“It tugs on your heart,” Emily Fick said of her win in the APHA Breeders Trust Non-Pro Three Year Old Hunter Under Saddle on Thursday during the APHA World Championship Show. Emily watched her mount, All Ways Lazy grow up at her parents’ farm in Western Pennsylvania, and then her sister, Erin, added his under saddle education at her training facility in Ocala, Florida.
The Fick family earned $4,446.00 with UConn’s win in the Breeders Trust class
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A Championship Connection
“When he was born, the UConn women’s basketball team won the national championship, so his barn name is UConn,” Emily said of the gelding, who is by Lopin Lazy and out of Its All Fancy.
“My dad doesn’t get to watch me how very often, and he flew in to the World Show to watch us show. He had his UConn shirt on, so he brought the luck.”
After UConn won the APHA Breeders Trust futurity as a two year old with Erin in 2017, he had an accident that required stitches, and took time off from the show arena to heal.
“He actually had an allergic reaction to a shot after he got hurt as a three year old, so he’s been hanging out and rehabbing,” Emily said of the now four year old gelding. My mom and sister got to thinking about it and since I’m the only one in the family who is a Non-Pro, we thought, why not go for it, so we brought him here.
“Since he is in Florida with my sister Erin and I live and work in Eastern Pennsylvania, I don’t get to ride him that much. This summer, I tried to fly down to see Erin and ride about once a month. Prior to this, I got to show him at the Pinto World, but this is our first big outing.”
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Happy Horse
Emily noted that UConn loves his job. “He’s always happy, and he loves to show,” she said.
“That makes my job easier. As long as you sit back and relax, he relaxes and shows. That’s hard for me though, because I’m a nervous Nellie. When I was warming up, Erin gave me a sign to breathe, and I did. He warmed up great and I felt really confident.”
The APHA World Championship Show continues through Sunday, September 29. To see complete show results or view the live video stream, visit apha.com/oawcs/
