The inaugural Back To Berrien Futurity show saw futurity class wins as well as a bar-b-que exhibitor’s party and live auction to benefit the NSBA Trainer Crisis Fund, and provided to be a hot day for both exhibitors and bidders.
Hunter Standouts
Elizabeth Baker showed Al Be Good To Go to one of two futurity wins on the weekend on Friday, taking the Three Year Old Limited Open Hunter Under Saddle class and winning $740 for owners Elise and Rich Cognetti. “We’ve had a really good year so far showing ‘Rocco,’” Elizabeth noted.
“We won at Venice, A Sudden Impulse, Georgia On My Mind, and the three year old class at the Premier, and now here. I think what I love best about him is his expression, and that he moves like a hunter should.”
The gelding is by Good Better Best.
The Maturity Open Hunter Under Saddle saw In It For The Assets, shown by Beckey Schooler for Susan Norton, with the unanimous win, earning $786. “This is an eight year old gelding, and we took our time with him because he took a while to mature,” Beckey said.
“He was bred and raised by Susan and Kathy, and he’s by Allocate Your Assets and out of one of their mares. He showed really good today, had his ears forward and was just a lot of fun to show. We kind of pick and choose shows for him, because Susan teaches school and doesn’t get to show a lot. I will be showing him in Green Hunter Under Saddle at the Congress, and Susan will show in Novice Amateur and Amateur Hunter Under Saddle there.”
The Non-Pro 50 & Over Hunter Under Saddle saw Anneene Miller pilot RockStar Status to the win, earning $740. “This was Elton’s fourth class, so he was getting tired, and I really had to push him,” Anneene said.
“This has been such a great show. We have had a really good time here. I started showing in Select Hunter Under Saddle six years ago, but I only get to ride at the shows since Elton is in Michigan and South Texas with Amber and Duane Pickard and I’m in Oklahoma, so it’s a challenge for your body when you don’t get to practice all the time.”
RockStar Status is by Good Better Best
In the Three Year Old Novice Horse Novice Rider Hunter Under Saddle, Corrine English showed Hez Kinda Trouble to the win, and donated her $1,232 back to the NSBA Crisis Fund, starting off the day’s fundraiser for the fund.
“He’s by Hez Only Trouble and out of a Too Sleepy To Zip mare,” Corrine said. Her horse has bloodlines that sound like they have a strong Michigan connection, and they do.
“I was born and raised in Sturgis, Michigan, near BSB Quarter Horses, and this horse has spent his whole life at our farm. Judy Zeitler broke him out, and Beckey Schooler has been helping with him. He’s such a good mover, and he’s so patient with me. He takes everything in and is just always happy.”
Western Winners
Kenny Lakins had a lot of familiarity with the mare League Of Her Own, whom he showed to the win for owner Scott Baumgartner in the Four Year Old $5,000 Limited Horse Western Pleasure, earning $506.
“We’ve shown three full siblings to this mare, and they’ve all made nice older show horses,” he said. “This one was shown very little as a three year old, and we just took it slow with her. She is very sweet to be around. She has so much presence, and she’s going to be a fun horse. She’s by Batt Man, and we call her Tash.”
In the Three Year Old Limited Rider/$2,5000 Limited Horse Western Pleasure, newlywed Aubrey Alderman Jacobs showed her new horse, Hot Wrench, to first place and $2,06 in the $5,000 added class.
“I’ve only had her a couple of weeks,” Aubrey said. “We bought her from Shane and Holt Pope. She’s really great with her head and neck, and she’s really broke. She’s just very steady when you show her. Her name is Lucky Wren.”
Another Non-Pro to earn a winning paycheck was Melissa Cook, showing Flo Rida to win the Three Year Old Limited Non-Pro Western Pleasure and $617. “Buggs is by No Doubt Im Lazy, and he’s really fun to show,” Melissa said. “He’s easy to show, and just goes and does his job.”
Melissa showed as a youth, but took a break from the show pen for a few years. “I think the last time I really showed was in 2008, so I took about a 13-year break,” she said. “I used to get nervous as a kid, but I got out of that. Now, I just get antsy to make sure the brakes are working and then I’m good to go.”
Another set of newlyweds saw the winner’s circle when newly-married Kyle Dougherty showed Kickin Dust Up for his newly-married owner Molli Jacobs Froman. It marked an addition to the repertoire for Molli and the It’s A Southern Thing gelding, known as Mike.
“We just started showing All Around classes or the first time in Cloverdale, Indiana two weeks ago – we’re doing Showmanship, Horsemanship and Performance Halter and we’ll probably add Trail next year,” Molli said.
“I think that adding the All Around has been good for him,” added Kyle. “Brian (Baker) did such a good job training him, but he likes to be busy, so having other jobs to do is good for him.”
In The Non-Pro 50 & Over Western Pleasure, Tanya Relander showed her mare, Extremely Lazy, to first place and a $2,580 first place check. “Tomi is six years old, and we raised her. She’s by Extremely Hot Chips and out of a Lazy Loper mare,” Tanya said.
“It’s taken me a little while to get with her, but we’ve been working hard at it for a while now to get ready. We started showing her about two years ago when she was four.”
The duo will be heading to the NSBA World Show, Quarter Horse Congress and the NSBA World Show, with Kenny Lakins showing in Senior Western Pleasure and Tanya in Select classes.
A fairly new team stood at the top of the line in the Maturity Non-Pro $2,500 Limited Horse Western Pleasure when Invitingly Southern and Kristy McKechnie were named the winners, earning $617.
“I just bought her in January, and I’ve only shown her a few times,” Kristy said. “We call her Maggie, and she’s just such a giving horse. She wants to do her job. I was attracted to her because she just lopes so clean, has so much rhythm and makes riding her so easy.”
Invitingly Southern is by Its A Southern Thing.
Selling For A Great Cause
With live auction items that ranged from saddle pads, bits, longe lines and hackamores to a complete set of bound 1958 Western Horsemen magazines, to a South Texas trophy buck hunting trip, to the Congress trophy saddle for Hes Just To Sharp, bidders had many items to choose from as they raised money for the NSBA Trainer Crisis Fund.
Bidding was fast and furious, and when the final tally was made, the live auction raised $21,485 for the fund.
The Back To Berrien Futurity concluded on Saturday, June 25, at the Berrien County Fairgrounds in Berrien Springs, Michigan.
