Congress Over Fence Champions Include Bucholz/Aslands Magic, Poucher/Sleep In My Suite, Hinshaw/Im Seein Double, and Billingsley/Who Do U Think U Are

By: Brittany Bevis

In this afternoon’s 14-18 Equitation Over Fences class, 18-year-old Chiara Poucher rode her horse, Sleep In My Suite, to win their first Congress title as a team. “It’s pretty shocking,” she says. “It’s my first year with my horse, Jeffery. He was a little nervous before going in the ring, so I was a little nervous, but he was a very good boy. We did the best we could.”

Their best certainly got the job done today in a tough youth class of 31 horses. Poucher and Jeffery currently compete under the guidance of Clay Farrell. “Clay told me to keep riding like I’ve been doing: keep my heels down, push back, and have fun. Equitation Over Fences is judged on the rider, so I feel like the most important thing is how you connect with your horse. It really shows in Equitation; because, when you ask your horse to trot a 2 foot 9 inch fence, they have to trust you. I feel like it really shows the relationship between the horse and rider.”

Poucher was very pleased with Jeffery’s trot fence as well as the first fence of today’s course, which can occasionally cause problems for riders. “The trot fence was beautiful. He had a little rub, but he trotted over it and he popped his knees up, so I was really proud of him. My first fence was my favorite because those are really easy to mess up.”

Next up, Poucher and Jeffery will compete in Novice Youth and Youth Hunter Hack. Earlier in the show, they placed fifth in Novice Youth Working Hunter and 14th in Youth Working Hunter.

The Reserve Champion in the class was Nicholas Furlong with Executive Hotrodder. Third was Kaitlyn Lomas with Sculptured In Iron. Fourth was Haleigh Holliday with Dee Lucks Detail. Fifth was Catherine Fike with Suitable Impression.

In Novice Amateur Hunter Hack, Shalaine Hinshaw rode I’m Seein Double to win her first Congress Championship title. “This is my first time at the Congress, and I love it,” she says. “It’s been really fun. The weather has been great, which I know is unusual. The atmosphere has been really nice.”

Shalaine and “Luke” have been a team for eight months now, and they compete in Over Fences, Hunter Under Saddle, and Equitation classes. They rely on trainers, Jeff Burley and Jessica Johnson, for guidance. “Having rhythm and straightness is what I think about the whole time. The number one thing Jessica says is to get my canter right away and keep it flowing and easy. This was sort of our redemption round. It didn’t start out so good, but it ended good.”

This is Shalaine’s first year in AQHA competition, but she has several years under her belt on the Hunter/Jumper circuit. During the short time she’s spent showing Quarter Horses, she’s noticed many differences between the two types of equestrian competition.

“The Over Fence classes are a lot the same, but the flat is very different, so it’s been an adjustment. [As far as the type of horses is concerned] I think a good mover is a good mover, and it should win the class. But, in Quarter Horse competition, they’re also looking for obedience and consistency. Sometimes, in Hunter/Jumper classes, the good mover will trump all, so it’s a fine line. I’ve tried to figure out what they want to see, learn how to ride it, and bring that to a competitive level.”

The Reserve Champion was Leslie Gilb with Especially Sonny. Third place was Susan Cannan with Social Butterfly. Fourth was Sarah Brown with Billy Elliott. Fifth was Catherine Schumann with All In The Details.

Courtney Rae Billingsley was named the Congress Champion in Amateur Hunter Hack with her horse Who Do U Think U Are. They’ve been a team for three years, but their partnership wasn’t smooth sailing from the beginning. “During the first couple of months, I thought I was going to be selling him very quickly, because we had a rough start,” she says. “Now, I’ve gained his trust, so that makes it really special. When you gain an animal’s trust like that, it’s very cool. He’s kind of my boy now.”

Billingsley and her boy, “Huey,” also won Amateur Working Hunter as well, here at the Congress. He will compete with Jessica Johnson in Senior Hunter Hack tomorrow. Then, Billingsley has plans to show her other horse, a three-year-old by Allocate Your Assets named Al His Glory, aka “Buckshot,” in Amateur and Novice Amateur Hunter Under Saddle.

In a fun turn of events, Billingsley received a bit of good luck today from friend and fellow Congress Champion, Shalaine Hinshaw, who also trains with Jessica Johnson. “She was coming back in the barn after her win [in Novice Amateur Hunter Hack], and I asked her if I could rub the trophy for good luck. I guess it worked!”

The Reserve Champion in today’s class was Samantha Roper with What I Know Now. Third was Mandy Myers with You’ve Got A Prince. Fourth was Madison Eichstadt with Its My Lucky Detail. Fifth was Whitney Mcilvain with The Blue Cowboy.

Finally, in Select Equitation Over Fences, Lori Bucholz made a remarkable comeback from a serious injury to win with her horse, Aslands Magic. At the Select World Show in 2015, Bucholz sustained a nasty fall during a warmup for this very same class.

“At the Select World in 2015, were warming up for the Equitation Over Fences,” she says. “My other horse, Larks Happy Days, chipped into the fence. It was my fault, completely. I had a fracture in my tibia plateau, tore an ACL and meniscus, and was on crutches for 154 days. Finally, I got on a horse this past February, and I may have jumped a rail in April or May. My first time back showing was two weeks ago in Kentucky, so this is pretty emotional winning this class after my wreck.”

Bucholz has owned “Oz, the Great and Powerful” for a little over two years, but due to the accident and considerable recovery time, they haven’t been able to come together as a team until just recently. “When I first saw my orthopedic surgeon, he said I didn’t really have to fix my ACL, because I could go without it. I showed him a picture of me jumping and said, ‘This is what we need to get to.’ He said, ‘Ok. We can do that.’ I did a lot of physical therapy, and I’m still doing some. This is really the icing on the cake for me.”

Bucholz and Oz compete under the guidance of longtime trainer, Lainie DeBoer.

The Reserve Champion in the class was Terrie Booth with Larks Big Leaguer. Third place was Sharon Andersen with Certified Attraction. Fourth place was Rodger Call with Go Big Sky. Fifth was Julie Young with Diversified Artie.