Kara Vickery and Strawberri Wine Win Congress Novice Youth 14-18 Western Riding With 233
Kara and Bruce Vickery
By: Brittany Bevis
Ms. Kara Vickery piloted her beautiful “strawberry” roan mare, Strawberri Wine, to score a very impressive 233 and come away with her first Congress Champion title in Novice Youth Western Riding 14-18. Just a few weeks ago, Kara and “Strawberri” were named the NSBA World Champions in Youth Western Riding, and the pair placed fourth at the AQHA Youth World Show in Western Riding.
Coming off such success, Kara did have hopes of a successful performance at the Congress, but she didn’t want to get her hopes up too high. “I get nervous when I start thinking like that, because I don’t want to get too cocky,” she says. “The Coliseum makes me really nervous, because it’s usually so tight in there. But, today it felt so big, and we were able to be really free and open. She was so amazing.”
“I’ve shown her for the past year and a half. She is my dream horse. She is so good at everything!”
Kara and Strawberri tackled pattern #4 this evening. She says her favorite part of the pattern was the line of changes. “It feels like slow motion,” she says. “It’s like you’re in the air forever.”
Later on in the show, Kara will compete in 14-18 Western Riding, Horsemanship, and NYATT Horsemanship as well as 15-18 Showmanship and Trail. Strawberri will join Kara’s father/trainer, Bruce Vickery, for Green Trail. They already competed in Senior Western Riding yesterday and placed 8th. Being both a dad and horse trainer comes with the dual responsibilities of having to be the tough instructor while still being the supportive father, but Kara thinks her pop manages both very well.
Natalia Devencenty and Chex Is The Choice
“We go over everything I need to focus on the night before, like steering and hitting my spots,” she says. “Then, the day of the class, he tells me to relax, because I get really nervous. And he tells me to have fun.”
The Reserve Champion in the class tonight was Natalia Kay Devencenty with Chex Is The Choice. Third place was Kacie Scharf with A Movin Machine. Fourth place was Annie Skivington with Good Time To Win. Fifth place was Taylor Burgess with RL Talk About Sudden.
