Champions at FL Winter Circuits Include Reinartz, Figueroa, Erickson, Banks, and More

By: Brittany Bevis

It’s a beautiful day here at the Bob Thomas Equestrian Center in Tampa, FL at the second of the Florida Winter circuits- the FL Gulf Coast. With four arenas hosting different classes today, we had the opportunity to chat with a few of the winners from both the FL Gold and Gulf Coast circuits.

Jerry Erickson rode a 5-year-old mare named Allocated Sky Miles, aka “Red,” to win a circuit championship in Green Working Hunter. This horse had a bit of a break in 2020, due to the pandemic, but she’s back on track this year and taking top titles in the green and progressive divisions.

“As a three-year-old, she did Hunter Under Saddle,” he says. “I don’t know if you’ve heard, but last year there was this COVID virus and she didn’t go to a single horse show. The owners sent her to me in the middle of the summer. She’s been a little bit of a slow learner and then, all of a sudden, the lightbulb came on. For the last six weeks, she’s been really good.”

Scott Reinartz rode his trusty gelding, Investin A Goodbar, to win one of the Select Trail classes. “Hank” and Scott have been a team for eight years now, and they compete under the guidance of Bruce Vickery and Anthony Montes, who are Trail specialists. “They help me refine my skills with shaping and understanding the scoring system. They teach me to ride each obstacle as a separate piece.”

Scott and Hank also placed third in Amateur Showmanship. A very exciting addition to the team is Scott’s newest partner, Only One Request, aka “Potter.” Scott has owned this gelding for four years now, but he’s just starting his all-around career. Earlier at the show, they won Amateur Aged Geldings and placed third in Select Trail.

“We get along great. There is some immaturity there, but getting the miles on will help. I will show him this year in Showmanship, Horsemanship, Trail, and Halter. Hank will take a back seat this year until I get Potter going down the road, and we get solid in those events.”

Rebecca Figueroa rode Check Required to win the 14-18 All Around High Point at the FL Gold Coast and is now competing as an amateur at the FL Gulf Coast. “It was definitely a little bittersweet. I was going into my last Hunter Under Saddle class, and my trainer said, ‘Wow, it’s your last youth class.’ It definitely hit home a little bit, but it was rewarding to win my last High Point as a youth.”

Rebecca has been competing with her gelding since he was a three-year-old Western Pleasure Futurity prospect. When he was four years old, she brought him to her current trainers, Carly and Wade Parks, and he jumped quickly into his all-around role. “Now, he’s my War Horse,” she says. “His favorite class is Trail. He likes it and has been doing it since he was young. My trainer loves doing it, so it’s a class we practice a lot. He’s honest and true in that class and a lot of fun to show.”

Ken Banks rode his horse, General Consensus, aka “Palmer,” to win Select Western Pleasure at the FL Gold Coast. He also rode See The Magic In Me to win the Amateur Versatility Ranch Horse High Point at the FL Gold Coast.

“Bob Avila trained him, so I can’t take all the credit,” Ken laughs. “He was really on his target at this horse show. We were able to win the High Point Amateur Versatility Ranch Horse and the AQHA circuit. He was first place about thirty times. Winning isn’t everything, you know, but it’s pretty fun!”

Ken thoroughly enjoys competing in Western Pleasure and Western Riding, but these new Versatility Ranch Horse classes have taken him back to his roots.

“When you have a great horse, that’s my favorite event. The Ranch classes have really changed. This is actually my ranch horse, so when I get home he will have two days off and then we will go to the ranch and get right to work. We have 600 head to breed. He will be one of the work horses right in the cattle pen with the cowboys.”

“He started at the ranch and was so fun to ride that I thought I would bring him to the Redbud. We won the circuit there and then we went to the NSBA World and he won a World Championship. At that time, he looked like a ranch horse. He was hairy and sunburned and had a few scratches and scars, just from being out in the brush, but now he lives in the show barn and sometimes he acts like a show horse!”

In addition to Ken’s success, his wife, Laina Banks, won the Select High Point with Strawberri Wine for the FL Gold Coast portion of the event.

Stay tuned to www.EquineChronicle.com for more photos, videos, and articles from the show.