At age three, she rode a horse for the first time. At five, she entered her first horse show. By the time she was eight, she'd bagged a trophy.

 

“That was the first day of the rest of my life,” Carol Rose told a crowd in the Horn Auditorium recently. “Two years later, they bought me a horse trailer, and that's been the story ever since.”

Headlining a Leadership Lecture Series event, the 2006 Galbreath Award winner was on campus speak with students about her life and times and preview her acceptance speech for the November 16 presentation of the prestigious annual award in Oklahoma City. Since 1990, the U of L Equine Industry Program has presented the award to an extraordinary entrepreneur who has led some segment of the industry in a positive direction.

Rose, the American Quarter Horse Association's #1 all-time leading breeder of performance horses, has made a career of raising the bar for breeders and exhibitors.

Her comments included several insights into the roots of her success.

“My life is my business. And my business is my life.”

“I strive for perfection. I believe in my commitments. I'm extremely competitive, but I have total respect for those who also are competitive.”

“In my education, I made a mistake not taking advantage of extra-curricular activities. I was too busy riding horses. The people you meet in college offer lifelong advantages.”

“I considered becoming a vet, but I realized it was going to take way too much school.”

“When I joined the Livestock Judging Team, it changed my life. I learned to think quickly, to make good decisions and to defend my decisions. I use those skills every day.”

“Always run your business so when you're gone somebody can step in the next day.”

Rose said winning the Galbreath award was a humbling experience because it signified “earning the respect of my peers.”

“I have been recognized in the industry many times, but none as significant as this,” she said. “I am deeply honored.”

The program also included remarks by Bob Lawrence, who created the EIP and the Galbreath award and recently retired as director of the program, and current EIP director Rich Wilcke, who has led the award selection process since 1995.