It's Non-Pros Turn At Trail
After watching youth and professionals take their turn at the Trail course, Amateur and Select riders competed for their share at the prizes on Friday.
Katherine Tobin and Suddenly A Good Bar piloted their way to a 234 score early in the class and had a long wait to determine if the score would hold up in AQHA and NSBA Amateur Select Trail. "I was third to go in the order, and I didn't look at the scores," Katherine said. "I didn't know I had won until after the last horse had gone, and someone texted me congratulations."
Katherine bought "Roanie" two years ago. "This is my first win with him here at the Congress," she said. "I really liked the serpentine in this pattern. It's always busy on the end of the pen that we share with the Amateurs, but I was able to talk to him a d he listened and paid attention to me."
Angela Wade and One Hot Drama Mama took the win in AQHA and NSBA Amateur Trail, scoring 236 in the process. "It was nerve-wracking until the end," Angela said.
"She was so good for me today. She was right there with me through the whole pattern, and all of the show aspects of the pattern were great. It was a really special win, because I had won the Western Pleasure here at the Congress and won the world twice, but I've been reserve here twice and fourth, so I'm very excited."
Tops In Western Riding
Following the morning's classes, Amateur and Select Amateur Level 1 Western Riding classes saw riders take their horses through the series of lead changes on the course.
In Level 1 AQHA and NSBA Amateur Western Riding, Trevor Johns showed Lopin For A Chex to both titles. "It's been a while since I have been in the saddle," Trevor said. "I won the Western Riding in 2006 at the Youth World, but I just started showing again in 2015. This is my first Congress championship. It's pretty exhilarating.
"I love being able to do this with my family. It started with my grandpa, and extended to my mom (Susie Johns), brother (Jeff) and my aunt (Katherine Tobin). I'm so fortunate to be able to share the horses with them and the enthusiasm that the whole family has for showing."
Steve Heckaman & Rusty Green with Fortheloveofthegame
Western Pleasure Winners
Abi Tuiososopo and Lexus Made Lady won an emotional victory as well as the Congress AQHA and NSBA championship titles in Amateur Western Pleasure.
"One year ago today I was recovering from colon cancer surgery," Abi said. "Now this year I'm cancer free, and I was riding for two because I'm six months pregnant. This is just surreal.
"I told Brett, Candy and Cody Parrish that I was pregnant right after the NSBA World Show, and that I felt it was important that I show here. They weren't going to tell me no. God gets all the glory because this is his plan, not mine. It was so ironic because as we were in the line waiting for the results, the song 'Just Another Day In Paradise' was playing, and I had to laugh."
In the final class of the night, Steve Heckaman made a half joking goal come true when he won the Three Year Old Limited Open Western Pleasure Futurity aboard Fortheluvofthegame for Alexis McCollough.
"I had jokingly said that I was one of the youngest trainers to win a Congress futurity class when I was 23 and won with Shy Prescription, so it would be kind of funny to be one of the oldest ones in the twilight of my career to win one.
"Rusty Green is my brother in law, and he hasn't had this horse very long," he said. "I have probably only ridden him in the last five or six days, but he's come together really well. You never know what's going to happen when you get here, so we were all sort of shooting from the him in preparing him. But it all fell into place."
A Foxy Hunter Finals
Angela Fox showed HP The Rusty Fox to win the only Hunter Under Saddle class of the day, the Limited division of the Two Year Old Non-Pro Hunter Under Saddle Stakes.
"We just got him eight days before the NSBA World Show," Angela said. "He started out as a Western Pleasure horse, but Beth Case thought he had potential in the Hunter Under Saddle, so we quickly changed him into a Hunt Seat horse.
"We won the BCF Non-Pro Two Year Olds and were reserve in the world show there. I've been waiting for my next All Around horse, and I scoured Facebook and called everyone when we found him with Darren Putnam. He's by the Mechanic. He's big and pretty and always happy."
The All American Quarter Horse Congress continues through Sunday, October 29. To view complete show results, please visit www.quarterhorsecongress.com.
