GoHorseShow would like to congratulate Ann Woodruff of Round Meadow Ranch on her purchase of the talented western pleasure mare Made To Ride (“Foxy”) from Katie Heflin Steele.
Foxy is a 2018 mare by Machine Made and out of the Congress Champion mare Huntin For A Cowboy. Despite being only four years old, she is already making her name in both the open and amateur pleasure events. Her resume is impressive, with major western pleasure wins, including: Tom Powers 2yo Champion Non-Pro; A Sudden Impulse Champion 3yo Intermediate and 3yo Limited; SOQHA Madness Champion 3yo Limited; NSBA World Champion 3yo Non-Pro; and AQHA Level 3 3yo World Champion.
Foxy is trained by RJ King and Blair Townsend of King Show Horses, who also manage Woodruff’s other pleasure horses. As such, Foxy will remain in training with King Show Horses under her new ownership.
King thinks highly of Foxy, saying, “She has exceptional self-carriage. She’s one of the funnest horses I’ve ever shown because she’s so consistent. Foxy is one of those horses that seems to know when she’s showing and truly enjoys it. In my opinion, she’s definitely the epitome of a western pleasure horse because she is truly a pleasure to ride. Four different people were able to get on her and win at big shows, which really speaks to her mind, talent, and consistency.”
Woodruff’s all-around career is managed by her trainer Clint Ainsworth of Clint Ainsworth Show Horses and he is thrilled for this new partnership, which all came together at the end of 2021.
According to Ainsworth, he had been searching for a quality pleasure horse for Woodruff to step up with in the 2022 Novice Pleasure events and Select division. He was interested in Foxy because she is a “steady, consistent horse and isn’t complicated to ride. Blair and RJ did a great job with her training and she is truly the whole package – with the look, the movement, and the mind to go far.”
Woodruff had the opportunity to ride Foxy at the AQHA World Show when Foxy was done showing and the duo meshed very well together. Woodruff and Ainsworth then travelled to King Performance Horses to try Foxy again just before Christmas, and it became clear that Ann was ‘made to ride’ Foxy.
Woodruff jumped on the opportunity to purchase Foxy when it was presented to her. “I sincerely appreciate Katie Steele and her family trusting me with Foxy’s future. I am so grateful for their patience with me, their support, and cannot wait to bring Foxy into the Round Meadow Ranch family. We believe she will make a phenomenal addition to our show string and, eventually, our breeding program.”
Woodruff recognizes that horses like Foxy don’t come around often, saying, “I’m so very excited to get the chance to own such an incredible mare. And Blair and RJ have been so great to work with. Foxy is talented, honest, and good-minded. I trust her to take care of me as a Novice rider and then as I move into the Select division. I am so blessed to have a horse I can trust to help me become a better rider and build confidence. This all has been a dream come true.”
Townsend loves this match, gushing, “Ann is a very talented rider and she’s a hard worker. She and Foxy seem to have similar mindsets in that they want to come out, show off, work hard, and then celebrate with a cocktail and social hour.”
The sky is the limit for Woodruff and Foxy, who will make their pleasure debut at the Arizona Sun Circuit this March. Woodruff and her show management team plan for her to show Foxy in all major Level 1 events this show season, including the NSBA World Show, A Sudden Impulse Futurity, the Championship Show, the Congress, and Novice World Show. King will continue to show Foxy in Open events with the plan that she will be his premier Junior Pleasure and Maturity horse this season.
The ‘village’ behind Woodruff and Foxy is comprised of multiple training programs, but according to Ainsworth, he wouldn’t have it any other way. “We are very excited to have King Show Horses managing Ann’s pleasure career and we look forward to a long future with them. They do such an amazing job with their pleasure program and we are hopeful for what dreams may come from this wonderful partnership.”
Congratulations to everyone involved with this exciting new team and best of luck in your future endeavors.
