What’s your all-time favorite Congress memory?
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Ronnie Casper – Trainer – Florida
In 1995, so 13 years ago, I was tied with Ted Turner in the Yearling Mare Futurity. Going into the last judge, I had two firsts and a second and Ted had two firsts and a second. The last judge was Chris Kozlowski and the horse was named Looking Good Mister. Kozlowski put me12th and when he walked his line he walked up to me the crowd got really really loud and he pulled me out and we started walking up the line together. He would stop me and look between two horses and he’d look back at me and say “come on” and the farther we kept walking, the louder the crowd got and finally he just said “Ronnie just go to the front!” It gave me three firsts and Ted two firsts and three seconds. The crowd went freakin berserk.
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Karen & Darol Rodrock – Owners/Exhibitors – Kansas
Karen: My favorite memory would be the first year that Darol showed here and won it. It was in the Novice Amateur Western Pleasure and it was the first year Darol ever showed pleasure. It was a three year old that we raised that had only been shown one time. He won the Congress out of 295 entries.
Darol: That’s an interesting story. I knew nothing about five judges, nothing about a bosal. I went in the pen and I didn’t realize where the judges were in the pen and I’m going around and picking up my hands. I come out of the pen and my trainer Sandy Wells starts screaming at me because I was picking up my hands so much. So I go into the second cut and I didn’t know you could look at the judges and when they weren’t looking at you that you could correct them. I made the semis, made the finals. I stopped four times in the finals and won the class. That was an exciting moment. That’s where LDR comes from – Lucky Darol Rodrock.
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Joe Edge – Owner – Texas
The year that Diversified won the halter. I think it was1995. Diversified won the two year old pleasure at the World Show and then Doug Lilly came back and showed him in the halter the next year at the Congress. The day that Diversified went it wasn’t just halter people, there were pleasure people and the place was just packed. It was the 3 year old studs. There was a lot of commotion in it because he had two firsts and one judge put him sixth and the judge would walk by Diversified, the entire stadium just went crazy I mean spurs are banging and hollerin. The judge walked his line a couple of times and it got louder and louder. So the judge really didn’t know what to do. So he tracked his line clear around the ring. Poor old Dave Page, the judge had him first, and Dave had a bad back and he’s running around about to die. Then he comes back up the line and boy they started again. So the judge took Diversified and moved him from 6th to 3rd that made him win it.
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Gerri Leigh Pratt – Owner/Exhibitor – North Carolina
This is probably sound strange since I was Grand a couple days ago and not to belittle that because that’s so fabulous but I think one of the greatest memories I have was when I was showing an all-around horse named Chicks Son in 1984. I went in the horsemanship class which was held in the Cooper. The pattern had a figure eight and it called for a simple lead change. My horse was a World Champion in western riding. I had a fabulous go and I swear to God that I broke down to make my change and I came out and my trainer Doug Lilly told me I had done a flying leading change and I told him “Au contraire, I will be going back on the rail!” and he said, “No you won’t.” I went back on the rail and I won it. I will never forget that. I have done a lot more serious winning than that but that is just one that I will never forget.
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Bruce Walquist – Trainer – Texas
I’ve had so many great memories here. Watching (daughter) Whitney last year was really great, she won the horsemanship. She also won the World in the same event that year. Few who have done that in the same year.
One of the greatest is probably the first time I won here, I’m going to say 1982. I won Grand Champion with a halter horse named Mr MBJ West. Two years later I won it in Senior Western Pleasure with Bama Bonanza, won the 2 year old in 1995 with Iota Invest and in 2004 won with Dress Western in the Western Riding. The length from when I first won to when I last won is a long time, several different events. Now I want to win the trail. (Laughs). (Note: Bruce did win the Senior Trail the very next day. Congratulations Bruce!)
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Ross Roark – Trainer – Texas
I’ve been coming here since I was 1980. I have two favorite memories. One would be the first time I had Grand Champion Mare here with Precious Mister in 2001. The other not everybody knows about. I won the 15-18 showmanship here…unanimous decision! The judges were Clark Parker, Mike McMillan and Russ Smith. I think that was 1985.
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Kim Reynolds – Trainer – Florida
I came here when I was 8 and I was undefeated in Connecticut in the Walk Trot. And my biggest worry was how I was going to carry that saddle out of the arena when I won it in the Small Fry. I didn’t even make it out of my split! But probably my favorite memory was the first time I ever won here in 1984. It was in Western Riding and we showed in Cooper arena. I didn’t realize that they called the placings in reverse order, but my trainer knew I won. I won on the same horse the next year.
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Keith Whistle – Exhibitor – Mississippi
The first time I ever won it. I don’t know what year that was because I don’t want to go back that far. It was a long time ago. I was a country boy out of a cotton field and it was the first ever 2 year old snaffle bit futurity they ever had here and I won it. That was pretty special. The horse was Quite A Bit Of Zip. Me and a partner of mine had it. Bought it in Nebraska and come up here to try the big league and we pulled it off.
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Shannon Vroegh – Trainer – Iowa
I’m hoping it gets better but I brought a little girl named Julia Albaugh out here 3 years ago, she had been riding for four months, it was her first pleasure horse, and she won the 11/under Western Pleasure. She is still a customer of mine. I was also 3rd in the showmanship out here in youth like 1996.
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Kristin Glover – Owner/Exhibitor – Oklahoma
My favorite memory would be coming here for Lucy’s 3 year old year. I was still limited and we won the Limited and the Non Pro and then a week later we won the World and that was my first world championship. That whole year was really huge for me. I had a really good time. It was my first year with her and it was really special.
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Evan Kaplow – Owner/Exhibitor – New York
When I was in youth like late 80’s, I was very young like 10 years old and I showed a horse named Bobbys Black Zack. I won the Youth Team Tournament Western pleasure and made the finals of the Senior Western Pleasure and was top 15.
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Kyle DeFreece – Trainer – Texas
I came here in 1996 with a horse named Blue Moon Heart. I had never shown in the trail before. I was showing in the 11/under youth events and we entered the trail on a whim. I had only started practicing a month before and I was second in the trail and that was kind of neat.
