10/22 Congress Champions Include Simons, Rippeon, Holliday, Wheaton, and More

By: Brittany Bevis

Today’s classes kicked off with Sara Simons winning another Congress Championship title with Hez Blazin Trouble, this time in Level 1 Western Riding. We chatted with his new owner, Bonnie Sheren, to find out how she came to own this now multiple APHA and NSBA World Champion and Congress Champion.

“I actually should tell this story,” Jason Martin laughs. “Sara sent me a video of this horse changing leads, and I tried to buy it that day. Throughout the year, I started offering large chunks of money, without Bonnie’s permission, and Sara kept turning me down. So, at the Redbud, Bonnie was circuit champion, so she was in a really good mood, and she said she wanted a new horse. So, I went and offered Sara a ton of money, and they took it!”

“Then, he told me, ‘I bought you a new horse,'” Bonnie laughs. “It’s just unbelievable that he’s only four years old. He’s one of the most broke horses I’ve ever seen. Sara has done such an outstanding job with him. He’s super quiet and seems like an old soul.”

Bonnie has ridden her new horse twice, and, next year, she’s excited for a new challenge- Novice Amateur Hunter Under Saddle. “Next year, Jason has suggested that I might want to do Novice Hunter Under Saddle, but I don’t really do that class. I told him that I would try it. I’m looking forward to riding him at the ranch and doing Trail. I don’t know him that well yet, so I’m looking forward to really bonding with him.”

The Reserve Champion was Jason Martin with VS Goodride. Third was Jim Searles with Legacy Made. Fourth was Jennifer Paul with Ever So Sudden. Fifth was Eric Felt with Outrageous Nite Life.

Madeline Rippeon led Famous N Foolish to win Level 1 13 and Under Showmanship. Reserve was Karly Humbert with Goodtilthelastdrop. Third was Alyssa Kladny with Asset Appeal. Fourth was Camille Kennedy with Laziness. Fifth was Brianna French with The Next To Escape.

11-year-old Madeline just came off a win in 13 and Under Showmanship at the APHA World Show with her 12-year-old gelding, “Calvin,” to win her first Congress Championship title. Earlier in the show, Madeline’s younger sister, Allie, showed Calvin to win Small Fry Showmanship.

“His best class is definitely Showmanship,” Madeline says. “I like Showmanship, because I get to be on the ground with my horse. Also, I love the patterns because they are either really easy and simple or really hard and challenging, so we get a little of both.”

Madeline was hoping that she would do well in her favorite class today, and, after eating at Mai-Ling’s Chinese booth on the Congress Midway, she found out that she might do even better than she expected. “I got a fortune cookie and the fortune said, ‘Fame is in your future.'”

Also, Madeline has a little superstition regarding her show outfit that she put to good use before today’s class. “At the APHA World Show, I put my pants on backwards. The zipper is supposed to go in the back, but I didn’t know that because they were brand new. Then, I put them on the correct way the other day, and was Reserve in Showmanship. So, today I had to put them on backwards again! It paid off.”

Taylor Wheaton led Will Be In Touch to win Level 1 Amateur Showmanship. Reserve was Taylor Kungle with Krymsun Belle. Third was Courtney Moritz with Life’s Good. Fourth was Christianna Schuckman with Shez Hot N Platinum. Fifth was Olivia Zepp with Sky Bluerageous.

25-year-old Taylor led her 3-year-old gelding, Stormaggedon, to win her first Congress Championship. Taylor has been showing horses for 13 years and does all the training with her horse on her own, with the exception of gaining some guidance from friend, Nicole Beal.

“I started him in Showmanship when he was a weanling, just setting up, and then he got injured at the end of his two-year-old year,” Taylor says. “I couldn’t ride him, so this is how we had to attack things. Otherwise, we would’ve had to take a year off. Rather than take a year off, we gave him seven months off and came back out and started Showmanship again.”

Taylor wasn’t expecting that she might be named the Congress Champion, and she was thrilled when she heard her name announced. It made all of the hard work over the past few years worth it.

“Being the trainer and exhibitor is probably the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do in my life, and this is the first horse I’ve done it with. I’ve had to learn to trust him and accept that he’s going to be there for me. I have to do this all myself, with no one standing there to help. I work with him at home, and then we haul to Nicole’s place a couple of times a month for some lessons. She taught me in the last three months that I really have to trust my horse.”

18-year-old Griffin Holliday led Good N Plenty to win his first Congress Championship at his first Congress in Level 1 14-18 Showmanship. This win was very special because it’s Griffin’s last time showing in the youth division. He’s already in college at The University of Findlay where he competes on their IHSA Horsemanship team.

He purchased his 11-year-old AQHA/PHBA mare, “Macy,” in September of last year, and like Taylor, he does the training himself. Because this is his last year in the youth division, he wanted to “go all out.”

“It’s my last Youth pattern, and I wanted to have a good pattern to end my youth career with. I was pretty happy with the overall pattern. We have a good back up, so I tried to showcase it as much as I could. It’s my last youth year, so I went all out and went to the Youth World and now here to the Congress. I will show in Horsemanship as well this afternoon.”

The Reserve Champion was Carson Click with First N Line. Third was Nicole Griffo with Hez A Croud Pleaser. Fourth was Kaitlyn Bloom with Ima Lazy Cowboy. Fifth was Alyvia Dixon with Ultimately Rodney.