At the Redbud Spectacular in June of this year, Giorgia Medows of Cuba, Missouri decided to try something new, out-of-the-box and challenging. Up until this point, Giorgia had only ever shown veteran show mount, OK Pulse Me in the horsemanship, but since they decided to retire her, she had been without a horsemanship horse this year.
That’s when her older brother Jack Medows’ reining horse, Wimpys Show Stopper came into the picture. After his astounding success with “Showstopper,” Jack had retired him from the show pen, but his sister started riding and showing him this year in the reining. Giorgia also had the idea of showing him in the horsemanship just for fun.
“He was nervous and a little confused when I first started showing him in the horsemanship,” Giorgia told us. “He didn’t understand why we were spinning only one time or breaking to a trot in the middle of the arena,” she shares and laughs. “I think it has helped him though in the reining because he had a habit of running off sometimes which he did with me at the Redbud.”
Fast forward to this Friday at the AQHYA World Show in Oklahoma City – Giorgia and Showstopper competed with 125 others in the horsemanship prelims and made it to the finals. Her brother Jack proudly stated on his Facebook Page. “Unofficially, the only Wimpys Little Step to make the horsemanship finals at the Youth World. What an amazing horse and an amazing team. Showstopper has always been a once-in-a-lifetime horse, and I’m glad my sister has the opportunity to enjoy him as much as I did. I’m a proud owner of a horsemanship finalist.”
Giorgia talked to us about her rides and making the finals. “I was super nervous because, of course, this is the Youth World, but at the same time, there wasn’t that much pressure because he is so new at the class. Our first pattern was good, but he tries so hard sometimes that he overdoes it. We overdid the square corner a bit in our first pattern, but in the semi-finals, he was perfect.”
Her brother tells us more about his famous gelding. “This is the horse I won my first reining world championship on. He’s been in and out of retirement a couple of times. At this time last year, he was on a plane flying to Switzerland to show in the FEI Reining World Championship for Team USA. At Redbud this year, Giorgia brought him to show in the reining and ended up practicing the horsemanship pattern. She ended her practice grinning from ear to ear. Ever since then, she’s put in hours and hours of practice trying to get him ready for the horsemanship at the youth world. It was so amazing to see all her hard work pay off. She had two great runs.”
The finals of the horsemanship will be held on Monday night. We asked Giorgia what she thought about the pattern. “It is definitely going to be a challenge for us since I have to ride him without stirrups. The reining cues are different and going from an extended lope to an extended trot will be difficult, but we are up for the challenge.”
We have no doubt they are and wish this team the best of luck on Monday night.
Giorgia would like to thank her brother, parents and trainers Kendra and Blake Weis for all their help and support.
