horses, but they're not the kind of horses you can put just anybody on. I started looking for a different kind of horse, and one thing led to another. I love how good-minded these horses are.”

In an interview with Horse & Rider magazine earlier this year, Lyle spoke about Smart and Shiney, saying "I’m involved with Smart And Shiney because of Tim and Colleen McQuay. We bought him kind of late in terms of buying a futurity horse - in May of his 3-year-old year. In the few months before that, I had started riding with Tim and Colleen. Tim called me one day and said, 'There’s a horse that we have a chance to buy, and if you’d ever like to be a part of one that’s really nice, this would be him.' I wasn’t really out looking for a futurity horse, but Tim knew I was interested in reining and certainly enthusiastic about the sport. So he called and offered me the opportunity. I have so much respect for Tim and Colleen. I’d known Tim for several years, and he’d never said that to me before about any other horse."

Horse & Rider also asked what it's like to ride Smart and Shiney and whether such a good horse can build confidence in a rider, "Absolutely. I feel as though every time I get to ride with my trainer, I learn something. Every time I go in the show pen, I learn something that helps me the next time. Riding Smart And Shiney gives me confidence and helps me build more confidence for the next time I ride,
and he helps me ride other horses well. Riding Smart And Shiney has taught me what it feels like to execute maneuvers properly, so when I’m on another horse I can do my best to try and get that same feeling. Riding such an exceptional, consistent horse improves my riding, reinforces the right “feel” and makes my judgment that much better.

Riding a good horse also gives you an idea of whether you can “get there” or not on another horse. It teaches you how far to push another horse and what to expect. Any time you’re in a show pen it’s a matter of managing the run and knowing when to go for it and when not to go for it. That’s one thing that makes it so infinitely challenging and so fun - no two runs are ever the same. You’re absolutely “in the moment” every time, and you have to make split-second decisions all the time."

It's fantastic to see a high profile entertainer not only seriously involved with horses but also keen to improve their riding and show performances. Go Lyle!