The Congress saw an all-time high score in Senior Western Riding on Saturday when Jason Martin showed Heza Radical Zip to a 252 in the class.
“Troy is just an amazing horse,” noted his owner Bonnie Sheren. “I love him more than anything. We were just saying that Jason doesn’t remember ever scoring a 250 here at the Congress before.”
Bonnie acquired Heza Radical Zip from former owner Susie Johns in 2016. “I was thrilled to be able to buy him because he was already a great horse, and he’s gone on to do really well. There’s just something about him that’s just really special. I can't even describe it.”
Jason Martin announced earlier that the 2021 AQHA World Championship Show will be his final time to show Troy. “I’m going to start working with him for Select Western Riding, so I’m going to get to start showing him,” Bonnie said.
Not only did Jason have the Congress champion ride, he also scored 250 on the second place horse, Hez Blazin Trouble, whom Bonnie also owns. Jason was also fourth in the class aboard Zippin A Breeze, whom he showed for Knapp Quarter Horses.
Full Morning of Showmanship
The Celeste Center was filled with Showmanship exhibitors of all ages on Saturday morning as “Youth Weekend” was in full swing.
Collin Froman completed a trifecta of titles by winning the Youth Showmanship 12-14 with My Dream Remembered. Collin and ‘Hank’ had already won the AQHYA World Show and the NSBA World Show in Showmanship.
“Showmanship has always been my favorite class,” Collin said. “Instead of telling the horse what to do with your legs and seat, you’re beside them guiding them the whole way. Hank and I have only been together for a year, but from the beginning we really clicked in this class.”
So what does a world and Congress champion set as goals after reaching the top? “I want to get better at Horsemanship and Trail,” Collin said.
In the 11 & Under Youth Showmanship, Alexandrea Rippeon and Itzonly Make Believe bested the field to be named Congress AQHA and NSBA champions. It was a third Congress championship for this duo, who also won Level 1 13 & Under Horsemanship and Level 1 13 & Under Hunt Seat Equitation.
“I really do love the pattern classes,” Alexandrea said. “I love the difficulty of them, and I love having to remember each part and perfecting every single piece of the pattern. In Showmanship, especially, you have to present yourself and make it a team effort.”
Alexandrea and ‘Molly’ have only been a team for two months – quite an accomplishment especially with a young four year old horse. “We just sort of melted together from the beginning,” Alexandrea said. “She’s so good, and she’s just the perfect horse for me.”
In the 14-18 Youth Showmanship, Kyla Jackson and Cadillac In Black were named Congress AQHA and NSBA champions, bringing Kyla her first Congress title.
“I showed here three years ago, but this is our first win,” she said. “Caddy was in our barn at Bruce Vickery’s with Jamie Radebaugh, and then the opportunity came up to buy him. He’s a very sensitive horse, so you have to be gentle with him.
“My favorite part of the pattern today was the extended trot, because he likes to go fast, and the back, because he always backs really clean. I was worried about the second turn, because sometimes I can mess it up, but he was really good. The pattern really flowed well.”
Unanimous Win For JR Pickard And Moonie
JR Pickard showed Suddenly Moonlite to a first place spot on all four judges cards in the Level 1 Youth Western Pleasure 14-18, much to the delight of his extended family and friends.
“We just got Moonie at the Tom Powers Futurity in June from Wade Parks, and this is just my fourth or fifth time to show him,” JR said. “He’s not an easy horse and he makes you work for it to get him ridden and shown, but I love him.”
The hard work paid off in the class. “He felt great in the class,” JR said. “We didn’t have any problems and he hit all the buttons. It was by far one of my best rides on him so far.”
The win was the first Congress title for JR. “I haven’t shown at the Congress since Walk Trot in 2004,” he said. “I did the whole sports in school for a while, but since my whole family is in the horse business, I decided I would start doing it too.” The sixteen year old is a junior at North Marion High School in Florida.
Grant Mastin And Carl Take Youth Western Riding 14-18 Title
Grant Mastin is no stranger to the winner’s circle, but his show friends have often seen him winning Trail classes over the years. At this year’s Congress, he checked off another goal: to win the Youth Western Riding. He and Hand Made Machine did just that, scoring a 235 for the win.
“We’ve had Carl for about six year now, but we had never shown here in this class before,” Grant said.
“He was really good. He was super soft and floaty, and did his crossovers and changes really smooth. He really did his job and I’m so proud of him. It was pretty exciting to win this class, because it’s a goal I wanted to reach.”
Perfect P Wins Two Congress Titles
Kristen Galyean has only owned KM Suddenly So Easy for less than a year, but she and trainer Aaron Moses have been racking up wins ever since the 2020 AQHA World Championship Show. On Saturday, Penelope, whom Kristen calls Perfect P, earned two Congress titles – in the Non-Pro Western Pleasure Maturity with Kristen, and in the Open Western Pleasure Maturity with Aaron.
“I still can’t believe that the Mastersons sold her to me, but we have been so blessed that we’re able to have her. It’s so fun every time we get to show her,” Kristen said.
When she’s not in the show ring, Kristen has also turned her attention to raising babies with P. “She’s bred to VS Code Red, and the Mastersons also bred her to The Lopin Machine,” she said. “Her oldest babies are three year olds, and one of them won the Three Year Old class at the NSBA World. We’re very excited to watch her babies come along.”
Aaron showed P in the nightcap class, the Open Western Pleasure Maturity, earning three firsts on the judges cards for the win. “She was so consistent tonight,” he said. “She held her neck really well, her ears were forward and she looked like she liked what she was doing.”
Aaron and Kristen had a very successful show at the Championship Show prior to coming to Columbus for the Congress. “It takes a lot of management to make sure the horses are healthy and doing well,” Aaron said. “For me tonight, it was a little stressful not knowing how much horse we had left since she showed earlier in the day with Kristen. But she was really good.”
The 2021 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.
