Twenty-three year-old Sophie Schonauer of Bonn, Germany may have never shown at the AQHA World Show before, but, she was up for the challenge. What is remarkable is that due to school obligations, Schonauer was not able to show the horse she leased for the AQHA World Show before the big event. Sophie had two and a half weeks to prepare to compete in the Showmanship and Equitation at one of the most prestigious shows for Amateur competitors in the world.
Schonauer qualified for the World Show in Europe with her horse, Gentle Invitation (Gentle), but international exhibitors are allowed to lease a horse in the United States so they don’t have to transport their horses from Europe to compete. The main rule is that the horse that is leased cannot be shown at any other World Shows in the same class. (e.g. if the horse did Horsemanship at Youth World, one couldn’t lease it for the Amateur World for the Horsemanship the same year).
The talented young lady contacted Jim and Deanna Searles about the possibility of using a horse for the competition, and they were able to work out a deal for Sophie to use their client, Jeannee Russell-Shumway’s horse, Dont Skip The Party (Stevie). Sophie and Stevie competed in the Showmanship on Monday morning and had an outstanding pattern considering they have never been in a show arena together. The striking young girl wore a gorgeous dark pink outfit and had a commanding presence in the show arena. While she didn’t make it to the finals, she clearly showed off her skills in this difficult class. Sopie and Stevie still have the Equitation preliminaries on Tuesday morning.
“I don’t know if any German has ever showed in the pattern classes at the Amateur World Show, so it’s a big thing,” this Molecular Biomedicine major told GoHorseShow. “I’m normally not nervous when I’m showing, and I think that won’t change this time. It’s always a little tricky if one shows a horse for the first time, and it might be even trickier when the first show is the World Show, but after all it’s just another horse show,” she says and laughs.
When asked why she wanted to come compete at the AQHA World Show on a horse she had never shown, she confidently says that she loved the challenge. “This is my second trip to the United States. I think there should be more people from other countries showing,” Sophie says. “It’s the world championship but almost no non-Americans are here. Of course, it might be better or more relaxing if I had shown Stevie before at another horse show. But I am a student and I don’t have the time to come to the United States and practice on a horse for several months.”
Sophie continues her thoughts, “It definitely is a great experience. I learned so much, and I will take home a lot of new tips and tricks for my own horse. I always wanted to come and watch the world show competition, now I combined this with showing, the dream of most European amateurs I guess. Life could be worse!”
Schonauer is no stranger to the winner’s circle in Europe. She and her horse, Gentle, had an amazing show season this year. They were the European Champions in Amateur Western Riding, Showmanship and Equitation, Reserve in Horsemanship and Performance Halter and bronze in Hunter Under Saddle. At the German Championships, the duo received the gold medal in Amateur Horsemanship, Equitation and Showmanship and also silver in Western Riding. They were all-around champions at both shows!
Schonauer would like to thank her family, her trainer, Linda Leckebusch, Jim and Deanna Searles, Chelsea Rae Carlson and Jeannee Russell-Shumway on helping her dream of showing at the AQHA World Show come true! We wish her luck tomorrow in the Equitation.
Click here to see her GoMag ad in the November issue.
Photo © Art & Light
