Evening Winners at AQHA Youth World Include Keller, Humbert, and Bennett

By: Brittany Bevis

Piper Keller started things off this evening with a big win in L2 Western Horsemanship with Sweet Made. Reserve was Lauren Graves with No Question Im Lazy. Third was Emma Cress with Best Gift Yet. Fourth was Isabella Buckley with Roses Only. Fifth was Rachel Hoopman with Don’t Skip My Charms.

12-year-old Piper and her 6-year-old mare, “Harper,” pulled out an impressive performance in a class with some much older competitors and came out on top. Piper thinks her back and lope were among her best maneuvers. “The square corners were a bit tough, so I made sure to use my leg and hands, and I asked nicely.”

In her corner for today’s class were her horse trainers, and parents, Mike and Heather Keller. They purchased this mare as a yearling and have done all the work on her as a family.

Piper has been doing wonderfully at the show so far- placing third in Ranch Riding with Mister Dual Train, fifth in Level 2 Ranch Riding, eighth in Level 3, and third in 13 and under. Coming up next, the ladies will attack 13 and Under Horsemanship.

The Level 1 14-18 Horsemanship saw Wyatt Humbert and UF My Legs R Lethal as the winner. Reserve was Emma Cress with Best Gift Yet. Third was Holly Phalen with VS Code Victoria. Fourth was Meagan Braun with Showin My Ace. Fifth was Kaitlyn Smith with Amazing Dream.

This is Wyatt’s final youth year, so it was perfect timing to win his first golden trophy. His partner for today’s class was “Riggs.” They compete together in Showmanship and Horsemanship under the guidance of Tyler Schultz.

“I like competing in pattern classes, because of the bond between my horse and I and being able to go in there and figure out a pattern together. I wanted to send it today. We’re here at the World Show, and we’ve got to do what we’ve got to do to stand out. I knew I had the horse, and it was all up to me and executing it.”

Level 1 14-18 Western Pleasure was won by Kaydee Bennett with I’ll B Batting Ona RV. Reserve was John Ross Pickard with Riflemann. Third was Hannah Inchiostro with Always Certain. Fourth was Kaci Rodriguez with Pass The Black Gold. Fifth was Brooke Inchiostro with Hes Absolutely Sure.

Kaydee and her mare are a relatively new team, making their debut in February and having their first big win at the Redbud. For today’s class, they simply wanted to have a good run and make the Top 10 or possibly Top 5.

“We’ve been working so hard with her,” she says. “We’re a new team, so we’re trying to figure out all the buttons. I won a gold trophy here before in Showmanship last year, but this one is really special. We’ve just started figuring stuff out together, so it’s exciting.”

Relying on the expert guidance of trainers, Shannon Vroegh and Hannah Lind, Kaydee took a simple approach to today’s class. “We decided to let her do her thing. I just needed to sit there and let her do her job. She carries me. She’s truly awesome.”

Out of three cuts, only five horse and rider teams in each split were taken back to the finals. Because Kaydee had a late number, it made her a bit nervous. “I was sitting there, and I kept thinking about what they might not have liked. I was thrilled to make it back. It was instant relief when I won. All I wanted was Top 10 or Top 5. Just to get in there was so special.”