After Years Behind the Scenes, Longtime Equestrian Couple Wins First IBHA World Title

Julia and Tillie at the 2017 IBHA World Show.

By: Brittany Bevis

Eugene H. Zimmermann has shown horses for over 50 years. He has trained many Champions in multiple breeds, including AQHA, POAC, and PHBA. However, there is one title that has eluded him, an International Buckskin Horse Association World Championship.

You see, Gene has been an IBHA judge for 27 years and is currently the Chairman of the IBHA Judges Committee and the IBHA Vice President. He has worked at the IBHA World Show for 22 years as either an Equipment and Back Up Judge, Ring Steward, or World Show Judge.

Due to his active involvement behind the scenes, Gene has never had the opportunity to win a World Championship title within the association that he holds so near and dear to his heart. That’s a situation Julia Adams was able to rectify at the World Show this year when she showed Gene’s miniature buckskin mare, Tappn Hot Tillie, to a World Championship title in Halter as well as Top 10 finishes in every class they entered.

“I first met Gene at the 2012 IBHA National Convention,” Julia says. “I’d traveled out to learn more about the association before I made my run for Miss Buckskin World. I didn’t know anyone there other than two ladies from New England who I’d traveled with. I was sitting at breakfast alone one morning, and Gene came over and sat down. He introduced himself and struck up a conversation. He offered his help and advice for when I did start my Queen’s run, and we exchanged phone numbers. Little did I know that he was on the national committees and was a multi-carded judge and trainer. From that point on, Gene, his wife, Irene, and I have kept in touch and chat about every month or so.”

“When I went to the 2013 World Show in Cloverdale, Indiana, I asked Gene to escort me to the Queen’s Ball, because his help meant so much to me. He gladly did this, and we have become close friends. To me, Gene and Irene are like a second set of grandparents. When I got married in 2015, they were invited to the wedding in Vermont.”

Julia received a phone call from Gene earlier this spring letting her know that, due to health concerns, he’d sold off his horses, tack, and equipment. However, he couldn’t bear the thought of being completely horse-less. Gene was instrumental in the process of getting Miniature Horses added to the IBHA class list, so he thought he might look for a Miniature of his very own. Enter Tappn Hot Tillie.

Jump Tillie, Jump!

“As Gene told me, he needed something to look at in the pasture and something to work with to keep him busy at home. He mentioned that he wanted to show her this year and that he and Irene had actually never shown their own buckskin horses before, because he was an IBHA judge and the equipment judge at the World Show. I knew that I was going to be at the Pre-World Show and World Show this year, so right away I offered to help them. I said I’d be glad to show Tillie for them if they wanted to go.”

Julia had never met Tillie prior to the Pre-World Show, but she thought if she could make friends with the tiny mare, then maybe they’d have a chance at helping Gene and Irene achieve their dream of winning an IBHA World title. “The evening I arrived, I took her out and handled her a little. She was a wild woman! She was jumping around and trying to see what she could get away with. The morning of the Pre-World, I took her out, longed her, and cleaned her up. She swept the Miniature Mare Halter class under all four judges, and then we were in for In-Hand Trail.”

“When I looked at the pattern, I saw that it called to pass through a ‘clothes line’ and jump a small jump. She hadn’t done either of these things, so I took her out, tied up two cross ties in the aisle, hung a bunch of towels on it, and practiced. She didn’t even bother about it, so we went out to practice a jump. Again, she did this real easy and nothing seemed to phase her. When she focuses on something, she really gives it her all. She completed the Pre-World pattern really well and ended with three seconds and a third under the judges.”

The World Show classes came and the Trail pattern again called for something new that Tillie had never done before, a ground tie. Tillie showed her stuff and placed third in the class. Also at the show, she placed fifth in Dun Factor. Finally it was time for Halter.

Tillie with Julia, Irene, and Gene

“When we were in the holding pen, I saw Gene checking people in, and he told me he was going to leave during our class. I knew that he and Irene really, really, wanted to get a title on her, and so I just thought he was nervous. When they read the placings and we won, I heard Irene cheering. We were on our way out of the ring, and Gene was the first one at the gate. He was crying. He hugged me hard enough to knock the number off my jacket. He told me that he had always wanted an IBHA World title and that after all these years he’d never won a buckle with the association that meant so much to him. It was one of the most touching moments I’ve experienced in showing.”

Another special event occurred at the World Show this year to mark Gene’s 20 years of service to the IBHA World Show. “On the first day of the World Show, Deanna O’Keefe of the IBHA family came to me and told me that they wanted to do something special for Gene because this year marked 20 years of service to the IBHA World Show. I agreed that it would be something he would appreciate, and she sent me to pick out a special frame from JTJ Custom Western Frames. I ran over to the photographer and asked them to get a photo of Gene in the holding pen, without him noticing.”

At the World Show banquet later that week, IBHA President Mike Stadler and Show Manager Rick Kurzeja presented the framed photo to Gene. “He was crying, Irene was crying, and everyone stood to recognize him. Everyone in the room knows Gene has given so much of his time and energy to the association. He’s the first face you see when you’re checked into a class. He can be gruff sometimes, but he’s always professional and can crack a joke to cut the tension before a class.”

“He’s become a face you expect to see, and he can answer just about any question on equipment and class rules. Everyone loves him, and we know that the job is not an easy one as sometimes the days go for over 12+ hours. He’s seen kids grow into adults, and watched the association grow and change, and he’s stayed the same as a constant supporter to both the competitors and their horses.”

Congratulations to the Zimmermanns on their first IBHA World Championship title!