Thursday saw some first-time Congress champions as well as some veteran exhibitors being crowned as the Congress heads into the thick of the pattern, Western Pleasure and Hunter Under Saddle classes.
What We All Dream Of
New South Wales’ Holly Skopp had never even shown at the All American Quarter Horse Congress until Thursday, but she made the most of her one and only class to show, by claiming the Congress NSBA, Southern Belle Breeders and Super Sires championships unanimously aboard Just Stoppin By, showing for the All4One Partnership.
“We bought ‘Freckles’ out of the NSBA Yearling Sale last year,” Holly said. “Jay and Kristy have had her since November of last year, they took her home from there and started her. They’ve worked so hard with her. She’s just so broke.
“I came over to the NSBA World Show for a few days and got a feel for her there and showed her there. She tied to win with another horse that the All4One Partnership owns. She’s come so far since then.”
Holly was a quick study of the mare. “I just came back over this week and had five days with her before we showed today. These guys made it so easy.
“I’m so grateful to the Starnes and the All4One Partnership. We partnered with Bruce and Kathy Hegan and my husband Kane and I for the All4One Partnership. This is a team effort. Kane made sacrifices at the farm at home so my mum and I could be here, and Bruce and Kath are at home cheering me on.”
Holly gave credit to her show partner. “She was just there. She made it easy, so I could just focus on showing her. She’s so natural that I think it’s just easy for her. She just lays her legs out and just makes it look pretty when she goes.”
Training comes naturally for Holly. “My mum trains horses and my partner and I train horses back home,” she said. “To win at this level, with this caliber of horses. It’s emotional, it’s indescribable.”
Just Stoppin By is by Heart Stoppin/VQH Heart Stoppin, and out of A Vital Angel.
An Ode To Sarah
Cody Parrish showed Sarahenade to a reserve championship to his father, Bret Parrish, two days ago in the Open $10,000 Limited Horse Western Pleasure, and came back to the Limited portion of the class to win his own championship for owner Jane Damaske. It was a triumphant return for the mare known as Belle, who had won the Level 1 Amateur Western Pleasure at the Congress in 2021. She is by Too Sleepy To Zip and out of Good Looking Hotrod. Owner Jane Damaske bred the mare.
It was a special and emotional win for owner Jane Damaske for several reasons. “Our older daughter’s birthdate was 3.28.81, and her name was Sarah. We lost her to melanoma cancer, and she was an avid horsewoman and enjoyed her bays,” she said.
“When she was diagnosed, they told us she had maybe six months because she was already Stage 4, but she made it almost two years. She was one month shy of her 28th birthday. Since Sarahenade was born on her birthday, 3.28.18, and a bay, we had to honor her with the name. We’ve had several offers to sell her, but she is so special to us that she’ll always be ours. She had some time off, and we couldn’t be more proud of her coming back.”
Cody and Bret have had a good-natured rivalry in the class most of the year as they showed against each other. “We did the same thing at the NSBA World Show,” laughed Cody, “I just can’t get around him. He won’t let me in there.”
Cody was proud of his horse. “Belle is just so talented. She has so much self-carriage and rhythm. Honestly she’s made a little old school – she’s made up hill and she lopes out of her shoulder, she just carries herself. I think that’s what makes her stand out in the arena. Her cadence and rhythm and the way she carries herself is really neat. She’s very talented,” he said.
Belle has been in training with the Parrish family for about a year and a half. “She’s six year’s old so she’s so strong. She’s made right and it’s easy for her to hold herself. Part of that is how she’s made and part of that is because of her physical maturity. We knew she was going to be a bit of a long-term project and the owners, the Damaske family, have been on board since Day 1 and have been great about letting me take my time with her, and obviously it’s paid off. This is our first time to work together and the first horse we’ve had together and it’s been a great experience.”
A Fun Ride
Mallory and Shouldv Known Better won the Three Year Old Non-Pro Hunter Under Saddle Stakes NSBA, Southern Belle Breeders and Super Sires divisions, against a stiff group of horses.
“This is Marshall, and we just got together at the first of the year,” Mallory said. “My mom (Shannon Walker) called me and said I got a special one, and I said ‘let’s do it.’” The gelding is by Good Better Best and out of From The First Hello, and was bred by Nancy Sue Ryan.
The duo showed at the Premier, in Minnesota, NSBA World Show and here at the Congress. “I had to work when the Non-Pro three year old class ran at the NSBA World Show, but we showed in the Limited Non-Pro Three Year Old class and won it. We also won the Amateur Hunter Under Saddle there and that was very special.
“He is such a natural talent. You get to float him up there and he’s just a fun ride.”
A Trail To Championships
Two exhibitors earned Congress championship titles in Trail on Thursday. Brandon Mehochko showed Extra Dirty Martini to win the Level 1 Senior Trail for owner Janet Lange. Extra Dirty Martini is by The Best Martini and out of Certain Mouseketeer, and was bred by the University of Florida Foundation.
“Larry is eight years old, and we’ve been working on the Trail together for the past two years, and we’ve had him in training for three years. It’s been a work in progress and it came together here at the Congress,” Brandon said.
“He was listening the whole time, picking up his feet and let me put him in every spot. He was just a good boy. In the pattern today, my biggest concern was the serpentines, because he can be a little stiff, so I just worked on keeping him nice and supple and he was there.”
The win was Brandon’s first Congress championship. “It’s unreal,” he said.
In the Junior Level 1 Trail, Anthony Montes showed VS The Fireman to the first of two Congress championships the AQHA stallion would win on the day for owner Ingrid Miller Quarter Horses LLC. The duo also won the Level 1 Junior Western Riding Congress championship.
It was the first Congress Trail championship for ‘Gronk.’ “I love his footwork, his presence. He has so much expression and the way his trot footwork and lope footwork is so incredible. It’s something you just can’t teach horses – they either have it or they don’t. God blessed me with Ingrid and him,” Anthony said.
The stallion has become quite the All Around horse. “I always say if he was a little taller he would make a Hunter Under Saddle horse too, because he has a great extended trot,” laughed Anthony.
VS The Fireman is by Machine Made and out of VS Lady In Red and was bred by Kristen Galyean.
The All American Quarter Horse Congress continues through Sunday, October 27. To learn more about the Congress, view the schedule or show results, please visit the Quarter Horse Congress website or visit the Horse Show Tracker app.
