The first Thursday of the 2023 All American Quarter Horse Congress began and ended with Stakes classes that saw big earnings for some familiar Ranch horse exhibitors as well as some new champions.
Non-Pro Ranch Rail Stakes
The day began with a familiar duo at the top of the placings when Karen Johnson piloted Gotta Hot Gun to win. The duo earned $6,842.20 for their first place finish.
“Roo and I have been together for about seven years,” Karen said. “He has a lot of trust in me and I have a lot of trust in him We make a good team. He was a little crowded in our first split since I went in late, and he was a little cranky, but for the finals I went in a little earlier and got him a good spot and it went well. He has some vision issues, so there’s a little bit of safety for him in a crowd, but not so much when he’s out there by himself.
“I would like to publicly thank the Headley family for put forth so much money to promote this class. It has been wonderful for our industry. Without them, this class would not be an AQHA class, and I’m very thankful to them for their support of this.”
Magic Mike And Curtis Reynolds Win Level 1 Senior Ranch Riding
Trainer Curtis Reynolds and “Magic Mike,” also known as Xtra Magic Doctor, teamed up to win the AQHA and NSBA Level 1 Senior Ranch Riding for owner Eric Mendrysa.
“We’ve only had him in the barn since June,” Curtis said. “And we’ve only shown him in Ranch Riding at three horses shows – the Redbud, the NSBA World Show and here. I think he’s got a lot of heart, and he really tries, and I think he really enjoys it. He’s so good minded. I think doing the Ranch classes has helped his Reining, and I think we’re going to start roping on him.
“I liked the whole pattern with him today. I had won here at the Congress before but it’s been a while. I had stopped training for about five years before I started working at Reid Thomas Performance Horses. It’s been fun.”
Susan Dudley and Remies Smokin Win NSBA Amateur Select Ranch Riding
With a fourth place finish on the AQHA part of the class, Susan Dudley and Remies Smokin secured the NSBA win and the NSBA bronze in Amateur Select Ranch Riding.
“My husband bought him for a client when he was seven or eight years old, and then we bought him back. He’s 19 years old,” Susan said of her gelding. “Roy is by Reminic and Hollywood Dunnit and out of a Mr Gunsmoke bred mare. Shannon has shown him and Jim has shown him and now it was my turn. They are my coaches – when one doesn’t coach me the other does.
“We warmed up really well and my pattern was good. He’s a beautiful loper and a beautiful lead changer, and this pattern let him show that off. My coaches said it was good.” It was Susan’s first Congress championship. Jenny Honey showed Katie Chex Your Gun to win the AQHA portion of the class.
Logan Pluhar And Chillinlikeavillian Take Level 1 Junior Ranch Riding
Logan Pluhar showed her boss’s horse, Chillinlikeavillian, to win Level 1 Junior Ranch Riding, showing for Kim and Bud Lyon. She earned first and third in NSBA in the class with the third place/fifth in AQHA aboard Pale In Comparison, showing for Lynn Walker.
“Bud does a good job of spreading horses around. It was quite an honor to feel trusted with showing Storm in this class. He’s his baby in the barn right now. He’s such a fun, easy, smooth horse. When I first started riding him, I tried to help him too much, and so I started over and found the right connection with him.
“He’s been in the barn a little over a year now. Bud showed him in the NRHA Reining Futuity last year. He’s been doing the big Reinings on him this year, and he’s been quite successful. He’s an extremely high-level, high-quality Reining horse. I think Bud just wanted to give him something else to put his mind on. He wanted to keep him in shape and put him to work after they finished their Reining classes this year.
“This my second Congress championship. I won the Open Trail Stakes last year, but before that the highest I ever got was a finalist in Showmanship as a Youth. I love that Ranch classes are a mesh of the Reining and the Horsemanship classes. It feels a lot like my collegiate equestrian experience at Texas A&M, and I can apply that in different ways here. I also love the support system we have in the Ranch division across the board, and we have an incredible barn family too.”
Bud Lyon and Whizenboosmal Win Open Ranch Riding Stakes
It was another Congress win for Team Lyon as Bud Lyon guided Whizenboonsmal to the Congress championship and a $6,119 paycheck for owner Madison Rafacz. He also earned the second place prize aboard Sumac Gunnabeflashy, showing for Leslie Lange and earning another $4,405.68.
“I’ve been involved with ‘Peter the Great’ for the last couple of years. Madison does most of the work on him and keeping him tuned up, but he does spend part of his time with me,” Bud said. “I’m lucky enough that she shares him with me. He’s won the AQHYA World with Madison several times and he’s won the Working Western Rail and Youth Ranch Trail this year, and won the Senior Ranch Riding at the NSBA World this year. He’s just a special horse and they don’t make them like him very often.
“He’s such a unique and talented individual. This was a great pattern to showcase the movement of our horses but also their maneuverability. This pattern had some long lines to show off your extension and your ground-covering strides. This horse is very good legged and has great expression with his ears, and that is a very potent combination that lends itself to success. I’m a little hobbled up right now so I’m grateful to have a seasoned horse like this who can take care of me.
“My favorite part of that pattern was the sidepass. He did that extended trot up to the stop and went right into a very cadenced sidepass both to the left hand and back to the right. That can be a very challenging obstacle. It took quite a bit to reach for it the way the logs were set.”
The 2023 All American Quarter Horse Congress continues through Sunday, October 22. To view complete show results, please visit the Horse Show Tracker or quarterhorsecongress.com. You can also view the show’s live video feed at quarterhorsecongress.com/livestream.
