Western Pleasure, Western Riding, Hunter Under Saddle and the Open Hunter Longe Line classes highlighted Tuesday’s schedule at the Congress, with AQHA, NSBA and a few Southern Belle Breeders champions crowned.
Zuidema Brothers Top The Two Year Old Western Pleasure Stakes, Limited
Jamie Zuidema took his brother Tim’s advice on a horse to buy at the NSBA World Championship Show, and the purchase resulted in a Congress champion title for Jamie and his owner, Sandee Kraft-Noah in the Two Year Old Western Pleasure Stakes, Limited division, aboard KM Bit Of The Best. They earned $1,651.42 for the win.
“I took Tim and Katy Jo’s word that she was a nice horse, and she is,” Jamie said. “She’s beautiful, great minded and a great mover. Katy Jo had her locked in – I never touched her in the class today. We will be showing her in the Open Two Year Old classes, and she will be SanDee’s three year old Non-Pro horse next year.”
The icing on the cake for SanDee was ‘Bam Bam’s color of chestnut. “My last horse was a chestnut, and I just love the color,” SanDee said.
SanDee and her husband Dave had a feeling that their class would go well today. “Dave named his fantasy football team Bam Bam for her, and they won on Sunday. We figured that was a good sign,” SanDee said.
Tim Zuidema took second place behind his brother with Somethingtohopefour, showing for Denise Hawkins.
The Cooki Monster Starts The Congress Strong With Level 1 Win
Another mare stepped up as a Congress champion in her class to be shown when The Cooki Monster and Andy Cochran won the Level 1 Western Pleasure for Capital Quarter Horses LLC.
“We brought her here from Ocala and we didn’t do much with her,” Andy said. “She just went out there and did her job.” The pretty sorrel mare will show in Three Year Old Open events, but next year she has a much different career at Capital. “We’re going to retire her to the broodmare band,” Andy said. “She’s by Machine Made and out of A Cooki For Certain, one of her last babies. She’s pretty special, and she’s a gamechanger for the farm.”
Charlie Cole and Joey Win Junior Western Riding
When Charlie Cole saw the pattern for the Junior Western Riding, he was excited. “It was Pattern 9, which is one of the newer patterns, and I love that you start it away from the gate. In a lot of the patterns, the horses can start to look out the gate and lose their focus. I think our line was the best part of our pattern.”
Charlie showed RL Suddenly Lopin for owner Dan Yeager. “He’s five years old, and we kind of took our time with him,” Charlie said. “We’ve had him since he was a yearling, but he spent some time with Sara Simons before we started working with him. He has a great lead change that is super sweepy. That’s my favorite thing about him in the Western Riding.”
Henry And Madison Win First Congress Title
It seems like Madison Nirenstein and Hubbout A Dance have done a lot of winning, but a Congress championship had eluded them – until Tuesday. The duo won the Limited division of the Maturity Non-Pro Hunter Under Saddle Stakes, earning $1,298.00.
“He literally showed two days ago in Ocala, hauled 17 hours here and then had the Open Maturity this morning with Beth Case and the Non-Pro with me,” Madison said. “He’s been so good and he’s such a great horse.
“Winning a Congress championship was a goal I set for myself this year, and we did it – we won my first Congress championship ever. This was my best ride on him that I’ve ever had today. He’s been such a trooper. He even won the Junior Pleasure Driving with Charlie (Cole) at the World Show last year, and he loves that too. I’m going to show him in the Amateur Driving on Wednesday. He is always happy.”
Amber Pickard Wins Three Year Old Super Sale Graduate Hunter Under Saddle
Amber Hanson Pickard showed Best Not To Say to win the Congress Three Year Old Hunter Under Saddle Stakes class for Super Sale graduates. She showed for owner Stacy Crawford, earning $3,956 for the win, as well as the Vic Clark Memorial trophy.
“We got her after she was started as a two year old for another owner, Sara Jackson Vance, and we were able to keep her in the barn when another customer, Stacy Crawford, bought her,” Amber said. “She is sweet, pretty and a really exotic mover. It was great to get this win with our first class of the 2021 Congress.”
Although Amber did not get to meet Vic Clark, her husband Duane remembers Vic. “He was so involved with the sale, and was such a great person to ask accounting questions,” Duane said. “It was good that they remember him with this memorial trophy.”
Al Be Best And Keith Miller Win Open Hunter Longe Line
Keith Miller started off his 2021 Congress with a championship in his first class of the show as well. He showed Al Be Best for owner Chad Mills to win the Open Hunter Longe Line and also won the Southern Belle Breeders division of the class.
“We had turned him out for four weeks, and just brought him back,” Chad said. “He had won the Super Sires Longe Line at the World Equestrian Center. He’s by Good Better Best, and out of a full sister to A Beautiful Maiden, Al Be Beautiful. He is absolutely great minded.”
Keith Miller guided ‘Oh’ to perfection. “I really loved his canter to the right, and he broke down to the trot really well,” Keith said. “He showed really well. He’s a wonderful horse – very typey, trots well and canters well. I know that Amber (Hanson Pickard) will be anxious to get him back to Michigan to start him under saddle.”
Other champions on Tuesday included Hunter Hack and Halter Stallions. The All American Quarter Horse Congress continues through Sunday, October 24. To view the complete show schedule, show results or view the live video feed, please visit www.quarterhorsecongress.com.
