Jay Starnes and VS Flatline Are Unanimous in 3-Year-Old Open Western Pleasure Futurity

By: Brittany Bevis

Thus far at the 2013 Quarter Horse Congress, the three-year-old roan stallion, VS Flatline, has been named the Reserve Congress Champion in Junior Western Pleasure, the Congress Champion in 3-Year-Old Non-Pro Western Pleasure, and the Congress Champion in Amateur Western Pleasure. This afternoon, Jay Starnes rode “Kobe” to yet another win in the 3-Year-Old Open Western Pleasure Futurity, and this time, the decision was unanimous.

Starnes cited Kobe’s easy-going personality and uncharacteristically quiet mind as some of his best attributes.

“He’s fun and easy,” Starnes says. “He doesn’t take a lot of work. He got done showing in the Amateur Pleasure yesterday morning [with owner Kristen Galyean], and I don’t think he got up until this morning when he came to show. He’s very special.”

Up next for Kobe and Starnes will be the Junior Western Pleasure at the AQHA World Show. Then, it’s back to the breeding barn for this young stallion to help sire the next generation of western pleasure superstars.

“They bred a lot of mares to him last year, around 80,” Starnes says. “Next year will be his first foal crop. I hope they’ll have his mind. I feel like he’s been bred to a lot of great mares, so I feel like the legs will be there. I just hope they have his mind.”

Starnes acknowledges that competing in multiple western pleasure classes can be taxing for any horse. Luckily, Kobe is very fond of getting his beauty sleep.

“It’s a lot,” he says. “But [it’s good to have] one like him where he’s easy and you don’t have to over-prepare him, because you’d run out of horse. Even he’s getting tired, but he’s kind of big and lazy anyway, so it doesn’t take a lot to make him tired!”

We would like to congratulate Jay and Kristy Starnes and the Galyean family on having such an exceptional Congress with this promising young sire.

Three-Year-Old Open Western Pleasure Futurity-

1-VS Flatline/Jay Starnes

2-Rewind And Repeat/Gil Galyean

3-Twist Of Moonlite/Casey Willis

4-The Best Martini/Brian Cox

5-Forever My Lady/Kenny Lakins

6-Get Her Vitals/Randy Wilson

7-Snap Krackle Pop/Katie Green- Limited division winner

8-Caught Me Looking/Ashley Lakins

9-A Good Touch/Carl Yamber

10-Moonlite Ventures/Angie Cannizzaro