It is impressive to win five AQHA World Championships in an entire career, but five times in a row? Setting an AQHA record, it happened from 2010 to 2014 when showmanship machine, Visible Investment walked into the Select World Show arena with his teammate, Anne Wilson of Dallas, Texas. As all good things eventually come to an end, the 2014 World Championship will be their last together. Fondly known as, “Dudley”, the 2000 bay gelding by Investment Asset was recently sold to Todd Lee and Jakob Glenn Garner of Atlanta, Georgia.
“My favorite memories have to include being the last exhibitor standing in the arena for five consecutive years in Select Amateur Showmanship,” Wilson recalls. “Dudley always seemed to know when our performance needed to be the best. What a consistent partner. He is also the most affectionate horse that I have ever met. My heart melts when he nickers as I call his name.”
Dudle
y’s new owner, Todd Lee (pictured right with trainer Jenny Jordan Frid), is already well known in the industry as a top competitor in the showmanship. Lee was the 2014 Reserve World Champion at the Select World in the Performance Halter Mares with Im A Natural Detail and has placed Top 10 in the showmanship at the Select World Show.
“I feel honored to have the opportunity to own such a talented individual,” says, Lee who plans to show him in the Select Amateur Showmanship this year and move up to the all-around events in 2016. “I hope I don’t embarrass him too bad,” Lee says laughing, referring to Dudley’s legendary status in the showmanship class.
Dudley does more than the showmanship. Wilson and Dudley were also back-to-back winners of the Select Amateur All-Around at the AQHA Select Amateur World Show in 2011 and 2012. They amassed 1300 points in the amateur division; six Congress Championships to go along with their five AQHA World Championships and $75,000 in earnings.
Understandably, the sale has not been easy for Wilson. “What a challenging week this has been for me. Selling Dudley has been much harder than I expected,” she admits. “I have been so blessed to have achieved so much with him. After our first Select All-Around win, I decided that I would like to challenge myself by starting over with a young horse before I got too old. Although Dudley is 15, he is not ready to retire.”
Lee had been looking for a new horse for a solid year when he decided to buy Dudley. He was very familiar with the gelding as he happened to be in his trainer, Robin Frid’s barn, which worked out well.
“Todd is skilled in the showmanship but has never ridden so we needed to find him something that was broke and could help him learn but also something that was talented enough so that he could compete on a national level after he learned how to ride,” Lee’s partner, Jakob Glenn Garner told GoHorseShow.
In 2015, Garner will also show Dudley in the Novice Amateur events while Lee will show him in the Select Amateur Showmanship. At the last minute, they both decided to show Dudley at the Silver Dollar Circuit in the showmanship.
“I had never done showmanship with him until two days before I showed,” Garner told us. “Todd had maybe practiced with him four or five times but we wanted to show. I ended up over-turning in my first showmanship pattern. I just decided I would leave the arena after blurting out a bad word–in which I had the judges laughing hysterically. I did my second pattern and ended up winning on two of the three judges’ cards. Todd on the other hand, got 18 points and qualified for the AQHA Select World Show in one day. So needless to say, our last minute Vegas trip was worth it.”
“Dudley is so happy to be in Las Vegas, since he had not been to a show since Select World,” Wilson said. “He has instantly formed a great new partnership with his new owners.”
Lee is now qualified with both of his horses, 2014 Reserve Select Amateur World Champion, Im A Natural Detail (ironically nicknamed “Annie”), and now after a successful show in Las Vegas, Visible Investment.
“We may take both,” Garner states. “Annie can decide at the last minute that she doesn’t want to be shown, so we could just pull Dudley out. He’s always a good boy.”
As for Wilson, she is now showing her four year-old gelding, Laziness by Lazy Loper. Her husband John bought “Sal” for her at the Reichert yearling auction in 2012. “He kept bidding when Sal’s price exceeded my budget – much to my surprise,” Anne remembers. “I am thrilled that we are already qualified in showmanship and horsemanship. My biggest hope for the future is for Dudley’s new owners to love him as much as I do!”
We wish these new teams good luck in 2015!
