From Trail and Western Riding to Horsemanship and Western Pleasure, Tuesday at the John Justin Arena in Fort Worth offered something for everyone throughout the day.
Sara Simons’ Trio of Trophies
Sara Simons started the day with world champions and ended the day with another. She showed On The Scene to win the world title in Green Trail for Mack Show Horses in her first class of the day, and followed with a second world championship in the very next class, in Senior Western Riding with One Flashy Sensation, showing for Lauren Gralla.
She ended the day by winning a world championship title in the 4 Year Old and Older Western Pleasure Sweepstakes aboard Refleet, showing for youth owner Chase Hanson. Sara took the four year old sorrel gelding through his paces in a field of 14 horses.
“We bought Refleet a year ago for Chase,” Sara said. “We started showing him in December and just kept going. He has a lot of personality. He’s a very loving horse and he wants to be in your pocket all the time. He’s so consistent - he jogs great and lopes great and he has a phenomenal topline. It’s very natural for him, plus he’s flashy. Chase won both the Novice Youth Western Pleasure and the Youth 14-18 Western Pleasure with him last week.”
More ‘Moola’ for Moola and Katy Jo Zuidema
Moola lived up to his name when Katy Jo Zuidema showed Moola to win the Two Year Old Breeders Trust Western Pleasure for owner Meghan Tierney. The trio earned $8,032 for the world title. “We call him Floyd, after Floyd Mayweather,” Katy Jo said of the stallion by No Doubt Im Lazy and out of Did It For A Cookie.
“We bought him at the NSBA yearling sale last year. In August, Meghan won the Two Year Old Limited Non-Pro with him at the NSBA World Championship Show, and I was third in the Color Two Year Old Western Pleasure, so we won sale graduate money with him in that, and then he was eligible for the Breeders Trust here.
“He’s a little bit of a late bloomer, but he was eligible for these programs so we were able to show him well. I’m really looking forward to watching him grow up and mature. We will have a lot of three year old events to choose from for him to compete in next year since he is double-registered (AQHA and APHA). We'll do whatever we feel like doing with him next year."
Alexis Miller and While U Were Asleep Unanimous Novice Amateur Western Pleasure Champions
Alexis Miller and While U Were Asleep not only won a world championship in Novice Amateur Western Pleasure but were the unanimous choice among the judges. “I bought Miranda last year, and this is my first year to show Western Pleasure,” Alexis said of her five year old mare by Too Sleepy To Zip.
“I’ve shown hunters and I did some Reining in college. We bought her as an All Around horse to do Trail, Western Riding and Horsemanship, but she’s been even better as a Western Pleasure horse as she’s grown up and gotten stronger. She’s taught me a lot.”
Jenna Hyde also showed While U Were Asleep to a reserve world title in Green Trail.
Other world champions crowned on Tuesday included Coin Machine and Christine Zimmerman, Amateur Horsemanship and Got Sensation and Amy Novacek, Masters Amateur and Intermediate Masters Amateur Horsemanship.
The APHA World Championship Show continues through Sunday. To view complete show results, please visit www.apha.com/worldshow/results
