Meet APHA Member Model Search Grand Prize Winner Sid Karr.
By Rachel Florman

Sid Karr knows what it means to have a show presence.
With a bright smile and champion’s attitude, the horseman from Aubrey, Texas, shines in the show pen and, more recently, in front of the camera as the male winner of Chrome’s inaugural model search for APHA members.
“In showmanship and horsemanship, it’s all about making a great impression in your performances, and I think the same goes for when you’re in front of the camera,” Sid said. “You want to make sure you look your best.”
Sid is currently enjoying his 40^th year of equine competition; he caught the horse showing bug as a 9-year-old through 4-H, and his passion has never ceased. Over the years, Sid has competed through APHA and with other breeds and colored horses including Appaloosas and palominos.
“I’ve just always liked colored horses,” he said. “I’ve always thought they were pretty and that they stood out; I’m just attracted to them. I started showing Paints around 2004, and I enjoy the APHA community.”
Sid has celebrated great success with Paint Horses over the years—his former mounts include Dont Rock My World, a 2000 sorrel overo gelding; Good Enough, a 2002 red roan tobiano gelding; and Im All Fancy, a 2005 bay overo gelding.
Most recently Sid clinched a reserve world championship in Classic Amateur Showmanship with Im Fancy N I Know It at the 2013 APHA World Championship Show.
“I really love horsemanship and showmanship because they’re challenging for me,” Sid said. “It’s all about the horse and rider working in unison, and also about the rider’s capability. I’m always striving to make myself better. Even at 49, I’m watching all of my peers to find new ways to improve.”
Last Minute
Though he was a natural model, Sid almost didn’t enter the Chrome model search.
“The day before the entries were due, a friend of mine sent me a Facebook message asking if I’d entered yet,” he said. “I hadn’t even heard about it! So she sent me the link and said, ‘You have got to enter this.’
“I had recently done a photo shoot with Terri Cage and she said, “I’ve got the perfect photo for you to send it!’ I filled everything out and submitted at the last minute; it all just snowballed from there.”
Well-versed in feeling the pressure, Sid kept calm for his modeling debut.
“I wasn’t nervous, but I was definitely excited,” he said. “The facilities [at Selah Ranch] was amazing, and everyone pulled together to create a really great photo shoot.”
Though the two-day shoot was a whirlwind production, Sid says he enjoyed getting to know fellow models, longtime show friend Karly Furnas as well as model search finalists Chet Sadberry and Casey Houseman. He also had fun modeling outfits that felt plucked straight from his own closet.
“A shot that stood out to me was at the Prairie House restaurant and I’m sitting on a Dr. Pepper case,” Sid said. “It was a really unique setting, and I just loved the outfit. Under a red and black plaid shirt, I was wearing a shirt with red stitching that, paired with my black hat, felt right at home; it was something I would wear every day.”
In the end, Sid was certainly glad he entered.
“Oh, I’m so excited I won!” he said. “I have friends from coast to coast thanks to the Paint Horse industry, so I’m proud to be able to represent the industry in a positive light.”