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.

“Now that he’s a gelding, he gets a lot more affection,” Cathy says, proving it by kissing him on the nose.

Bart kept on snoozing.

To see photos from the Region Five Championship, watch the slide show below. Click on the photos to see the captions.

The American Quarter Horse Journal is your one-stop source for everything about the Quarter Horse. Don’t miss a single issue.