No one quite knew what to expect in February 2014 when the APHA Board of Directors approved Amateur Walk Trot Classes for the 2014 APHA World Championship Show. But if the numbers booming at the World Show this past week have proven anything, it’s that the move was a very positive one for the association.
With entries topping off at 20 for Western Pleasure, 17 for Showmanship, 16 for Horsemanship, and 10 across the board for Trail, Hunter Under Saddle, and Hunt Seat Equitation just in the first year, the response was an affirmative answer from exhibitors.
“It means so much to have this opportunity! It has been nerve-wracking, challenging, exciting, and I’ve had no sleep!” laughed Sabrina Seehafer (pictured right), smiling from ear to ear as she rode out of the ring as a World Champion in Walk Trot Horsemanship on Sterling Expression.
For Seehafer, who lives in Ankeny, Iowa, it is her first World Show as an amateur, and she brought two show horses along for her debut. “If they’d not had these classes, I probably would have eventually come as a Novice Amateur, but definitely not this soon!” says Seehafer. “This has been wonderful to watch everyone bloom and grow in this division.”
Jessie Stegmeier of Las Vegas, Nevada, who reigned last week as the first Amateur Walk Trot Hunt Seat Equitation World Champion on ML Skip to Intimidate, AKA Chance, agrees wholeheartedly. “I had a great experience and appreciated the opportunity to show at the World Show. I would not have participated without the walk/trot classes,” she explains.
Jessie Stegmeier of Las Vegas, Nevada, who reigned last week as the first Amateur Walk Trot Hunt Seat Equitation World Champion on ML Skip to Intimidate, AKA Chance, agrees wholeheartedly. “I had a great experience and appreciated the opportunity to show at the World Show. I would not have participated without the walk/trot classes,” she explains.
Just like Seehafer, Stegmeier (pictured left) brought two horses to show at this year’s World Championship that would not have come otherwise.
Even though the division was meant to be comprehensive by opening up possibilities for anyone from show moms, grandparents, those physically unable to lope, or even those with young horses, both of these amateurs have also found the program to be the perfect answer for getting into, or back into, the show ring amidst supportive peers.
“These classes are a great way to start out, learn, and focus on yourself and your horse,” says Stegmeier. “The program has given me an opportunity to compete at a beginner level and learn the fundamentals. It is a great program for folks just starting out on basics, but competitive and friendly. There are a lot of really nice people that are learning just like me. I’ve meet a bunch of new friends this year and look forward to rooting them on and watching everyone’s progress!”
“These classes are a great way to start out, learn, and focus on yourself and your horse,” says Stegmeier. “The program has given me an opportunity to compete at a beginner level and learn the fundamentals. It is a great program for folks just starting out on basics, but competitive and friendly. There are a lot of really nice people that are learning just like me. I’ve meet a bunch of new friends this year and look forward to rooting them on and watching everyone’s progress!” Seehafer, who shows with an ever-growing group of walk trot amateurs in the Missouri Paint Horse Club, has found the division serves more purposes than anyone could have guessed. “It has been a great place for young horses starting out, and older show horses, too. We all push each other and support one another.”
Stegmeier also gained more self-assurance as a rider who’s learning during her experience at the World Show, bringing home an Amateur Walk Trot World Championship in Hunt Seat Equitation, a Top 5 in Western Pleasure, a Top 10 in Horsemanship, and a Finalist placing in Showmanship, all on ML Skip to Intimidate. She added a Top 5 to her repertoire on her 2-year-old, Too Hot N Stockings, AKA Piper, in Walk Trot Hunter Under Saddle. “Not bad for her second time shown and only my fifth ride on her,” smiles Stegmeier.
Because her goal is to progress to Novice Amateur, the confidence she’s been able to get in the APHA ring, especially at the World Show level, has been irreplaceable. Seehafer will go home as Amateur Walk Trot World Champion in Horsemanship, Reserve World Champion in Showmanship, Reserve World Champion in Equitation, and Top 10 in Western Pleasure, all on Sterling Expression, AKA Stifler. Seehafter additionally earned a Top 5 in the irons of Walk Trot Hunter Under Saddle riding All That I Got.
Stegmeier also gained more self-assurance as a rider who’s learning during her experience at the World Show, bringing home an Amateur Walk Trot World Championship in Hunt Seat Equitation, a Top 5 in Western Pleasure, a Top 10 in Horsemanship, and a Finalist placing in Showmanship, all on ML Skip to Intimidate. She added a Top 5 to her repertoire on her 2-year-old, Too Hot N Stockings, AKA Piper, in Walk Trot Hunter Under Saddle. “Not bad for her second time shown and only my fifth ride on her,” smiles Stegmeier.If the intent of having these classes at the World Show was to lift these riders up and make them successful in their journeys forward, APHA and their representatives did exactly that. As in the case of both Seehafer and Stegmeier, they can now keep looking toward their future goals, having conquered this first step.
“These classes have provided an opportunity for progression to the next level of competition for me,” explains Stegmeier. “This division has helped my strengthen my bond with my horse and improve our horsemanship skills,” adds Seehafer. “I would tell any exhibitor thinking about showing the Amateur Walk Trot division to just get out there and try!”
Photos © Larry Williams
About the Author: Delores Kuhlwein, a freelance
equine writer, shows and breeds American Paint Horses and American
Quarter Horses together with her husband, Mark, in Glendale, Arizona.
Delores began sharing her lifetime love of horses through writing in
2011 after retiring from 15 years as an educator. In addition to being
active with her local regional Paint Horse club and the American Paint
Horse Association, she manages two family-owned businesses. Her favorite
activities are showing her beloved mare in amateur events, and traveling
with her husband and two dogs.
