Friday at the World Championship Appaloosa Show included costumed humans, dogs and horses, racing for ropes, bidding for cancer and toys for tots – and some world champions were also crowned in the process.
First Time World Champion Named in Non-Pro Western Longe Line
For Heather Kessel, winning the Non-Pro Western Yearling Longe Line with her filly, Sleepin Ona Impulse, was an emotional moment.
“It was my very first world championship,” she said. “All I asked of her was 90 seconds. And she did it. She was just on. When I got called out first under the first judge, I tried not to get too excited. But then I got three firsts, so I started getting pretty excited about it.”
The filly, known as Torii, is by Too Sleepy To Zip and out of Impulsive Bid. “She is a full sister to Sleepin Beauty Too,” Kessel said. “I bought her at the end of her weanling year. She’s very quiet and just a nice horse. She doesn’t care about anything.”
Earlier in the week, ApHC Longe Line champions included NSBA champion and reserve ApHC Open Hunter Yearling Longe Line winner Iron Edition (by Iron Age), shown by Anthony Leier for Lisa Krueger; ApHC and NSBA champion Non-Pro Yearling Longe Line, Hands Off The Sweets (by All Hands On Zip) and Cindy Lamb Basham; and ApHC and NSBA champion Open Western Yearling Longe Line, Breaking Bad (by Colored By Charlie), shown by Anthony Leier for Carri Ruby.
Simons and Gibbs Win ApPHA Three Year Old Snaffle Bit Western Pleasure
Sara Simons did something she normally doesn’t do when she showed in the Appaloosa Pleasure Horse Association’s Open Three Year Old Snaffle Bit Western Pleasure Maturity.
“This is a pretty special catch ride,” Simons said of showing A Slow Ride to the win. “I don’t normally do that, and this is sort of out of my comfort zone. But Jesse (Jones) and Arturo (Maestas) did a great job preparing ‘Gibbs’ for me.”
By Chocolatey and out of the AQHA mare Hot Kisses, Gibbs clicked with Simons. “He’s got a great, easy-going way,” she said. “He’s very consistent, and keeps a great top line, and he carries himself nicely.
Simons and A Slow Ride showed for owner Lauree Adair, and won $1,165 for the win. Simons also won the highest placing lady rider award. Tim Zuidema showed Good Timin Charlie to the reserve champion award, and Mike Hachtel rode Suddenly Shes Shy to third and was the highest placing Limited rider in the class.
Heeley and Luke Win ApPHA Two Year Old Snaffle Bit Western Pleasure Futurity
There was no doubt who would win the Appaloosa Pleasure Horse Association’s Two Year Old Snaffle Bit Western Pleasure Futurity. Pat Heeley and Hashtag Huntin were the unanimous choice among the judges.
“He rides just like his mom and dad,” Heeley said. The stallion, by Chocolatey and out of Whos Cheatin Who, is called Luke. “He’s been easy since day one. He’s really quiet and very obedient. He did everything I asked him to do, and I could put him anywhere I wanted to. He just didn’t give the judges a reason not to like him.
Heeley and Hashtag Huntin showed for owners Scott and Linda Berwick, and earned $2,081 for the win as well as a year’s use of a Featherlite gooseneck trailer. Heeley and Luke will return in the Open Three Year Old Western Pleasure, and Luke will also show in the Non-Pro Three Year Old Western Pleasure.
RJ King Pilots Rock My Motion to Win Junior Western Pleasure
Rock My Motion had a new rider, but had the same winning result, earning an ApHC and NSBA world champion title, as well as the Breed of Choice award, in Junior Western Pleasure on Friday. RJ King was in the saddle for the win.
“Every once in a while Sara lets me ride him,” King joked of his girlfriend and fellow trainer at Simons Show Horses, after the class.
“He was a good boy, and our ride felt awesome. He’s just so consistent.”
The five year old gelding is by Hot Chocolatey Chip and out of Shes
Radical (by Radical Rodder) and owned by Janis and Jordan Semmelmayer. “He’s the happiest horse I’ve ever been around,” King said. “Sometimes I think he is too happy, and I find myself making sure he’s paying attention to me.
Earlier in the show Jordan Semmelmayer piloted the gelding, known as Tex, to the win in the ApHC and NSBA world champion titles in Non-Pro Western Pleasure. She will also show him in the Non-Pro Western Pleasure Sweepstakes.
Pattern Class Winners
Earlier in the week, a number of NSBA and ApHC champions were named in Trail and Western Riding events. Trail champions included: ApHC and NSBA Open Senior Trail champions Hes All Sonny, shown by Lonnie Cruse for Lesla Andrews; ApHC and NSBA Open Junior Trail champions Charlie Chowder, shown by Jesse Jones for Megan Wagner; ApHC and NSBA world champion Non-Pro Trail, Zippos Golden Levis, Austin Peacock; NSBA and third ApHC in Non-Pro Masters Trail, Charlie Doolin and Holly Anderson; NSBA and ApHC reserve world champion Novice Non-Pro Trail, Max Dee Million and Sara Schwartz.
In Western Riding classes, NSBA winners included: ApHC and NSBA world champion Open Junior Western Riding, A Chip Of Sudden, shown by David Parlier for Leslie Goolsby; Open Senior Western Riding, NSBA and reserve ApHC champion One Hot Chip, shown by Mason Lyon for the Hulcher family; NSBA and reserve world champion ApHC Non-Pro Western Riding, Mistys Leading Man and Colten Cruse; NSBA champion and sixth, ApHC, Masters Non-Pro Western Riding, Dontcha Love Charlie and Ede Smith.
Friday also included a costume contest fundraiser by the Appaloosa Youth organization that included categories for humans and dogs, horses and humans. The humans and dogs category saw a witch and a canine apprentice, hamburgers and hotdogs, a gladiator and a lion, a blue monarch butterfly and caterpillar, a canine Appaloosa barrel horse and cast members from the movie Toy Story. Horseback entries included a pirate Jacquelyn Sparrow and Black Pearl, and Batman and Robin in the Bat Mobile. In the human category, Tinkerbell, a witch, a cop and an escaped convict and a personal trainer competed.
The evening performances included a boot scramble, as well as a Toys For Tots benefit in which spectators could bring an unwrapped new toy or make a monetary donation to the Marines’ Toys For Tots program. A Calcutta auction was also held of horse and rider teams in the Rope Race with the half the proceeds going to cancer research. The night’s show classes included the popular Rope Race and Freestyle Reining.
The World Championship Appaloosa Show concludes on Saturday with Non-Pro Bareback Horsemanship, Novice Non-Pro Hunt Seat Equitation, Halter Geldings and remaining Hunter Under Saddle and Western Pleasure classes.
To view show results, link to the live video feed or see the remaining show schedule, please visit www.appaloosa.com/worlds-show/world-show.htm.
