Rusty and Katie Green felt like one of their recent additions to the barn had some catching up to do, but when Cowgirl Take Me Away stood in first place in the Three Year Old Open Western Pleasure at The Madness on Thursday, the Greens realized that ‘Cowgirl’ had moved to the head of the class. Rusty and Cowgirl earned $1,180.80 for the first place finish for owner Beth McNichol, besting 12 entries in the class.
“We haven’t had her that long,” Rusty said. “We had been looking for a horse for Beth, but it had to be a mare, fit into the McNichols’ breeding program and be a good Non-Pro horse. It took us a while to find her, but we did.
“We showed her for the first time at the A Sudden Impulse Futurity in the Three Year Old Maiden Futurity and placed third two weeks ago. This time, she was a lot more settled when she showed. She’s just exquisite, and she has so much balance. She tries everything you ask of her. She rode really well today.”
“We first saw this mare when she was just a weanling on her momma’s side at Masterson Farms, and we tried to buy her then,” Katie Green added. “She was as pretty then as she is now. We liked how pretty she was made, and that she has such a great family behind her.”
That family includes leading AQHA and NSBA sire RL Best Of Sudden, and dam Certainly A Goodbar. Cowgirl’s mother was reserve champion in the Reichert Celebration $250,000 Challenge with Patrick Heeley aboard. Cowgirl’s grand dam, Certainly A Classic, who is by Certain Potential, was an AQHA Select World Show top five and Superior earner in Western Pleasure. Certainly A Classic has produced money earners of more than $60,000 and more than 500 AQHA points.
Born and raised by Masterson Farms LLC and started by the farm’s head trainer Casey Willis mid-year last year, Cowgirl had less time in the learning process than some of her peers. “We just kind of felt that with COVID and everything last year, a lot of the two year olds that would have been shown, and weren’t, had all that extra prep time that she didn’t get. So, she had some time to make up. But I think she’s starting to figure out her job,” Katie said.
Rusty and Cowgirl will continue to show in the 2021 Three Year Old Open Western Pleasure events, and owner Beth McNichol may get into the saddle to show in some Non-Pro events this fall.
The top five placings in the Three Year Old Open Western Pleasure Futurity were:
1- Cowgirl Take Me Away, Rusty Green for Beth McNichol, $1,180.80
2- Start Ur Engines, Andy Cochran for Capital Quarter Horses LLC, $811.80
3- Itsa Southern Belle, Aaron Moses for Shannon Vroegh, $701.10
4- LunaMoon, Angie Cannizzaro for Scott and Linda Berwick, $369.00
5- Made Sleepy, Gil Galyean for Gil and Becky Galyean, $332.10
The futurity class was joined on Thursday by AQHA and NSBA Dual-Approved Western Riding, Horsemanship and Western Pleasure classes throughout the day. The Madness continues through Sunday, May 16. For additional information, please visit anequineproduction.com, visit the SOQHA Facebook page, or view the Show Tracker app for updates.
