Hayley Riddle and No Doubt I’m Somethin Win L2 Western Pleasure at AQHYA World
By: Brittany Bevis
Hayley Riddle and her beautiful, 6-year-old, roan gelding, No Doubt I’m Somethin, bested a field of 72 other horse and rider teams to be named the L2 Champions in Western Pleasure at the 2017 AQHA Youth World Show.
Hayley fondly calls the gelding “Michael Jackson,” because “he’s a thriller!” she laughs. Michael and Hayley have been team since the end of November last year and have been steadily working on improving their performances in all-around events. Here at the Youth World Show, they placed eleventh in Performance Halter Geldings, eighth in L2 Performance Halter Geldings, seventh in L2 Trail, and fourth in L3 Trail. In addition, they will be competing in the Western Pleasure finals tomorrow evening. Today, she and Michael have traded in their Western saddle and spurs for breeches and boots in the Hunter Under Saddle and Equitation preliminaries.
Of all the classes they compete in together, Hayley’s favorites are Trail and Western Pleasure. “We’re having a lot of fun doing those,” she says. “He’s really pretty to look at. He’s a really good mover, and he has a very good top line.”
Anyone who’s had the opportunity to stand next to Michael knows he’s quite large for a Western horse at 16.2 hands tall. When competing in Western Pleasure, Hayley prefers to show off the rail. “He’s really good with your feet, and he’s pretty steady once you get him where you need to. Then, you can sit back and show. He was really good in Western Pleasure. He was very honest.”
As her youth career is coming to a close, Hayley reflects on the number of horses she’s had over the years and thinks about how she’d like to cap off her time spent in the division. “I want to win a big globe!” she says. “It doesn’t really matter what class it’s in. Every year, I seem to have a horse that’s good at something different. He’s my thirteenth horse as a youth exhibitor. He’s lucky number thirteen!”
When Hayley and Michael are done here at the Youth World, they’re planning to attend the Quarter Horse Congress, and Hayley has hopes she will be able to show Michael next year.
The Reserve Champion was Carson Handeland with Smores Invitation. Third was Hannah Olaussen with Wearin Only Moonlite. Fourth place was Taylor Leone with Sleepin In On Sunday. Fifth was Hannah Bader with Inviting Rumors. Sixth was Allie Tamulewicz with Miss Famous Maker. Seventh was Sydnie Ochs with Invite Only The Best. Eighth was Lauren Downs with Smooth Zippin Chex. Ninth was Blakely Abbott with Made Just Right. Tenth was Brooke Bradley with A Moonlit Sudden.
