Joe Hull

October 24 Award Winner

Joe Hull

It’s easy to see that Joe Hull has made an incredible impact, as Ally Wilson, Erica Kurutz, Grant Skala, and Jessica Johnson all nominated him for this award. They each have their own stories and great things to say about him.

Ally Wilson had bought a new horse, Keno, and worked and worked but couldn’t keep up with his agility and speed. She went to Joe and says, “Joe quickly became my confidence, strength, and hope for my future with Keno. From then on, he has been my trainer and got me running Keno to his full potential. I’ll forever be grateful to Joe for this!” When they are at the Congress, Ally says, “He calms my nerves before every run as he leads me in and coaches me through warmups. And he is always putting himself second to his clients and their horses.”

Erica Kurutz says, “Joe helps you from his heart to make you a better rider and gets the most enjoyment from watching you grow and succeed. If your struggling and ask for his help, he automatically jumps in and does his best to help you figure out the problem.” One of her favorite memories from the Congress was in 2019. “I made the top 5, and he was so proud of me at the moment- it was the best feeling.”

Grant Skalaand says Joe always takes his time and makes sure that you understand what he is teaching you. He doesn’t do it for money, but he likes to help people and their horses. Grant shared a story from the Congress when he forgot to change into boots before his class. “I had forgotten to change my boots before I went in, and Joe gave me his to wear, and he wore mine! Now his feet are a lot bigger than mine, but he didn’t care. I ended up placing 6th in the Youth Poles too!”

Jessica Johnson says that Joe sets the perfect example of being a reliable, patient, and resilient horseman. “He has taught us to cheer for our friends and be happy regardless of the outcome of the show or rodeo. Although we compete in timed events, he has taught us that we are only competing against ourselves. We treat our horses as family and work as a team together.” Jessica explains that Joe was recently diagnosed with cancer, and he has undergone multiple surgeries, chemotherapy, and radiation. Jessica says he has demonstrated how one must overcome, work hard, and never give up reaching goals through all of this. “He did not let this terrible diagnosis change him as a person or trainer. He continues to educate, encourage, and inspire me to become the best horseman that I can be. His only characteristics and the positive effect that he has on those around him make him so worthy of this.”