Following the Ranch Riding was the Western Riding, which ended with a 17 head Open class won by Becca Hurst with Moonlight Rodder on two cards, and Millissa Daurer with KM Zip Me Suddenly winning on the third card. Other winners this afternoon included As The World Terms with both Becca Hurst in the Open and Penny Jargella in the Amateur Select, UF A Light Smoke and Emma Garcia in the Novice Youth Equitation, and Good Going Danica and Karen Boxell in the Select Equitation.

Yesterday started off with Trail, including a 30-head Sr. Trail class. There were many across the board winners including Jessica Baird with Cool Lopin Lady in the Novice Amateur, Logan Wheeler with Best Believe It in the Amateur, Ellexxah Maxwell with Zips Bossy Chip in the Youth, and Jennifer Paul with Some Hot Potential in that 30-head Senior class.

“What mattered more than a pretty face, a shiny show saddle, or in Speedy’s case, a forelock extension, is that all of the superficiality was gone and the sole reason I was out there was to ride, bond, and succeed with my equine partner.”

Gamblers are notoriously superstitious, and many athletes, including equestrians, share that same trait. I trekked through the barn aisles and practice pens today to find out if any of the horse trainers or fellow competitors had any lucky charms, superstitions, or rituals prior to showing.

“As a competitor, I had the typical showtime butterflies. I’m not sure if anyone else experiences this, but there were points in my pattern that I wasn’t sure if I might just pass out right then and there.”

“The expert at anything was once a beginner.” -Helen Hayes The AQHA Level 1 Championship shows are the embodiment and celebration of this sentiment for the largest equine breed registry in the world.

Our EC bloggers, Trace Thompson and Ericka Schaefer, will be blogging throughout the week, so stay tuned to EquineChronicle.com for photos, results, and stories about all the action at South Point.