Tanya
Sue Relander of Aledo, Illinois knows she was lucky to have the privilege to
raise and show a once-in-a-lifetime western pleasure horse, One Lazy Investment
(Lazy). GoHorseShow.com reports that the 2010 Amateur
Western Pleasure World Champion has been purchased by Peek Owen for his
daughter, Virginia and will be under the guidance of Rusty Green Quarter Horses.
The
striking 2006 bay gelding was the last foal out of the late January Investment and according to Tanya, she saved the best for last. This talented gelding is sired by Lazy Loper who is fast becoming one
of the youngest sires to dominate the pleasure industry.
Co-General manager of Pine View Farm, Debbi Trubee, says that the Relander’s helped put Lazy Loper on the map as a great sire. “We are indebted to the Relanders for believing in Lazy before he was a proven sire. It takes some chutzpah to share a great producing mare with an unknown sire.”
The
Relander’s said that they chose to breed to Lazy Loper because Tanya was around
him when they stalled near the Cecil’s at the Congress one year. “I banded
his mane, and he was just a doll. Great minded,” Tanya said. “I also
chose him because of the great service Debbi and Roger give at Pine View.”
Relander
said the only time Lazy was a little bit of a challenge was when they tried to
keep him a stud. “He liked the girls way too much and he was unable to
keep his focus, so we ended up having to geld him.”
Which was probably one of the best moves they ever made. Showing a horse like Lazy was a dream come true for Steve and Tanya. Lazy won every major futurity including the $100,000 Masters class at the Congress with Kenny Lakins (right), and Tanya’s dream to win a World Championship came true at the 2010 AQHA World Show when she was named World Champion in the Amateur Western Pleasure.
After winning the World, Steve and Tanya made the difficult choice of offering the four year old for sale, but they never really pushed it.
“Steve and I achieved our goals so we knew it was time to sell. We kept him longer than any of our other horses. It was time for some new ones,” Tanya admits.
According
to Tanya, they had some offers but nothing came to
fruition until “out of the blue” Peek Owen of Piedmont, South
Carolina called Steve and Tanya and worked out a deal to
buy Lazy for his daughter, Virginia.
This cute and shy novice 13 year-old had
no idea what her father had up his sleeve. Katie Green and Tanya said that it
was a huge surprise and Virginia burst into tears when she realized that her
father had bought Lazy for her. Her father surprised her at the March to the
Arch show, and she was able to take him home from there.
“I
was doing okay about selling him until Virginia burst into tears and then all
of us started crying. It was a sight. I’m curious to see what the pictures
looked like that we took with tears running down our faces,” Tanya said.
Katie
Green adds, “I can say that it couldn’t have happened to a nicer little
girl. She will be focusing on qualifying for the Youth World in the Western
Pleasure, and I may try to qualify him in the Western Riding. Tanya already put
a lead change on him and he is almost ready to show in it. I’m excited to have
Lazy in our barn, and I know that Virginia and Lazy will be a great team this
year.”
Look
out for this new team at all the major shows this year under the guidance of
Rusty Green Quarter Horses.
Click here to view a video that Tanya
put together of her time with Lazy. Tanya also wanted to make sure she thanked her husband for all his help with
Lazy.
Photos © Jeff Kirkbride, KC Montgomery and The American Quarter Horse Journal.
