Caitlin Lyons and Olivia Frost Named First Champion of AQHA Youth World in 158-Entry L2 Showmanship

By: Brittany Bevis

It took a whopping nine hours, but the judges have finally determined that Caitlin Lyons and Olivia Frost are the winners of the Level 2 Showmanship, the first class here at the AQHA Youth World Show.

“It was really tiring; but, last year, it took 14 hours, and they did Level 2 and 3 together, so I about died. I was very thankful they split it up this year,” Caitlin says.

This is Caitlin’s fifth trip to the Youth World, but her first big win. She’s placed fourth, twice in the past, so she was shooting for a higher placement in today’s class of 158 entries. “When I heard fourth place, I was thinking, ‘Please, not me!'”

Caitlin was very pleased, not only with her roan mare’s performance in the preliminaries, but also in the finals this afternoon. “The back up is our thing. She went in there, both in our preliminary pattern and this one, and I knew we had it. Her pivots were great, and her stops were awesome. We’ve been working on that, so it was really exciting.”

Coming up next, Caitlin and Olivia will compete in Halter, Horsemanship, Western Pleasure, and Level 3 Showmanship. Next year, this young lady is headed to the University of Georgia where she will compete on their equestrian team.

Today was also a special occasion for the Reserve Champion, Savannah Relick, and her horse, Goodbar Had A Dream, because it is their first and last AQHA Youth World. She’s headed to community college for one year, and then she has plans to attend Texas A&M University.

Savannah’s gray gelding was a perfect partner for today’s finals class, but Savannah’s surprise at the final placings was evident on her face when the announcer revealed she was the Reserve Champion. “I had no idea! I thought placing in the top ten would be nice.”

Savannah’s favorite parts of her pattern were the maneuvering sections of the trot. “I think the circle was really good, because he stayed with me. The walk and trot felt good, but there were a few sticky parts.”

Coming up next, this team will compete in Equitation, Horsemanship, and Trail.

Third was Claira Bingaman with A Blazen Asset. Fourth was Mallory Fricke with I Can’t Decide. Fifth was Catrina Guenther with Zippos Kat Man Do.