Jason Martin Rides Elis A Sleepin to Win AQHA World Senior Western Riding

By: Brittany Bevis

Jason Martin and Elis A Sleepin celebrated their win in Senior Western Riding by doing a few extra lead changes during their victory lap this evening at the AQHA World Championship Show. “You practice that line so many times that it’s easy to be in that rhythm,” Jason laughs. “He’s a good horse and really consistent. Also, he’s really kind. He likes his job.”

It was obvious Jason was enjoying the moment as he loped up to accept his World Champion neck ribbon, trophy, and other assorted prizes aboard the 2006 black gelding, “Eli.” But still, he keeps everything in perspective, since he’s only had Eli at Highpoint Performance Horses for one month now.

“I don’t want to take credit, because I’ve only had him a month. Obviously, it’s from Troy Compton wining Western Pleasure on him at the Congress, Leonard Berryhill winning Junior Western Riding here at the World Show, and Nancy Alto-Renfro placing third in Senior. It’s not like I did something out of the ordinary. I really feel like he’s a really-trained horse, and I’m just a catch rider.” Always humble, Jason didn’t mention that he also piloted Eli to win a Congress Championship title in Senior Western Riding just a few weeks ago in Columbus, Ohio.

Eli is by Too Sleepy To Zip and out of Vested Investment, a mare by Investment Asset. He belongs to Carol and Kirsten Thomsen, the latter of which will also show him later in Amateur Western Riding.

Jason was certainly busy this evening juggling not one, or two, but three horses in the finals. How did he get it all accomplished? He relies on his banner team at Highpoint Performance Horses. “For sure, if you ask anybody on my team, they will say it takes a village to get me to the show pen. I had four horses in the preliminaries and three in the finals. I was literally going in, doing the pattern, loping all the way out, and then trying to get the next of the three horses ready. I drew first, seventh, and thirteenth.”

It also didn’t hurt that Jason had a little luck on his side, in the form of his five-time World Champion socks… “I had my five-time World Champion socks on tonight! I write on them, see. First, it started with being a two-time World Champion in them. Then, I won in them again, so they were three-time champion socks. Then, I wore them while winning my fifth, and now they’re six-time World Champion socks!”

The Reserve World Champion in Senior Western Riding was Blake Weis with Snap Krackle Pop. Third was Leslie Lange with The Immortal. The Level 2 Champion was Laura Begg-McAllister with Invest With The Best. The L2 Reserve Champion was Will Knabenshue with UF Certainly A Priss. Third was Chris Holbin with Chasing A Dream.