The Youth 15-18 Horsemanship Class at the Congress had multiple AQHA World and Congress Champions, but what stood out this year was that the Top 2 placings involved veteran riders showing green horses.
With 123 shown, Olivia Tordoff with her relatively new mount, Lookin Lazy (Mariah), and Natalia DeVencenty and Moonlite Madnez (Moonie) stepped up and did the unexpected.
What is even more amazing is that Tordoff and Mariah won this tough class after her mare just learned her left to right lead change in August. This class was the second time ever the duo performed a lead change this direction in a class.
Last year, the gorgeous five-year-old mare by Goodbars Glamourgirl spooked in this class, and at this year’s Youth World, the team made it to the semi-finals, but the five year-old mare got overwhelmed and nervous during the rail work.
The gray mare by Lazy Loper was purchased two years ago from Vicky Holt of Argyle, Texas, and the team is under the supervision of Brent Tincher.
Tordoff is primarily known for winning the AQHYA World Show in the horsemanship in 2017 with Sterling Version, as well as her multiple Congress and AQHA World Championships in hunter under saddle with Too Blazin Cool.
DeVencenty recently retired from showing Chex Is The Choice after winning the AQHYA World Championship in the horsemanship this year. DeVencenty showed Moonie in the western pleasure futurities last year under the supervision of Aaron Moses but then started transitioning to showing him in the horsemanship with her all-around trainer, Kelly McDowall.
Her finals pattern with Moonie was her seventh ever pattern with the four-year-old and the last time she showed him in the class was five months ago at the Sun & Surf Circuit in Del Mar, California.
We asked both girls what it was like to go from a veteran horse to a green one.
“Moonie is very unpredictable since he is very green, so that’s more challenging, but both (Chex and Moonie) show better than they warm up and Moonie is way more lovable than Chex and likes to take naps,” Natalia told us and laughed.
“Sterling wasn’t the easiest to show, so I think he helped prepare me to show a green horse,” Tordoff says. “Mariah gets nervous, so you can’t manhandle her. You have to make her feel confident and I have to ride in her box and be there for her.”
Tordoff’s trainer, Brent Tincher said that he was happy to see it finally coming together for this duo. “I’m more proud of this win really than any of the others and I think it is an incredible accomplishment.”
Both girls said that they were shocked that they did so well in the class. “This win meant a lot to me and I know Natalia was excited as well, that we both placed first and second in the class and shared this moment,” Tordoff told us back at her stalls in the Gilligan. “It was a fun experience for both of us. I know some people may have thought we could only win on broke or seasoned horses, but I think we proved them wrong today.”
View Natalia’s Reserve Championship run below.
