“My success this year is proof that if you buy a horse you love, feed it well, work hard, and never look back, you might just be able to surprise yourself with how far you can go.”

Only but once a year my mom goes all out for my stalls. It’s her way of rewarding me, no – rewarding us, for all we’ve accomplished together throughout the year. It’s a celebration of this special life we get to live and never giving up on it.

This will be my seventh year qualifying for the Youth World. I made my first appearance when I was just 8 years old showing my mare, Amblin Good N Easy, in the Trail!

Now, I find my heart conflicted. In one way, the World Show lights seem so dim now that Grandma was taken from me, and in another they shine brighter as I am more determined than ever – just for her!

Exhibitors showed up in force with over 45 in Amateur Horsemanship, 50 in Amateur Showmanship, 45 in Youth 14-18 Showmanship, and over 200 Trail goes each day showed.

The largest classes included 30+ entries in Level 1 Trail, 40 in Amateur Showmanship, 44 in Youth 14-18 Horsemanship, 39 in Amateur Horsemanship, 20 in Senior Western Pleasure, and 25 in Level 1 Western Pleasure.

“It doesn’t matter how sleep-deprived you are, hearing the words ‘foal’ and ‘problem’ in such close proximity, liberally sprinkled with a clear sense of urgency, inspires any mare owner on the face of the earth to find a new, much higher gear.”