Let the dreams begin.

Hannah Blaeser, of La Mesa, New Mexico, and Look At This Asset were crowned the performance halter geldings reserve world champions at the 2010 Built Ford Tough AQHYA World Championship Show.

“Way to go!” and Jim Searles gave his daughter, Taylor, a high five as she sat aboard her gray mare, Rip N Zippin Goodbar, while mom, Deanna, smiled up at her.

Taylor, from Cave Creek, Arizona, just finished her western riding prelims go, 89^th in a field of 103 at the 2010 Built Ford Tough AQHYA World Championship Show. The field included seasoned horses and riders and past world champions, including 2009 western riding world champions Ali Papendick and Harley D Zip.

As of this posting, the finalists haven’t been announced, but Taylor’s parents – longtime trainers and exhibitors themselves – are proud no matter what. The 11-year-old had a world show-worthy pattern in world show company.

There are 859 exhibitors with 1,208 horses making up this year’s 2,402 entries, all competing for 35 world champion titles. The American Quarter Horse Journal interviews all the new world champs fresh out of the arena. Winning run interviews are posted online within the hour along with reruns of the winning goes. Read the rest of this entry »

Roping, poles, barrels and jumping wrap up the Region One Championship.

By Randee Fox

Courtney Pearson of Langley, B.C., bends around a barrel for her second winning run at the 2010 Region One Championship. Scroll down for more photos by Journal special correspondent Randee Fox.

July 25 was the final day of the wildly fun Region One Championship in Langley, British Columbia. It started with roping and ended with jumping with poles and barrels in the middle. There was plenty of athletic action from 8 a.m. until noon.

After finally finding my momentum chasing stories and photos, I accepted the fact that I could not be at two places at the same time. As the days progressed so did the heat factor as summer finally planted its roots deep into the Pacific northwest so ‘hoofing it’ with water bottle and hat on the 85-acre property, didn’t always allow me to catch each event. Next time I’m bringing my bicycle with a basket so I can zoom from event to event and carry my cameras and note pad.

One thing that I am coming away with is a deeper appreciation for family, community and Quarter Horses, and that extends beyond blood. Read the rest of this entry »

Western pleasure and horsemanship wrap up the 2010 Region Five Championship in Lexington, Virginia.

Vested In The Stars, aka "Roscoe," was a project a long time in the making for Kristy Drew-Pruitt of Providence Forge, Virginia.

By Larri Jo Starkey

As western pleasure and horsemanship classes worked in the ring, Kristy Drew-Pruitt of Providence Forge, Virginia, sat in the shade on Vested In The Stars.

It had been a long weekend for Kristy and “Roscoe,” starting Thursday when they took part in all the clinics, including one on hunt seat equitation from Andrea Simons.

Kristy and Roscoe are a team with some history.

It started with Roscoe’s dam, Wish To The Stars, whom Kristy bought as a yearling and showed for 10 years.  Six years ago, Wish To The Stars’ second foal, Roscoe, became Kristy’s newest hope for an all-around horse.

Kristy has done 90 percent of Roscoe’s training herself, and he recently earned his Register of Merit.

“Now we’re qualified for performance halter, and that was a milestone for us,” Kristy says. “Next we’re going to tick off more ROMs.”

They don’t have any points yet in hunt seat equitation, but that might change soon. During the Region Five Championship, Kristy and Roscoe claimed a Montana Silversmiths belt buckle for the win in novice equitation.

Read the rest of this entry »

Cattle and clinics make a western day at the Region One Championship in Langley, British Columbia.

Marty Ross of Abbottsford, British Columbia, cuts a calf on Billies Shorty during the Region One Championship in Langley, British Columbia.

By Randee Fox

I caught a morning ride to the cutting events on a smoky mule (the gas-powered kind) with Haidee Landry, the overall organizer or as some call her,  “Mother Teresa” of the Region One Championship.  The cutting arena and cow pens were set up at the back of the 85-acre property.  As we drove, Haidee told me about the hurdles that needed to be jumped to make the park cow horse-friendly.

“This is an English show park, typically used for cross-country, hunter jumper and dressage events,” Haidee says. “So transforming this park, bringing in cattle panels and changing the footing of the arenas into a suitable place for cutting, reining, and working cow horse took a lot of focused energy, planning and working together for the us and the owners of the park. I’m grateful to the Tidball family who owns the park. They have gone through every step necessary to make the park cattle-friendly.”

Read the rest of this entry »

Reining, team penning, sorting and English events highlight the third day of the 2010 Region Five Championship in Lexington, Virginia.

Brandy Orsini sits on The Last Captive, aka "Bart," while he naps in the shade.

By Larri Jo Starkey

You might know the name of The Last Captive. He’s an AQHA leading sire whose foals have earned more than $100,000.

What you might not know is that The Last Captive, aka “Bart,” will sire no more foals.

“He had hernia surgery in February 2005,” explains Stephanie Jennings of Berryville, Virginia, one of Bart’s owners. In October, he had a second hernia surgery and was gelded as a result.

“They told us it was a 1,000-1 chance of it happening a second time,” adds Cathy Jennings, another owner.

But it did. Sire career over, Bart needed a new job. As a former AQHA world champion in hunter under saddle, Bart went back to the show ring and added hunt seat equitation to his resume.

But what he probably didn’t expect was that he’d be competing with himself. During the 2010 Region Five Championship in Lexington, Virginia, two of his offspring have already won buckles for their exhibitors. It’s up to Bart to measure up now.

In the Virginia humidity, though, Bart was more interested in snoozing in the shade than proving himself.

Read the rest of this entry »

It’s all grit, no quit as the Region One Championship continues in Langley, British Columbia, eh?

AQHA Professional Horseman Mario Boisjoli of Gig Harbor, Washington, watches the reining warm-ups as part of his duties as an AQHA steward.

By Randee Fox

I took the scenic back roads from my hotel to the show park today accompanied by B.C.’s breathtaking coastal range and scenic farms. It was a clear and perfect day in the low 80s with a light breeze. The spectators wore hats and were gathered under trees as they cheered on the contestants, much different from Thursday’s low 60s. The mood was festive and friendly.

An official-looking fellow was watching the reining warm-up ring in a blue AQHA shirt. It was Mario Boisjoli, an AQHA Professional Horseman and steward from Gig Harbor, Washington.

Stewards go to shows to emphasize the welfare of the horses in the warm-up ring and randomly check the stabling area. He had with him a list of rules what riders cannot do, such as excessive turning or fencing, excessive spurring or jerking on the reins. I asked him how detailed he can get.

Read the rest of this entry »

A family travels a long way to see the Region Five Championship in Lexington, Virginia.

AQHA First Vice President Peter J. Cofrancesco III of Sparta, New Jersey, welcomes Shawna Hett and her daughter Tessa, 11, to the Region Five Championship in Lexington, Virginia.

By Larri Jo Starkey

Not too long ago, Shawna Hett and her daughter, Tessa, left their home in Vancouver Island, British Columbia, to see Shawna’s older daughter at Southern Virginia University in Buena Vista, Virginia.

Shawna was an amateur exhibitor, qualifying for the AQHA World Championship Show in hunter hack, and when she found out that the Region Five Championship was in Lexington, Virginia, she had to drop in to see what was going on.

While hanging on the rail in the humid Virginia sunshine watching trail, Shawna and Tessa bumped into Peter J. Cofrancesco III and they struck up a conversation.

Read the rest of this entry »

Cool weather and mooseburgers highlight the first championship in Canada.

By Randee Fox

Valerie Baxter grills up smiles and mooseburgers during the evening social at the Region One Championship in Langley, British, Columbia.

Region One (Alaska, British Columbia, Idaho, Oregon and Washington state) wins the record of having the coldest place on earth for its regional championships.  At 1 p.m. Thursday at Thunderbird Show Park in Langley, British Columbia, it was a breezy 62 degrees. Though most of the spectators were bundled up, the riders sure seemed comfortable in their long sleeved and double-layered jeans with chaps.

What a gorgeous environment. This magnificent 85-acre equestrian show park has been a part of the British Columbia equestrian landscape for 37 years. I counted 10  outdoor arenas and three huge indoor arenas as well as a giant longeing arena, all with the backdrop of rolling hills, meticulous blueberry farms and the lush green of British Columbia.

Canada’s first regional championship took two years to plan. Gayle Pawley-Wilson, a director for British Columbia Quarter Horse Association and AQHA as well as secretary for Canada Quarter Horse Association, was proud today.

“This is a progressive gathering. All five affiliates have been working collaboratively and united to increase the awareness of the American Quarter Horse here in Region One.”

It was contagious. The mood was light-hearted and collaborative, not competitive.  Read the rest of this entry »

Clinics in western pleasure, trail, halter, showmanship, horsemanship and equitation start off the 2010 Region Five Championship in Lexington, Virginia.

By Larri Jo Starkey

Becky Meadows saddles up for the clinic on western pleasure during the 2010 Region Five Championship in Lexington, Virginia.

The 2010 Region Five Championships started with a full day of clinics before the competition kicks into full swing.

Participants at the free clinics picked up tips like these:

In trail: Putting a treat on the edge of a bridge will inspire your horse to look for a treat there every time, helping encourage him to look at the bridge before he steps on it in a class. — Clinician Laurie Hoopes

In western pleasure: A horse that speeds up should be rewarded every time he lopes correctly so that he will learn to Read the rest of this entry »

Storms, split classes and speed, oh my!

Region Three finished with a solid weekend of full classes. Scroll down for the slide show by bar H Photography, for the Journal.

–By Jennifer Horton for The American Quarter Horse Journal

The morning of Saturday, July 17, saw the warm up arena filled with a sea of sparkly showmanship jackets as exhibitors prepared for their goes. Western pleasure was on the class schedule for the afternoon. Many classes had to be split to accommodate the large entry numbers.

The big story of the day ended up being the storms that rolled in bringing tornado warnings and rain to the Minnesota State Fairgrounds.

Just as the amateur western pleasure was called to the end of the arena for the placings, tornado sirens went off and people were directed to the coliseum for shelter. The horses in the arena were held in there, and people from outside and the barns were gathered into the coliseum, which is a safe haven from weather. Read the rest of this entry »

It was an “all-around” good time, with saddles and headstalls awarded to the MVPs.

By Holly Clanahan for The American Quarter Horse Journal

The results are in, and it’s a wrap for the 2010 Region Four Championship, held in Columbus, Ohio, July 15-18. There was tough competition, great comradery and amazing prizes. As the show wrapped up on Sunday, the final prizes were given out: Tex-Tan saddles for divisional all-arounds and headstalls for other honors. The “new exhibitor” awards are given to competitors who have not shown in AQHA shows in the past two years. The winners are as follows:

Novice Amateur All-Around (winning a Tex-Tan show saddle)
Lauren Patterson of Cincinnati, Ohio, showing IE Plenty

New Exhibitor High-Point Amateur (winning a Tex-Tan headstall)
Allison Kralovansky of Sheridan, Indiana, riding Chips Hot Preview

Amateur All-Around (winning a Tex-Tan show saddle)
Natoshia Kelly of Carey, Ohio, showing Luking For The Money

Select Amateur (over 50) All-Around (winning a Tex-Tan work saddle)
LuAnn Coleman of Ashville, Ohio, riding HF Pure Charlie

Youth All-Around (winning a Tex-Tan show saddle)
Chelsea Wilkinson of San Diego, riding Zips Last Copy Read the rest of this entry »

Got the need for speed? To win in barrel racing, you’ve also got to have the need for refinement. AQHA Professional Horseman Doug Leasor explains:

By Holly Clanahan for The American Quarter Horse Journal

AQHA Professional Horseman Doug Leasor coaches Mike Thomas of Core, West Virginia, on leg position. Mike is aboard Floyds Showdown.

Watching the barrel racing at the Region Four Championship in Columbus, Ohio, on Saturday, AQHA Professional Horseman Doug Leasor of Wales, Massachusetts, saw a lot of things he liked. But he also saw some common mistakes. In a clinic after the speed events had concluded for the day, he offered up some tips.

Horses That Drop Their Shoulders Into the Turns
Usually, on a horse that drops his shoulders, the first thing people do is pull the outside rein to pull the horse up straight. But these horses will tend to pull back against that pressure, so when the rein is released, the horse falls into the turn even more. Doug recommends lifting the inside rein up and squeezing with the inside leg, underneath the horse’s rib cage, which helps him lift his back. If you’re using inside leg and inside rein, you’ll be tipping the horse’s nose toward the barrel – which provides another benefit. “He’s not going to hit the barrel with his nose. He doesn’t mind his shoulders or hip hitting it, but he doesn’t want to hit it with his face. So you won’t hit a barrel if you stand his shoulder up and run his nose around it.”

Common Rider Error – Not Starting the Turn Soon Enough
“If you’re driving down the road going 45 mph, and you’re going to turn in your driveway, aren’t you going to slow down first?” Doug asks. But he sees a lot of people doing the opposite with their barrel horses. They’ll run hard until they’re at the spot where the horse should make a sharp turn around the barrel. When the rider pulls on the horse’s face, the horse can’t shut down that fast, so he makes a wide turn, scooting out toward the wall. So before you actually get to the turn, “cue your horse to turn the barrel. Bump him, just get him collected and say ‘Ho!’ People say, ‘Well, if I bump him, I’m slowing him down.’ You are slowing him down, but you’re smoothing him out. He’s going to cover less ground. If two horses can run the same speed, I’m putting my money on the smoothest one because he’s not covering as much ground.” Where you make this cue depends on your horse and how much time and room he needs for his turns. Read the rest of this entry »