The conclusion of “Youth Weekend” at the Congress brought champions in several classes within the Youth Activity Team Tournament as well as Limited division futurity winners on Sunday.
Love Wins Three Year Old Limited Non-Pro Western Pleasure
Lauren Love had just a month to get to know her mount in the Three Year Old Non-Pro Western Pleasure. She rode Momma Knows Best to win the Limited division, in only her second horse show with the mare, known as Myrtle. The pair also won the Southern Belle Breeders portion of the class. They are pictured at left.
“I showed her for the first time at the NSBA Riders Cup show in Wilmington,” she said. “We worked on a few things and it all came together for us here at the Congress. She’s a pretty fun little horse. I’ve always liked her, because she has been in the barn for a few months.”
Love thought the mare’s barn name was a sign they were meant to do things together. “My first horse’s barn name was Myrtle, so I feel kind of close to her,” she said. “She was really good in the finals today. I could push her and put her where I want to. I’m having a lot of fun showing the futurity horses, and I’m learning a lot. But I still show the all around and I have Horsemanship coming up with Wearin Only Moonlite later this week.”
Lehn Wins First Congress Championship in Two Year Old Ltd Open Hunter Under Saddle
Troy Lehn has been behind the scenes of several Congress winners over the past couple of years, but he was able to earn the first Congress championship of his career in the irons in the Two Year Old Limited Open Hunter Under Saddle when he piloted Pretty Assets to the win for Alexandra Chavez.
“This is amazing,” Lehn said of the win. “This has been a dream of mine for a long time.”
Chavez purchased Pretty Assets, who is by Allocate Your Assets, at the Little Futurity. “We were attracted to her because of her cadence and her natural movement,” Lehn said.
“I knew that she would make a great Non-Pro horse for Alex. She’s had such a great year already. She loves to show. She went in and just did her job today. She still have three more classes to go here, and we can’t wait to show her in the three year old events next year too.”
Fox Wins Ltd Two Year Old Non-Pro Western Pleasure Stakes
Angela Fox may be a Congress champion in pattern classes, but she considers herself a Novice when it comes to Western Pleasure futurity competition. However, she put her nerves behind her and walked out of the Celeste Arena with championships in the Limited division of the Two Year Old Non-Pro Western Pleasure Stakes as well as the Southern Belle portion of the class – and was the unanimous choice of the judges. Fox is pictured with Jason Martin and Brad Ost at left.
“There is so much strategy to it that it stresses me out a little bit,” she said. “When I do a Horsemanship pattern, I’m the only one in the arena, and it is a lot simpler. I tend to want to have control, so pitching them away and just showing them has been tough to learn. But it’s been a great challenge for me, and I’m excited to have my first Congress win in the futurities.”
Fox started out with a different horse to show in the futurity classes this year. “My own horse ended up having colic surgery, so Jason Martin and Charlie Cole graciously let me lease this mare that they had raised,” she said.
“Although I had a VS Code Red at home, I consider it an upgrade to get to show Lookin Good In Red, or Glenda. She’s super natural, just so cadenced and has so much self carriage. This was my first time to show in a Congress futurity class, and I can’t thank Brad Ost enough for breaking her and Maggie Grandquist for her help the past few weeks.”
Fox will show her all around horse, The Company You Keep, in Horemanship, Showmanship and Equitation this week.
Searles Takes Green Hunter Under Saddle
Al Be Your Sweet Art had to take a back seat to the Searles family last year, but three year old gelding was center stage on Sunday in the Green Hunter Under Saddle. Deanna Searles piloted ‘Harper’ to win both the AQHA and NSBA portions of the class for owner Katherine Tobin.
“I was supposed to show Harper in last year’s Masters Hunter Under Saddle, but I had to fly home because my daughter Taylor had an emergency appendectomy surgery,” Searles said. “So it was kind of fun to see him come back and be able to win this class this year.”
Searles notes that the bay mare has the genetics to be a winner. “She is a full sister to Al Be Desirable, who won the Masters Hunter Under Saddle with Nancy Sue Ryan in 2013,” she said. “I just love her big trot, and I think that’s what the judges saw in her today.”
In the largest class of the day, Courtney Archer and A Good N Hot Machine won Novice Amateur Western Pleasure. The class attracted 138 entries and ran in six splits and a final. (Photo Courtesy of Courtsey Promotions)
National Youth Activity Team Tournament Crowns Champions
The 2015 National Youth Activity Team Tournament took place on Sunday and named the top fifteen individuals in six events as teams earned points toward tournament bragging rights and prizes.
The Ohio Quarter Horse Association got off to an early lead in the contest, led by Congress class wins by Ben Beckett and Wallamelon Crawl in NYATT Reining and Colin Robinson and Jazzme Ta Fame in NYATT Barrel Racing. OQHYA would end up as the reserve champion team in the tournament with 73 points.
Texas Quarter Horse Youth Team moved their team total to third place, earning a total of 59 points, with Deanna Green and Bestseatnthehouse winning NYATT Western Pleasure.
The River Cities team added a win in NYATT Hunter Under Saddle with Ashton Krutulis and Al I Want Is You. The class win, along with several high placings in Showmanship, Horsemanship, Reining and Barrel Racing, were enough to cinch the NYATT title with a total of 81 team points.
Lauren Harrington Crowned 2015 Congress Queen
Lauren Harrington, representing the Western Pennsylvania Quarter Horse Association, was crowned the 2015 Congress Queen.
First runner up was Sara Laughlin, representing the Southern Ohio Quarter Horse Association, with Amber Papp, representing Indiana Quarter Horse Association, earning second runner up. Winning the Horsemanship award was Brianna Tamulewicz, representing North Carolina Quarter Horse Association, while Anne Charlie Riviere, Quebec Quarter Horse Association, won the interview portion of the contest. Lauren Harrington also won the written test as well as the congeniality award.
The All American Quarter Horse Congress continues Monday with Trail and Western Pleasure classes. For a complete schedule of events or to view show results, please visit www.quarterhorsecongress.com.
