LThe weather gave exhibitors challenges on the final Friday of the All American Quarter Horse Congress but the competition remained hot at the world’s largest horse show. The show saw more futurity and stakes classes finalize and Amateur events continued toward the show’s home stretch..
Tim Zuidema and Shock Top Win Limited Three Year Old Western Pleasure
Tim Zuidema showed Best Brew At The Bar to win the Limited Open Three Year Old Western Pleasure Futurity. The stallion by No Doubt Im Lazy had won the Limited Three Year Old Non-Pro Western Pleasure Futurity with owner Sarah Nimigan.
“He’s an awesome horse,” Tim said of the stallion known as Shock Top. “He’s been easy to train, easy to show, great jogger, he’s beautiful. He’s everything you’d want in a show horse.”
Judges in the class had different opinions about the winners, so the class came down to a tiebreaker between Joy Wheeler and Born Sophisticated and Tim and Shock Top. “We weren’t sure who had won it,” Tim said. “They asked if I was riding in a Harris saddle, and I said, ‘does that mean I won it?’ and they said yes. I never thought I’d win the Congress with two seconds and fifth, but whatever it takes!”
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Sandra Morgan and Im Willy Good Today Take Two Year Old Stakes
Im Willy Good Today proved to be good for owner Sandra Morgan in the Two Year Old Hunter Under Saddle Stakes. The gelding had won the Open Two Year Old Hunter Under Saddle Stakes a day ago with Tami Thurston in the saddle.
Sandra had started the gelding before sending him to Thurston in the spring. Known as Drake, the gelding his by Sandra’s stallion, Good I Will Be.
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Randy Wilson Wins Inaugural $2,500 Limited Horse Western Pleasure
Randy Wilson and Sleepin On The Roof won the inaugural Three Year Old & OIder $2,500 Limited Horse Open Western Pleasure Stakes. It was the first time for the class to be offered at the Congress.
“This horse has been in the University of Findlay program for a couple of years. They put him in the sale last fall, and I bought him for our customer, Sally Manahan,” Randy noted.
“It’s been a really cool horse. I loved him in the program and loved him more when I got him. He just stayed with me the whole time, and it was sort of like we were in the make up pen. It’s so nice when you have a run like that. So many times the crowd distracts them or whatever happens. He just showed up and did his job.
“When OQHA decided to have this class, we thought it would be well supported. We have a lot of people who have young horses who don’t make it as a two year old or three year old, and it gives them an opportunity to be brought along correctly, and when they do make it, you have something to go for. It was well supported.
“We’ll probably come back and show this horse in the Junior Pleasure and Amateur Pleasure. He’s four years old.”
Kari Craft and Gone Viral Take Amateur Western Pleasure
Kari Craft piloted her stallion, Gone Viral, to win a competitive Amateur Western Pleasure.
“This is Monkey’s second win at the Congress,” Kari said. “I won the Limited Non-Pro Maturity with him and Jason (English) was reserve in the Open Maturity.
“He was so consistent today. I felt that every time the judges looked at him, he was the same. I didn’t have to go to him, I just pushed him and he just went. It was the best go we’ve had at the Congress.
“He’s by No Doubt Im Lazy and out of Suddenly Stylin, who is a full sister to The Rock. He has about 40 mares bred for 2019 babies, and we have a great group of mares lined up for next year and a lot of people are interested in them. People come to see him and he licks them to death. He’s the easiest horse I’ve ever had. We may not show him after the World Show, but we may also show Western Riding with him.”
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Gayle Scharf and Perfect Peter Win Level 1 Western Riding
Gayle Scharf and UF A Certain Star took the top spot in Level 1 Amateur Select Western Riding. “I’ve hardly shown him, because we were really concentrating on my daughter since it is her last year of youth,” Gayle said.
“I’ve only shown him a handful of times. I got qualified for the Select World, were reserve in the Level 1 Select, but we had a terrible pattern in the Select at the NSBA World Show and the AQHA World Show. We had really good patterns here and I was reserve in the Select and now we’re champions. It’s a little bit of redemption.
“I love West Western Riding. They’re beautiful, they’re cadenced. When I saw my first Western Rider, I thought that is my ultimate goal to do that well on a good horse. And I did! I’m so glad I got to show ‘Perfect Peter.’ We’ll have to see how much my daughter and I get to show him since we’re now both in Amateur!”
Taco Wins Again
Katie Grossnickle got her turn to show the family’s four year old gelding Hil Have A Taco in Amateur Trail, and brought Taco’s third Congress championship to the Grossnickle family. “It was very nerve-wracking because he’s had such a good Congress,” Katie said. “All the pressure was on me, and I had to go first on him and then wait to see how the scores went.
“It’s definitely hard to block it all out and it can definitely get in your head. I had to keep telling myself that I could do it and it’s fine, and just hope you can get the best ride. He was really good and he guided, and he helped me out in a couple of spots.
“It’s been a while since we won something at the Congress. I had won a Western Pleasure class when I showed youth.“
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Ben DeBrouwer and Good To Be Macho Win Amateur Select Trail
His barn name is Ranger. He’s by Zippos Mr Goodbar. I got him when he was three and he’s now ten years old. We’ve been doing Trail pretty much since he was three. We had never won the Congress before, so it’s really nice. I’ve shown different horses and got in there but never won.
It was a really good pattern for us. The horse guided really well and we had some spots picked out. We had a little luck and kept it together. There was 90 in it and 70 could win it any day. I love his effort. He tries really hard. He has a way of going over the poles that judges really like.”
The duo also shows in Horsemanship and Western Riding.
The Congress continues through Sunday with performance classes culminating in the Masters Two Year Old Hunter Under Saddle and Western Pleasure classes Saturday night.
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