Historic Tiebreaker Tie Between Friends During AQHA World Show

By: Brittany Bevis

At the highest level of competition, the difference that separates the World Champion from the rest of the field can be a half a point or a tenth of a second. Sometimes, the final results can be too close to call.

Depending on the discipline, the final decision can rely on a tiebreaker judge or even a run-off. But what happens when two competitors tie during the tiebreaker?

That’s exactly what happened during the Junior Western Riding Level 3 finals at the 2015 AQHA World Show. Two horse and rider teams, Blake Weis with Snap Krackle Pop and Jamie Dowdy with Its A Southern Thing, each scored a 228, resulting in a run-off to determine the winner. However, during the runoff, the teams tied once again! We had the opportunity to find out more about this historic tiebreaker tie by talking to one of the competitors involved, Jamie Dowdy.

“The computer stated that a winner was calculated after the run-off but, when they double checked it by hand, they actually determined there was yet another tie,” Jamie says. “It was very exciting to say the least… almost a little too much excitement! Blake and I had the option to do a third run-off or calculate all the scores to determine the winner. Blake and I ultimately decided for the second option.”

“I was up for whatever Blake wanted to do. They are both exceptional horses, and neither one of us wanted to see who was going to fall first. Neither of us had a lot of time to digest what was happening. We thought they were joking about the second tie. I don’t think anybody was fully prepared for that. I’m not sure if we would have done anything differently, looking back on it.”

What made this situation even more special is that Jamie and Blake are good friends and fellow horse trainers who go way back. “Blake and I grew up showing horses together,” she says. “When we were teenagers, Blake actually gave me a chinchilla! I know it’s an odd gift, but he used to raise them.”

Once the official World Champion and Reserve World Champion were named, Blake and Jamie joined hands to complete the traditional World Champion’s victory lap to the delight of the crowd. “It was amazing to celebrate such a defining moment with an amazing trainer and friend,” Jamie says. “He was very gracious in sharing the glory with our hand holding champion lap!”

We had the chance to speak with Blake about Snap Krackle Pop, aka “Brandi,”  during our interview when they were named the World Champions in Junior Trail L3 and later with Brandi’s owners when she was named the Farnam Superhorse. Today, we spoke with Jamie Dowdy and horse owner Amy Gumz to find out more about Its A Southern Thing, aka “Moonpie.”

“I debuted Moonpie in Western Riding at the 7 Day Run in Iowa during his 4-year-old year and knew right then we were going to be exceptional dance partners,” Jamie says. “He ended up being the Junior Western Riding Circuit Champion that show. We finished that year being third at the World Show.”

“It needs to be known that without Amy’s pure love for Moonpie and her absolute conviction that he would be great, we wouldn’t have the opportunity to be a part of such an amazing horse’s life. Fortunately, he’s a stud horse and the people that put forth the same belief in their mini-pies will be able to share a piece of Moonpie like we have. Thank God for all his blessings and the great horses he blesses us with.”

“I think this class symbolized good sportsmanship and such a positive image for our industry,” Amy says. “As much as I would have loved to have won the class, it warms my heart to see how it ended.”