Around the Rings at the 2023 QH Congress – Thursday, Oct 12th
In the first class of the day in the Celeste Arena South, as the arena was split into two Trail arenas, Chesney Watkins and The Company You Keep cinched the top spot as Congress Champions in L1 Youth Trail 13 & Under with a total of 53 horses shown.
This has been a banner year for the pair, and Chesney’s ribbon and trophy collection has been growing steadily since they first partnered up. Watch what Chesney had to say in our EC TV video:
Chesney Watkins and The Company You Keep win L1 -13 & Under Trail
Results for Chesney’s class, L1 Youth 13 & Under Trail:
Blake and Mary Alice Nielson
The L1 Junior Trail in the Celeste Arena North at the All American Quarter Horse Congress on Thursday, October 11th, was a big class of 86, and Blake Weis grabbed the top two spots, as Champion with Made For Naturdays (score of 246) and as the Reserve with RV Not For Hire for Evon Werner – score 243.50.
Blake explains that Made for Naturdays (Natty) is three and RV Not For Hire, aka “Teddy” is four, and both are by Machine Made.
The feat of a three-year-old winning such a prestigious class inspired a conversation about Natty, a horse they searched for over a two year period for the Nielsons, Mary Alice and Alysia. “He is incredible,” Blake explains. “He doesn’t act like a three year old, he loves to show, and he literally loves his job. Almost every time I show him, he’s better than when he warmed up. He’s the type of horse that makes you smile every day.”
Blake says that Natty is an old soul who eats mini muffins, and the reason Blake was there at the arena when the class was pinned sans horse was because Natty wouldn’t get up to go pick up his prize.
Today’s L1 Junior Trail pattern had a lot of tight lope transitions, which Blake enjoyed on both horses; Teddy is a lot slower and likes to take his time, he says, and “Natty has such a big stride you can just say go and he makes the distance like it’s nothing, so that was really fun.”
“My trot serpentine – I didn’t get it one time in practice, so I changed my plan when I got out there and they both took care of me,” he adds. Blake says that while it’s challenging to ride two very different horses, he knows his horses really well, and he explains that Trail is one of his favorite events, in addition to Western Riding, because “there’s an explanation to things so it draws a crowd; the best horse can hit two poles and then they’re out. They’re also a little more forward.” Blake’s true calling, he explains, is getting horses ready for those events.
Though he hasn’t shown Natty in Western Riding yet, he’s a phenomenal lead changer so it’s in his future, and Blake says Clay Arrington, who had both horses before, did a great job with them.
See the results through sixth place for L1 Junior Trail:
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Then Thursday night in the Celeste Arena right after completing their Hunt Seat Equitation class in the Coliseum, the 11 & Under riders went straight into Youth Hunter Under Saddle!
Brynn Mathiason and TallDarkNChocolate had just won a Bronze in Eq, and they secured the win in Hunter Under Saddle, too! Brynn says she’s had Riley (who is 14) for two years, and she rides with Ashley Montgomery, and this is her first win at the Congress!
“I always get third, and one year I was third three times, and finally I got first,” laughs Brynn. She says in her class today, Riley was listening to her and not trying to anticipate anything, and everything felt really good – “I got my good spacing and he was just perfect.”
Since they had to go straight from Equitation to Hunter Under Saddle, she adds, “I had to warm up in 5 minutes and get ready for the first split, he was a little confused and was trying to get into Hunter Under Saddle mode, going from Eq.” Brynn says she loves Riley’s personality as he’s kind of goofy, likes to lick everything, and he knows how to get himself out of his stall if it’s not latched.
Brynn explains how it felt to get her name called as the winner: “I was like – oh, my gosh – I just won. He’s perfect.”
Results for Youth Hunter Under Saddle 11 & Under:
See more of Thursday’s winners below:
