Best Buds Take Top Two Spots in AjPHA Youth World Trail

By: Brittany Bevis

The remainder of Trail classes at the 2016 AjPHA Youth World Championship Show have concluded today with three more World Champions being crowned.

First, in 14-18 Trail, Kassandra Jones rode Chasinthesensation to a World Championship finish. The Reserve World Champion was Alexis Miller with Thanks For Zip En Me. Third place was Abigail Love with A Subtle Impulse. Fourth place was Julie Hill with The Ultimate Attitude. Fifth place was Erin Griffin with The Only Kiss To Envy.

In Youth Trail 13 and Under, Lauren Gralla continued her winning streak with A Sudden Legacy. The Reserve Champion was Lillian Woodruff with CC Cowboy. Third place was Kristen McPherson with Twenty Four. Fourth was Sabine Lazo with Chexs Blue Eyed Affair. Fifth was Kenna Wilson with Charlie Did It.

In Walk-Trot Trail, Miss Emily Miller rode Who Painted Me, aka “Taco,” to her first World Championship title. Her best friend, Cara Christensen, came in Reserve with her horse, Slightly Fancy. Third place was Avery Mortman with One Graceful Krymsun. Fourth place was Drake Carlin with Always Zippen. Fifth was Izzie George with Sonny Dee Zippin.

Emily has been showing 13-year-old Taco for just one month, but she’s quickly discovered her favorite class, Western Pleasure. “I like doing Western Pleasure, because I don’t like going fast,” she says. “I like showing at this show, because this is where all my friends go. A lot of my friends, from out of town, come here. Also, there are a lot of vendors.”

Before today’s Trail class, Emily looked to her trainers, Chad and Shane Christensen, for a few helpful hints for her pattern. “They said to remember to keep my eyes up, my chin up, my heels down, and to focus on my pattern. I think that it was pretty easy. The best part, I thought, were the walk-overs and the trot-overs.”

This is Emily’s first time winning a World Championship title and she already has high expectations for her remaining two classes. “My goal is to get first or second in the rest of my classes, Horsemanship and Western Pleasure,” she says. “This was very exciting. My friend, Cara’s, number is 2163, and mine is 2160, so when I hear 216… my horse wants to go forward. Sometimes, I want to walk forward when I hear her number!”

Last night, the World Champ and Reserve World Champ had a sleepover where they made a plan for a simultaneous victory lap. “She spends the night over at my hotel, because she has to wake up really early when she’s with her dad. We planned this about two weeks ago. In Trail, I was going to win first and she was going to win second and we each would do our victory laps together.”

It doesn’t get much better than that.