48 SIDELINES OCTOBER 2013
FOR HORSE PEOPLE • ABOUT HORSE PEOPLE
By Arianna Delin
In the small town of Aiken, South Carolina, there is a booming
horse industry. It is here, tucked away, that Megan and JPGoddard
have their show management business, Equus Events. Years in
the making, the couple has turned a small family operation into a
string of well-known competitions.
JP grew up in Aiken and has had a hand in show management
since he was a kid. When he was growing up, his father would
provide equipment for the local horse shows. JP would often
help him work at the shows, and eventually began working for
managers such as Bob Bell, Mike Morrisey and Dave Burton.
After graduating from college, course designing and show
management became a full-time career. JP started designing
courses at numerous shows and began Equus Events, which
hosts a variety of events throughout the year.
Equus Events is the umbrella under which the Atlanta Three-
Day Challenge is hosted, along with a spring series in Aiken, a
summer series in Tryon, North Carolina, a three-week circuit in
Fairburn, Georgia and finishing up with a fall circuit back in Aiken.
“We have a string of shows and, next year, we have our 10 year
anniversary at the Atlanta Three-Day Challenge,” said JP. “It’s the
first show we produced.”
JP may have started the company by himself, but it wouldn’t be
possible without his counterpart, Megan. This former professional
rider from Memphis, Tennessee said she “grew up in the horse
industry, riding and showing professionally.”
When Megan and JP met, she was riding for David Pellegrini,
competing at Equus Events shows. “I met her a while before we
started dating. I saw her at horse shows and we started dating
while she was riding professionally,” remarked JP. “Two years
later, we moved to Aiken and got married.”
Eight years later, Megan and JP have become a dream team
in the show management business, complementing each other’s
strengths and weaknesses. Bringing the best of both worlds to
Equus Events, they are able to see a horse show from both the
competitor’s viewpoint as well as the side of management. It’s the
little details that make this duo unstoppable and enable them to
host an amazing show.
“I see things from the exhibitor’s point of view and JP sees
things from management’s, so I might see something that he
might not have thought of,” explained Megan. “I definitely don’t
think exhibitors realize how hard it is to run a horse show, to
make decisions, to keep everyone happy. And I think as far as
the manager on the other side, it’s hard to keep everyone on
schedule. Sometimes things go wrong; there might be a million
reasons why someone is late to a class or ring and the manager
doesn’t see that.”
Along with making sure the horse show is run correctly down to
the last detail, Megan and JP try to work with the trainers and their
clients, hosting various types of hospitality events such as food
tents and parties, to give back to their clients.
Keeping riders and trainers happy is a key point for the owners
of Equus Events. The husband-wife team has accomplished their
goal: last year Equus Events was awarded the Zone 4 Member’s
Choice Award.
“We were competing against shows such as WEF and Ocala
and we won a Member’s Choice Award which was very rewarding,”
said JP. “It’s nice when it goes well and ends well and people
leave happy.”
According to JP, the hardest part about managing a show
is making decisions that you know will not please everyone.
Sometimes Mother Nature gets in the way and the show has to be
held up or classes have to be moved around. He explained that he
tries to make the decisions that will please everyone and be in the
best interest of the majority of the riders and their horses.
As JP goes off to manage the shows, Megan usually stays
behind with her kids, Maddie and Lane, riding when she can.
“Maybe I’ll get a horse in the next few years. My little girl is riding,
so when she rides, mommy rides!” exclaimed Megan.
About the writer: Arianna Delin is a 24-year-old Pennsylvania State University
graduate who is currently a news editor at a community paper in New Jersey. She
has grown up around horses her entire life, competing in ‘A’ rated shows along the
Northeast.
The Best of Both Worlds at Equus Events
e
JP and Megan
JP enjoying time
with his children.
Photo by Shawn McMillen
Megan presents Isabella Di Benedetto and Pussycat Doll with
the Grand Pony Hunter Championship at the Tryon Summer
Classic Horse Show presented by Equus Events.
Photo by DonWestPhotos.com
