Every horse crazy girl and boy dream of coming to the All American Quarter Horse Congress. My dream first came true in 1996 and I haven’t missed a Congress since! I’m sure everyone can remember their first Congress like it was yesterday. Two weeks of horses, showing, shopping and, of course, late night visits to the Sweet Shop, standing in line for hours waiting to lounge and 3am practices is our own little piece of heaven.
DAY 9
It was another cold one in Ohio today. I woke up this morning and looked out the window and it was snowing! After getting motivated to get out of bed, I watched the tough Senior Trail with 145 entries. The top score was a 238 for Jason Gilliam and Hours Yours And Mine aka: Blondie, owned by Kaleena Weakly. Congratulations to Jason and Kaleena and the amazing Blondie on their Congress Championship.
By lunch time the snow had stopped and the sun was trying to come out but it was still freezing out.
The excitement for this evening was the Amateur Versatility. The stands were packed of people watching of one of the most exciting classes at the Congress. Twenty teams, with 4 classes that consist of Hunter Under Saddle, Western Pleasure, Western Horsemanship and Pole Bending. The Pole Bending is definitely the crowd’s favorite to watch and Bree Johnston and Triple Js Glory Days won with a time of 26.2. The overall winner of the Amateur Versatility was Maria Salazar and Winkin For Chocolate.
DAY 8
We have seen all types of weather this year at the Congress. It went from the sun shinning yesterday to snowing today. Everyone has on their winter coats, gloves and scarves on today. The schedule is jam packed with amateur and youth classes.
The Novice Youth 13 & Under Western Pleasure had four tough splits and a final. These kids absolutely amaze me! But my eyes were glued to eight year-old Cheyenne “Scooter” Augsburger of Loxahatchee, Florida who was the youngest one to make the finals. The daughter of Andrew and Lori (Collier) Augsburger, she rode A Good N Hot Machine aka: Goody to a 3rd place finish, winning the class on one card. This was their first time in the pen together. Congratulations Cheyenne and Goody!
DAY 7
Amateur week is in full swing, the sun is shining and were all doing
what we love most, showing horses. First up was the Amateur Horsemanship
and the big winner with three firsts was Johnna Letchworth riding Izzy A Jack Bar. Johnna
is the daughter of AQHA judge, Gretchen Mathes and is a senior in college at South Carolina where she is on the equestrian team. This is her fourth Congress
Win! She first won the Congress in ten years ago in the 11 & under equitation, and then the next two years won the 12-14 equitation in 2004 and 2005.
Everyone remembers their first
Congress win if they are even lucky enough to have that memory. Brad Ost
will never forget October, 22, 2013! This was the day Brad and Caught U
Lookin won the Green Western Riding making this Brad’s first Congress
win. Congratulations Brad!
DAY 6
The sun was shinning and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky in Columbus, Ohio today. It was a perfect day for a baby shower! Kaleena Weakly’s friends and family attended a baby shower for baby Jax who is due in January. It was great to visit with a lot of people at the shower including GoHorseShow.com’s own, Jennifer Simpson (pictured here with me). We are all so excited and can’t wait to meet Jax.
Speaking of kids…look who was hanging out at the Highpoint stalls! That’s 17-month-old Gracelyn Galyean and her mom Kristen. Gracelyn hopped on Kristen’s former horse, the incomparable Vital Signs Are Good. Kristen admitted it was a very emotional moment, “I was bawling. She didn’t want to get off!”
The day was filled with NYATT Team Tournament classes. The classes were huge with youth from all different states competing for the top spot. The big winner representing her home state of Kansas was Kaylee Mellot riding Only In Showbiz. Kaylee won the NYATT Hunter Under Saddle AND were unanimous champions in the NYATT Horsemanship! She is pictured here with her proud dad, Jeff. Congratulations Kaylee you have worked so hard for these wins and you deserve every one of them!
DAY 5
It was another wet one in Ohio today, but
rain or shine, the show goes on. This is the busiest weekend of the show and
arenas are full of people riding and the vendor area is packed with people
shopping.
Bailey Anderson, coming off of Thursday’s
win in the Novice Youth Trail 14-18 marking a 229 with Zippos Kat Man Do, made it Congress
Championship number two on Saturday in the 15-18 Showmanship! To think that she
bought Teddy from Danielle Long just before the Youth World is incredible.
There is nobody more deserving of this success than Bailey who has a great
supporting cast with Mom Tina, trainers Terry Cross, Steve Stephens and
everyone at Dry River and her boyfriend, Cody Parrish (son of Bret and
Candy) UPDATE: Bailey also won the NYATT Showmanship! Photo (c) Jeff Kirkbride.
Having your birthday at the Congress can
be really fun and we celebrated two big ones today – Leslie Lange’s 50th
and Ellia Aguayo’s Sweet 16. Ellia’s parents surprised her by bringing eight of
her best friends from home (Lebanon, Indiana) to the Congress to help celebrate
her 16th birthday. Ellia will show Delux Red Cookie in the NYATT Western
Pleasure and the Youth Western Pleasure 15-18.
Classes ran extra late tonight in the
Coliseum, ending with the Markel Maturity Open Finals at 12:30am. It was
definitely worth staying up for. Huge congratulations to Karen Hornick and A
Certain Vino owned by the Reeve’s on their Congress win in the Markel tonight.
This was Vino’s 22nd Congress Championship! (Thank you Congress Queen, Emily Messing for the picture). 
Lastly, words
can’t express how proud I am of my husband, Dave and A Good N Hot Machine
(Goody). From the start, Dave saw something in Goody that no one else did and
they have earned four Top-5’s and two Top-10’s Congress this week. Dave was the
youngest rider to place in the Top-10 in the Market Maturity Open finals
tonight. They still have the Junior Western Pleasure on Monday the 21st.
It’s late and time to go to
bed. Until tomorrow!
DAY 4
It was another wet and bitter cold day at the Congress. Everyone had to break out the umbrellas and rain boots for today’s weather. No matter what the weather is like, nothing stops the energy that fills the air at Congress each day. Whether you’re getting ready to show or watching someone become a Congress Champion, the excitement that’s in the air is magical. Who will be the next Congress Champion?
I met up with Non Pro, Michelle Favorite today after she showed the 2YO Open Hunter Under Saddle 1st Go. Michelle and her new horse, Embrace The Dream, aka “Lefty” made the finals and don’t show until Wednesday the 23rd.
Michelle was the only Non Pro to make the finals! Michelle, who is married to trainer Zach Favorite, bought “Lefty” at the NSBA World Show in August and she has only been able to ride him four times before she showed him today. She admitted she was a little nervous but she said the feeling of trotting in the pen at the Congress is incredible that all of her nerves after one lap around were gone. 
Fun fact: Michelle has not shown the Hunt Seat or even sat in a hunt seat saddle since the 2011 Congress when she showed Money N Da Bank. Getting to show tonight and the amazing ride “Lefty” gave her made up for the last two years she spent trying to find a hunt seater. Good Luck to Michelle and Embrace the Dream in the 2YO Open Hunter Under Saddle finals, also watch for Michelle and her western horse Good Luck Only in the Non Pro 3YO finals on Monday the 21st.
DAY 3
RAIN, RAIN, GO AWAY! This is what everyone was saying today at the Congress. It wouldn’t be the Congress without bad weather and this year it came early. When it rains at Congress it makes it really hard to get your horse ready to show. We were down to one lounging arena today – the lines are crazy – and limited riding arenas. Today was a busy show day of exciting classes to watch. Started the morning by watching Hot Ones Only and Jason Martin win the Sr Pleasure driving. This Congress win will make it Bruno’s 12th Congress title. Bruno is an amazing stud with a heart of gold and when you watch him show in the driving he truly does make it look effortless.
Next up was the Coughlin 2 Year-Old Western Pleasure. To watch such a great group of two year-olds show for the first time is amazing. They brought back 15 for the finals that show Wednesday the 23rd. Look for Maggie Grandquist & No Doubt I’m Best, Ashley Lakins & So Good To B Me, Jay Starnes and VS Revitalyzed, Pat Heeley & Sleeping With A Diva and Brian Cox & Finally Got Invitd just to name a few.
Hot Ones Only (pictured here left, ready to get back to his big stall) came back in the show pen just a few hours after winning the Senior Driving to capture his 13th Congress title with Beth Case in the irons in the Senior Hunter Under Saddle. Huge congratulations to owners Tammy Dyer and Sharnai Thompson.
RAIN, RAIN, GO AWAY!
DAY 2
Our amazing Congress weather definitely took a turn the other way and it’s time to start breaking out the heavy coats, scarves and gloves. Today was a crazy busy day of showing and at times I felt like a chicken with my head cut off but it wouldn’t be the Congress if you weren’t constantly on the go.
First class up was the $10,000 Limited Horse Open Western Pleasure with 3 tough splits and a semi final. They brought back 15 horses for the open final on Thursday and 20 for the limited final on Wednesday. Some of the ones to make it back were Dave Archer (my husband!) & A Good N Hot Machine, Katie Green & The Best Sign Yet, Rusty Green & A Catered Affair, Pat Heeley & Whos Cheating Who, Casey Willis & Dressed To Party and Charlie Cole & Pleasurin just to name a few.
My all-time favorite class, western riding, was up next and I got to watch the Junior and Senior. Jason Martin continued his domination of these classes and was amazing and brought home the Congress trophy in the Junior on Dunit On The Range owned by Jane Humes with a score of 230 (pictured here right). Jason went back in and won the Senior on Heavenly Mac owned by Susan Knapp.
Next up in the Coliseum was the Markel Open Maturity 1st go, 3 splits of some of the best western pleasure horses in this industry and a semi final. Fifteen horses caught the judges’ attention tonight and made it back to the finals that show on Saturday. Some of the ones that made it back were Dave Archer & A Good N Hot Machine, Jay Starnes and VS Check My Pulse, Rusty Green and Whatscookngoodlookin, Brett Clark & A Sudden Illusion and Candy Parrish & All The Sudden. We ended the night watching Emily Miller and Willy Has Potential win her first Congress trophy in the Maturity Non Pro Limited Hunter Under Saddle.
Congratulations to everyone today and I can’t wait to see what tomorrow has in store for everyone. Good Night from Thomas The Tank Engine. 
DAY 1
I had a chance to sit down tonight and watch the Limited Open Maturity Hunter Under Saddle Finals. What an amazing group of horses and riders! The winner was definitely the crowd favorite a big congratulations to Willys On The Green and Rosie Sheffer. I also watched the Non Pro Maturity Stakes 1st go, there were three splits and a semi-final and every split was tough. They took back 20 limited riders and 15 open riders. I can’t wait to watch the Non Pro Limited Finals on Wednesday the 16th and the Non Pro Open Finals on Saturday the 19th.
Fourteen-plus days at a horse show, trainers magically turn their stalls
into a home away from home for their clients. From kitchens to sitting
rooms with TV’s and fireplaces, everything you could possibly want is at
your stalls.
Here are a few of my favorite stall fronts found in the Gilligan Barn:
HIGHPOINT PERFORMANCE HORSES (okay, I’m a little biased!)
RUSTY & KATIE GREEN
JIM & DEANNA SEARLES
JUDD & JENNIFER PAUL
It has been a long so it’s day time to get one more 2am ride in before
bed, then we will be back at it first thing tomorrow morning.
