Fantastic Freestyle Fun at 2015 AQHA Youth World!

By: Brittany Bevis

A special event capped off yesterday evening at the 2015 AQHA Youth World Championship Show. Nine entries participated in the Freestyle competition, which included Showmanship, Horsemanship, and Reining divisions.

As always, competitors were invited to use their creativity by including costumes and setting their patterns to music. Some chose to keep their performances simple, like the brother-sister duo of Makayla and Ryan Flowers, who donned tuxedo-printed t-shirts and fedoras to perform a traditional Showmanship pattern. Others pulled out all the stops in an effort to impress the judges, like one dynamic duo who completed a pas de deux-style Showmanship pattern with their horses dressed identically in American flag slinkies. This entry performed to the country tune by Brantley Gilbert, “One Hell of an Amen.” Other creative entries included Kermit and Miss Piggy, an American Harvester Tractor, and Lady Gaga.

When it was time for results, a few performances stood out above the rest. Winning the Showmanship Freestyle was Madelynne Herlocker with He Invested Wisely. Herlocker chose a Rocky-theme for her pattern and relied on some help from four friends who acted as living cones. Herlocker donned an American flag boxing robe while her horse wore a white cooler emblazoned with the phrases “Fight Like A Girl” and “Italian Stallion.” She was inspired to create this performance because of her aunt Doris, who is currently battling cancer.

13-year-old Claire McDowall showed the big kids how it’s done with an entertaining performance aboard her trusty gelding, The Ultimate Zip, aka “Hewey.” McDowall pulled out all the stops by performing both bridleless and bareback. At the conclusion of her pattern, she slid off Huey’s back, gave him a big pat, and hammed it up for the crowd.

Finally, Daniel Dalagar dressed like Uncle Sam to perform a patriotic Reining pattern aboard his horse Smart Star Lena. Incredibly, Smart Star Lena was involved in an accident not too long ago that left her blind. Still, Dalagar was able to complete an impressive Reining pattern, while bridleless. This Freestyle performance was Smart Star Lena’s last time in the show pen.

Congratulations to all of the entries on such creative performances!