Around the Rings – Arizona Fall Championship – Friday, Sept. 22nd
Keira Manns with her mom and brother at Arizona Fall Championship
On Friday at the Arizona Fall Championship, Keira Manns and Hocus Pocus Flame won the 11 & Under Showmanship Circuit.
Since she had to complete two patterns to win the circuit, we asked Keira which pattern she preferred. “I really liked the first one, I felt like I had it memorized and I felt like I could do it better and liked it a little bit more,” she says. Kellie Hinely, her trainer from Trendsetter Performance Horses, is her first trainer, she explains.
“What has she taught her?” we asked. “Everything, really!” says Keira. She explains the best thing about Kellie’s coaching is that she makes sure they are determined and passionate, and if this is something they want to do, “she’s all in.” The family has had Hocus Pocus Flame for approximately four months, and Keira says she’s perfect and she couldn’t ask for anything better.
Also in the 11 & Under division, Elizabeth Montez earned a lot of hardware at the Arizona Fall Championship and it’s not over yet!
So far, she and her horse have been circuit champions in the 11 & Under Hunter Under Saddle and the 11 & Under Hunt Seat Equitation, and Reserve in the 11 & Under Showmanship.
Elizabeth, who rides with Liz Place, says her horse, BetterLazyThanCrazy, aka “Hal,” has a funny personality. “He loves to see what you’re doing,” she explains. “It’s really funny.” Elizabeth says she has a lot of fun showing Hal because she’s a great horse and she loves him!
On the Amateur side of competition, Kristi Perea and CPrealsureshestheone, aka “Mellie,” cinched their first showmanship circuit win in the L1 Amateur Showmanship, followed by the circuit award in the Amateur Hunter Under Saddle.
Kristi says showmanship has been quite a journey with Mellie, so the win is significant. She also revealed she had taken a 20-year hiatus from showing and just started back again in 2020 with Kail Quarter Horses! Watch their EC TV video here:
Kristi Perea and CPrealsureshestheone win L1 Showmanship and Amateur HUS
Ciera Bennett and Maria Salazar at the 2023 Arizona Fall Championship
In the Amateur Hunt Seat Equitation, Maria Salazar won the circuit with RL Suddenly Lopin, and we asked her to provide some insight on how to improve patterns such as those in Hunt Seat Equitation. She says riding with Shannon McCulloch, it’s pretty much a requirement to love Equitation! Watch her EC TV video here:
Maria Salazar and RL Suddenly Lopin Win Amateur Hunt Seat Equitation
More circuit winners from Friday:
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- Kelli Foster and Ima Lopin Sensation, winners of the NSBA Three/Four Year Old Non Pro Hunter Under Saddle
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- MJ Donovan, who was picking up four awards after winning Amateur Performance Geldings, Open Performance Geldings, and Overall Grand in both Open and Amateur Geldings with her horse SST Lollipop! MJ shows with Kail Quarter Horses and she’s pictured here with all her prizes with her husband, Tim.
