GoHorseShow.com tracked down some recent horse and riders who won World Championships at the AQHA World Show held in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. We wanted to know what it was like for them to win a World Championship; whether it changed any future plans for their horses; and what rewards their horse was given for a job well done. There was definitely a lot of carrots and peppermints given to many of the winners!
Our senior writer, Laura Kathryn Gilmer, interviewed Sue Ostrander whose horse, Dark Jasmine (Jasmine), won the Junior Western Pleasure with Steve Reams aboard; Kara Oldford won her first world championship in the Amateur Showmanship with Im Shy But Deluxe (Travis); Jenny Bivins just bought Big League Potential (Bentley) at the Congress right before he won the World in the Senior Hunter Under Saddle with Kim Reynolds; Teresa Kohman whose horse, Kat Man Shine, (Shine) won his first world championship in the Senior Trail at the age of 18 with Bruce Vickery; Rebekah Kazakevicius and her horse, Cool Assets (Nemo), won the Amateur Western Riding in the first year they started concentrating on this new class; and finally, the queen bee of the Western Riding, Vital Signs Are Good (Lucy), broke her own past record with Jason Martin aboard by scoring a 239.
Kat Man Shine—At 18 Years-old, Kat Man Shine finally won the big one. It was the first time Shine had won a World Championship when he scored an amazing 239 in the Senior Trail finals.
His owner, Teresa Kohman of Syracuse, Kansas was really excited that Shine won his class. “It didn’t really hit me that he had won until I got home. I was so overwhelmed at the show that it took awhile for it to sink in. I really don’t remember much about that day.”
Bruce Vickery who had Shine when he was a junior horse finally had a whole year to prepare to show him at the World Show. “He is a late bloomer, but he pulled it all together and he handled the difficult pattern like a real pro. He is really smart with his feet and the harder the pattern the better he will be,” Bruce said. “He is a real klutz and dull outside the pen but when he gets in the arena he gets brighter and really wakes up.”
Vickery adds, “Our plans for next year is for Teresa to show him in the Select Amateur events and hopefully she can win a world championship too.”
Teresa explains that Bruce and Shine have a special connection. “He has done an amazing job with him, and they just really get along. I’m also a pretty green rider and Shine also takes really good care of me when I ride him.”
Shine’s personality is a mixture of a happy and stubborn traits with some funny quirks. “He got all the carrots and peppermints he wanted after he won his class. He also has this odd habit of rooting with his nose and blows snot/spit out of his mouth. He does that when he is happy and relaxed. He was doing that in the lineup when they were doing the placings. He knew that he had done well. Bruce also told me that Shine got him and blew spit all over him when he took him back to his stall after he won.”
How’s that for celebrating his win!
Cool Assets—Cool Assets (Nemo) is known in the industry as a 2-time World Champion in the Hunter Under Saddle, but owner, Rebekah Kazakevicius of Ocala, Florida probably did not expect to win a World Champion in the Western Riding the first year she started concentrating on this class. Nemo already had a gorgeous lead change, but this year Rebekah received help from Bruce Vickery on how to better navigate the pattern.
“I knew he had the potential to be a great Western Riding horse,” Bruce Vickery said in an interview. “Rebekah took some time off to attend school so he never really reached his potential. He had all the basics; I just had to teach Rebekah how to manipulate the pattern and learn how to hit her marks.”
Kazakevicius says that she sets very high expectations for herself. “We set aside the english this year and worked just on the Western Riding. Obviously, our hard work paid off.”
Rebekah did have a crazy thing happen right before she went into the finals. “I was wearing a black button down Good Ride shirt that I had worn in the prelims, but the officials told me all of a sudden that I couldn’t wear it in the finals because of the logo. So, right before I was about to go in, I had to race back to my stalls and put another black shirt on and by the time I got back, it was time for me to go in. I think it may have helped me not think too much about my ride. I’m also lucky that all the running around right before we went in didn’t seem to effect Nemo.”
As far as whether it changes anything about her future plans with her horse, 22 Year-old Rebekah says that he really has nothing else to prove in the show arena. “My mom may show him at some point. He will be able to rest this fall and winter before we go to the Arizona Sun Country Circuit next year. I may start showing him in some new events including the Trail and Showmanship, but I will be attending school too, so that will be my first priority.”
Nemo has a great personality and loves carrots and peppermints, Rebekah says. “He thinks he is a person. He sleeps and snores. We have spent so much time together; it is like he is my best friend. Both he and my boyfriend get jealous of each other and are always trying to get my attention. He is quite a character.”
Im Shy But Deluxe—Kara Oldford won her first World Championship her first year of showing in the Amateur events. This 20 year-old remembers looking down the line of competitors in the finals when they got down to the top 6.
“I was honored to just be there. Everyone left had won the world and or the Congress in this event. It took a few weeks for it to sink in that I had won. My trophy is sitting on my desk right next to my bed in my dorm room.”
Oldford is currently in college at Stetson University in Florida majoring in Marketing.
When asked what this win changes in her life, “She says that she and Travis now have nothing else to prove. Travis has also reaffirmed his spot in the Oldford family forever.”
Kara’s mother may show Travis in some Novice Amateur classes next year, and Kara will continue to work on her individual classes and says she hopes to be able to continue showing for the rest of her life.
Oldford says that Travis will have some time off at her trainer Michael Colvin’s place before going to the Gold Coast. Travis also had quite a few peppermints after his win. “Travis is such a grump. He is 15 now and has an old man’s personality, but he still has a lot of heart and always tries his best.”
Big League Potential—15 year-old Jenny Bivins of Amarillo, Texas may have just bought Big League Potential (Bentley) during the Congress this year, but she has perfect timing. Bentley ended up with back to back Congress wins in the Senior Hunter Under Saddle with Kim Reynolds and won the class at the World Show this year.
“He always gives everything he has when he is in the pen,” Bivins says who bought Bentley from Angela Gay. Her trainer Leslie Lange will be showing him in the hunt seat classes next year.
Bivins was able to show him at the Congress after a quick transfer into her name at the show. She only had three rides before she showed, but she did well enough to place 6th in her debut. “I made my own mistakes and was incredibly nervous, but I tried to take a deep breath and relax. He took really good care of me.”
Jenny said she was able to attend the World Show and was thrilled when he won. “I was very in the moment. It was exciting and a dream come true.”
Bentley loves all types of treats including cookies. “After he won, he got lots of cookies; we took his braids out, gave him a bath, and then he went to sleep. Sleeping and eating are his favorite things.”
Bivins says that her goal is to get together with her new partner and qualify for the Youth World next year in the Hunter Under Saddle. She will start off at the Gold Coast, Gulf Coast, and then plans to attend the Arizona Sun Country Circuit.
Vital Signs Are Good—Vital Signs Are Good (Lucy) brought a lot of excitement to High Point Performance Horses and the Moran Family this year at the World Show. Lucy broke her record score at this year with an astounding 239 in the Senior Western Riding finals. It was also the Moran family’s first World Championship. “Joe Moran (the owner) was so excited. It was his first gold trophy, and he has put a lot of money into this industry,” Jason Martin said, who rode Lucy in the finals. “He said it was a dream come true.”
Martin showed both Harley and Lucy in the finals, and he says that he was extremely nervous. “I just wanted both of them to have good goes and let the judges decide. There are some judges that prefer Harley’s style and some that prefer Lucy’s way of going. There was a lot of self-inflicted pressure I put on myself. I’m just glad it is over and I didn’t make a mistake.”
Martin thought he had a nice and solid go on her, but he says he was pleasantly surprised that she beat her own record score.
How did owner Theresa Moran celebrate Lucy’s record setting win? “Before I got to the world show my friend Margaux Tucker asked me if she could took take some pictures for her college photography class,” Theresa said. “After Lucy won, I went over to the sale arena with Margaux and Heidi Smith so we could use the red curtain they had up. We decided to play around so I jumped on her and then we whipped off the halter and I rode her around. Unfortunately, the neck ribbon broke in the process from trying to steer with it but it was well worth it and nothing a little super clue can’t fix!”
The Moran’s plan on getting some more embryos from Lucy at the beginning of the year to breed to some stallions, and then, Martin says their main goal next year is to get Lucy ready for the Youth World for Theresa since it will be her last year in youth. HighPoint doesn’t plan on hauling her for anything, but they may try to win the Superhorse next year. Lucy has been reserve Superhorse twice before.
“Lucy has the sweetest and kindest personality,” Martin says. “She loves her job. Never pins her ears. We lunge her for about twenty minutes before we go show, but that is all we really have to do to prepare her. She has also shown to be super talented in the Trail. She is very careful, and hasn’t been shown in it much in the past, so, we will also concentrate on getting her more seasoned in this class.”
Dark Jasmine—The 4 Year-old mare, Dark Jasmine, may have been under the radar and the best kept secret in the pleasure events, but that changed at this year’s World Show when she won the Junior Western Pleasure with Steve Reams. While Jasmine is the back to back winner of the 12-14 Youth Western Pleasure at the Congress with Bree Tamulewicz of Columbus, Ohio and their trainer, Steve Reams also was the Limited 2 Year Old Congress Winner a few years ago on this outstanding mare, for some reason, this mare has been highly underrated up to this point in her show career.
“We were really surprised,” Bree’s mom and owner of Jasmine, Susan Ostrander, said on the phone to GoHorseShow.com. “It was really exciting and we are still taking it all in. She definitely had the talent to win, but there were 15 outstanding horses in the finals. My two daughters were in tears when they realized she had won her class. She is very special to our family.”
When asked if she got any rewards for her win, Susan laughs and says, “Of course! She ate a whole bag of carrots and we gave her a bubble bath and did a lot of loving on her. She is the sweetest mare. She is the only horse I have ever owned that when I put her head to my chest and give her a hug–she doesn’t move. She’s like a lap horse and a huge cuddle bug.”
Ostrander says that they plan to continue riding Jasmine in the Western Pleasure and may teach her the Western Riding in the future. “She is the best horse ever and our favorite.” Bree said. “She has a forever home at our house.”
Photos courtesy The American Quarter Horse Journal, Eric Hardesty, Brittany Blankenship and Margaux Tucker.
