AQHA’s official year-end results for the 2017 show season are in, and Brandy Baldwin-Bunting captured the top Amateur All-Around honors with her mare, Ms Mae Flash. Making this win extra special is the fact that this recognition makes Brandy part of an elite group of just three exhibitors who have managed to win elusive AQHA All-Around awards in both Youth and Amateur competition.
We spoke with Brandy about her achievements. Beyond that, how many All-Around champions are also coached and trained by their mother? Even rarer still, how many of the horses crowned as high-point winners also compete in small-fry events?
Read on to learn more about Brandy Baldwin-Bunting, Ms Mae Flash and their road to victory in 2017.
Ms Mae Flash
Mae is by RL Best of Sudden out of Fannie May Flash and, according to Baldwin-Bunting, “She is so handy and naturally talented. I just ask her to do something and stay out of her way. Besides that, she is also very good-minded. My kids can just hop on her and go ride and she packs them around. The past few years, my mom (and trainer), Professional Horseman, Christa Baldwin, has bred Mae via embryo transfer and we plan to start showing those babies soon. We have a two-year-old, just started under saddle, by Too Sleepy to Zip, a yearling double registered No Doubt I’m Lazy, a Batt Man that is due this spring, and we plan to breed her to VS GoodRide this year.”
Mae is so unique, in fact, that she’s the designated small-fry mount for Brandy’s daughters. When asked about the mare being seen doubling as a small-fry steed, Brandy laughed, “Actually, Mae doubles as an All-Around Amateur horse. My mom purchased Mae in the fall of 2015 from her wonderful clients and friends the Smith Family/Karlee Cassiday. They had Mae and another special horse I showed early in my Amateur career, Don’t Need A Mirror (Dottie). Karlee was going to college, so they decided to sell both mares, and my mom bought both of them and gave them as Christmas presents to my daughters (Mae for Braelyn currently age 9 and Dottie for Brylee currently age 6). It was tough to keep that secret from my kids and be patient for Christmas to come. So, technically, I am borrowing my daughter’s small fry horse for my Amateur classes.” Both of Baldwin-Bunting’s daughters, Braelyn and Brylee, show Mae to much success in the Youth small-fry classes.
An Unexpected Chance
Being crowned the 2017 All-Around Amateur was, naturally, thrilling. However, for Baldwin-Bunting, there are a few factors that make this win special. She shares, “There are so many reasons this win is special, but the main reason is that I never thought I would win this title. When I was a youth, I hauled for and won the 1999 AQHYA All Around Youth Award. In 2000 I won the Reserve All-Around Amateur Award, but after that, I kind of thought my “hauling for a title” days were over. I got married, I work full time as a counselor at a local community college and I have two young kids, which makes the showing, in general, a lot trickier. In 2013 and 2014, I won back-to-back high point titles in Amateur Hunt Seat Equitation with Chevrolatte, which was thrilling and completely unexpected. I have also been Top 5 for the All-Around Amateur several times, but it never crossed my mind that winning this title would ever be possible again.”
Teamwork Makes the Dream Work
For some exhibitors, a push to win an all-around year-end title is meticulously thought out. Since Baldwin-Bunting had never considered the possibility of winning again, her mom, and trainer, was the first one to think that it could be done. According to Baldwin-Bunting, “With only five-weekend shows counted in the standings, by around the first of June, I was leading not only the equitation but also the all-around. My mom was the first to think that maybe the all-around title was possible. I told her I didn’t think so because I just didn’t know how much I could get away from work and home to compete. I ended up staying close to Michigan often so that I could go to work the next day. I went to shows in Michigan, Canada, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Illinois and Indiana. It took a village to do what I was able to.”
The Team
Baldwin-Bunting is quick to praise the team who rallied around her, saying, “My mom was my rock and my biggest supporter. I am forever grateful for all the opportunities she has given me in my lifetime. She was the first to believe I could do it and never wavered. While she was at most of the shows, there were a few shows she couldn’t go to with me because she was judging or had other commitments. There were a couple shows that my husband, Ken, hopped in the truck with the kids and just the four of us went and we made a family vacation out of it. Rarely did I go to a show without at least one of my kids. One show, one of my mom’s Select clients, Brenda Howell, and I went by ourselves and another show my mom’s Assistant Trainers, Chris Dalton and Tessa Criste took horses and went with me. My dad, Rick, helped me a lot throughout the year with everything from helping me at the shows with my kids, to making sure I was ready to go and had everything I needed. There were so many people behind my win. I thank everyone who played a part and offered encouragement. It was such a special year filled with memories I will never forget.”
Fast Facts
Compare/Contrast: “The Youth win was a goal I had set for a long time. That year, I was showing a very special black gelding named Wilee Stuff. (pictured above jumping) I took a year off school and I was dedicated to showing. My parents told me that if I kept my grades up, I could give the title a shot my last year in youth. I graduated Valedictorian of my class with a 4.0 GPA and had earned a chance to try. I went to a lot more shows and showed farther away for the youth title. I also showed in a lot more events [than this past year]. I typically showed Wilee in 11-12 events at a show, including the over fence classes and pleasure driving (as an Amateur).”
Points: “This year I earned 706 points, and what I love about that is that when I won the All-Around Youth title in 1999, I won it with 760 points. I thought it would be cool to end on a number with the same digits and ironically I did.”
Favorite Class: “My favorite class has always been equitation, but I would also say that showmanship has been fun with her this year as she has gotten so consistent with it. [For the AQHA year-end high point standings] I ended up 1st in the equitation with 133 points and second in showmanship with 263 points.”
Toughest Obstacle: “The hardest part of winning this title was doing double duty as a mom and exhibitor. Between showing in all of my classes, having the kids dressed and ready to show in their classes and the quick tack changes to the small fry equipment, some shows were a little crazy.”
What’s Next: “I hope to show at the AQHA World Show this year, which is where AQHA is now presenting the award. I am sure we will do something fun there to celebrate.”
Do you have any horse-show awards moments that are extra-special to you? Tell us about your wins what and makes them sweet in the comments.
Photos © Shane Rux, KC Montgomery, Hampel Design, Jill Finley
About the Author: A native Michigander, Rachel Kooiker is a lover of horses who loves to write. She competes in all-around Amateur events with her APHA gelding, Hoos Real. She graduated from Grand Valley State University with a BA in English and Psychology and an MA in Curriculum & Instruction. She and her husband Drew operate Kooiker Show Horses, where they stand APHA World Champion Im the Secret.
