Emma Brown/Some Hot Potential and Scott Reinartz/Investin A Goodbar Win Congress Trail

By: Brittany Bevis

Today’s Trail classes at the 2019 Quarter Horse Congress have crowned two new champions. First, Emma Brown rode Some Hot Potential, aka “Brett,” to win Amateur Trail with whopper of a score- a 241.5.

She was towards the end of the draw, at #70, so Emma had the opportunity to sit and watch a few of her fellow competitors before she had her turn. “I like to watch to see if there are any problem areas, so I can focus on those, but there really wasn’t any. It was a pretty flowy course today.”

“I think definitely where he plusses are his lope overs. For me, I really liked how soft he was at the gate. It was a different gate that we don’t do every weekend. Now, it wasn’t my first time doing it, but it wasn’t a gate we get to do all the time. He did it so soft and listened to my feet the whole time.”

Although Emma didn’t have any ticks and went through the pattern clean, she was getting a little nervous towards the end. “I thought I might have over-spun a little, because I got going so fast. By the time I was going to the walk-overs, I was thinking, ‘Don’t touch them!’ I don’t really get nervous until the last slow obstacle.”

Stay tuned for more in a video interview coming with Emma soon.

Reserve in the class was Sabrina Janis with Ever So Sudden. Third was Larisa Affeldt with The Silver Foxx. Fourth was Angela Wade with The Perfect Kryme. Fifth was Sabrina Janis with Cruize.

Scott Reinartz rode Investin A Goodbar to win Select Trail for the first time at the Congress.

“This was our first time back in the pen since March, so I wasn’t quite sure what we were going to have today. I went in with the expectation of having a clean run. Bruce [Vickery] warmed him up this morning and thought he felt good and fresh. Before the class, I did some slow, calming work.”

Scott’s only concern in today’s pattern was a tricky set of lope-trot transitions. “Sometimes, they can anticipate that, but he held it together and followed me everywhere I wanted him to go. He waited for me to initiate the transition, and he was totally with me the whole time. When you’re in the Trail pen, you have a feeling of the horse being with you or they’re taking charge, and he was totally with me today.”

Reserve in the class was Bonnie Sheren with Heza Radical Zip. Third was Angela Dillahunty with Won RV Ridin Machine. Fourth was Bonnie Sheren with More Radical. Fifth was Kathy Tobin with Suddenly A Good Bar.