Page 99 - January 2018

“It has been a great business for me and
my family. Speedhorse will always be close to my heart.”
“Everything revolved around the stallions, but mother came up with the award dedicated to broodmares because they are the backbone of the industry.”
As publishing has changed drastically
in the last decade, Andy has witnessed the transformation first-hand. In print, Speedhorse continues to thrive today, and the publication’s
Andy, his mother Connie, his daughter Andrea, his sister Juliet and his daughter Gentry.
online version is also proving popular with readers and visitors to the website.
“When I started at the magazine out of college, we did everything,” Andy shared. “We had three typesetting machines, five typesetters, 10 paste-up artists; in the neighborhood of
30 people in the magazine department, alone. Today, there are 11 staff members.
“The printing end of it is much easier today than ever, just because you don’t need as many cogs in the wheel,” he added. “Publishing has gone from a very intensive printing process where many more people were required from start to
finish to a much easier, faster production process. It used to be very laborious. The
ease today has helped publishers gain days (in a production cycle). You can update
things right away today, instead of five or six weeks’ worth of work in the past. It has
helped in the deployment of material and has led to smaller staffs.”
Today, Andy is active in real estate and other new business challenges, and he still owns and operates Elite Trophies and Awards. His daughter, Gentry (one of two daughters—the other is Andrea), helps run the business.
As a testament to what the Golden family has meant to the American Quarter Horse industry, Connie, who passed away in 2012, is being inducted in the 2017 Oklahoma Quarter Horse Association Hall of Fame.
“She truly was instrumental in the success of the magazine and the industry,” Andy said. “And I have made tremendous friends in the horse business. It has been a great business for me and my family. Speedhorse will always be close to
my heart. I have seen some very positive things implemented since I retired. The magazine has a lot of talented, key employees.
“The (horse) industry has challenges, but I think if we deal with everything, the industry can have a bright future.”
“Our motto was always ‘What is good for the industry will be good for Speedhorse,’ in the long run...”
SPEEDHORSE, January 2018 97