Jason Martin and Heavenly Mac Score 234.5 to Win Congress Senior Western Riding
By: Brittany Bevis
Jason Martin and Heavenly Mac scored a big 234.5 to claim the Congress Champion spot this evening in Senior Western Riding. The pair recently came off another win in the same discipline at the NSBA World Championship Show just a few weeks ago. For owner, Susan Knapp, the anticipation of waiting for scores is one of the hardest parts of watching her horse compete.
“I almost don’t want to watch him show, because I get so nervous,” she says. “Then, I get nervous when everybody shows after him, because I don’t look at the scores. He was 33rd to go today out of 65. At the NSBA World, he was fourth out of 80, but we didn’t know the scores there, whereas you know here. It all makes me crazy!”
11-year-old Mac is a returning champion in this event having won with Martin previously in 2013. That same year, Knapp piloted Mac to win Select Western Riding and Select Trail. Later on in the show, they will compete in the same classes, but her favorite is by far Western Riding.
“I like showing Mac in Western Riding, because he’s not all pent up,” she says. “He gets to move freely, and he likes it. He does the Trail for Jason and I, but he really doesn’t care for all those poles. He likes Western Riding. He has so much lift, and he does it so effortlessly. The older he gets, the better he gets. Also, he has great ears. They’re always up, and it’s a nice look to have in the ring.”
While any owner might get a bit nervous sitting on the sidelines, Knapp is thankful she has two of the very best Western Riding pilots out there. “They’re the best in the world,” she says. “They’ve taught me so many things. There are a lot of little nuances to any discipline, but Western Riding is so precise. You have to be right spot on with your changes.”
The Reserve Champion in this evening’s class was Deanna Searles with Heza Radical Zip. The third place team was Bruce Vickey with Cutelicious. Fourth place was Kelly McDowall with Best One Out There. Fifth place was Leslie Lange with The Immortal.
