Blackburn-Baskin Wins NA Horsemanship; Berglund Wins NY 14-18 Hunter Under Saddle

By: Brittany Bevis

Two huge novice classes have crowned new Congress Champions this evening at the 2015 All American Quarter Horse Congress. First up in the Novice Amateur Horsemanship, Juliana Blackburn-Baskin bested 117 entries for the win aboard her horse Floating On Assets. Jules and “Ellie” were the Reserve Champions last year in Novice Amateur Horsemanship, so this year she was hungry for a win.

“I think I put pressure on myself,” she says. “My trainers were just pushing me to do the best I can. After being Reserve last year, I really wanted to win. That was my main goal. I didn’t know if it was possible or not, but I was going to give it everything I’ve got! Honestly though, I just wanted a good go.”

21-year-old Jules and 16-year-old Ellie relied on the expert preparation and guidance of trainers Leslie Lange and Jeff Mellott for today’s class. “All year, it’s been awesome having the two of them playing off each other and bouncing ideas around,” she says. “I used to get really nervous and clamp onto Ellie’s sides and be too tight with my legs. They’ve really helped me learn how to relax and think of showing just like I’m riding out in the practice pen.”

In today’s pattern, Jules’s favorite part was the combination maneuver that included an extended trot into a stop and spin, because of Ellie’s ability to lengthen her stride. Later on in the show, the pair will compete in Amateur Horsemanship and Showmanship.

The Reserve Champion in the class was Juliana Carlise with KM Boshotinvestment. Third place was Hannah Mowrey Clarke with Talk About Lazy. Fourth place was Natoshia Kelly with Cookies Only. Fifth place was Kim Burrell Gutowski with Toucht.

In the Novice Youth 14-18 Hunter Under Saddle, Moa Berglund bested 99 entries to win the class aboard Ain’t Gota Lot. This is Berglund’s first trip to the Quarter Horse Congress from Sweden. She made the trip over earlier this year to compete at the AQHA Youth World Show and came away with a third place finish in Youth Western Riding with her horse, Grey Asset. She had so much fun that she decided to return to make her Congress debut in 2015.

“My trainer, Matteo Sala, is from Italy, and he has been working and training with Charlie and Jason [of Highpoint Performance Horses] for a long time,” Moa says. “Then, we decided to bring my horse over here, Grey Asset, for the Youth World. I came back because it was fun! The Congress is way bigger than the Scandinavian and European shows. Everything is bigger and better. It’s a lot of fun. It’s very exciting; that’s for sure.”

The Reserve Champion in the class was Olivia Tordoff with Too Blazin Cool. Third place was Cassidy Jensen with Chocolatey Special.  Fourth place was Kalli Bohach with Iron Constitution. Fifth place was Laura Nagengast with Hot N Addictive.