Landman, Weiser, Bull, and Trueba Are 2013 APHA World Show Showmanship Champions

By: Brittany Bevis

This afternoon’s APHA World Show showmanship patterns were certainly not for the faint of heart. The Novice Amateur, Classic Amateur, and Masters Amateur divisions were challenged with extremely complex patterns that utilized maneuvers like extended trots, multiple tight turns, and speed changes.

The first exhibitor to conquer the complicated set of skills and claim a World Champion title was Rachel Landman with The Big Invitation. “Charlie” is a 6-year-old gelding that Landman has owned since September of 2012. The pair currently competes under the guidance of Kristin Layher.

“We had one show last year, and then we came here,” Landman says. “We did the showmanship and didn’t make the finals. But this year, we were Paint Congress Champions and Circuit Champions. Our big goal was to come here and win this one, so I’m super, super excited.”

Landman has been competing in western all-around events for almost one year now. She grew up on the hunter-jumper circuit and has a 2012 APHA World Championship title in Jumping. This is her first World Championship with Charlie.

“This is our first year to make any top tens or top fives, and he’s had a wonderful show so far,” she says. “I was actually really excited about that pattern because it showed his strengths. He is a really pretty trotter, and we’re both really good at extending the trot. He is so big. He is 16.3 hands tall, so it’s very hard to see over him in patterns. Everything was on my close side, which really helped out. It was a really good pattern for him.”

Making her win even more special was the fact that she got to share the experience with her friend and fellow competitor, Marissa Hurst, who came in Reserve with DG One Sonny Image.

“Marissa is a local,” she says. “She lives in Austin, and I’m in Dallas. At a lot of the shows that we go to, she’s always there, and she does the same events as me. Over the last year, we’ve become friends. She is such a sweet girl.”

Winning the World Championship title in the Classic Amateur division was Christine Weiser with Nighttime Sensation. Weiser has three Reserve World Champion titles in this particular event, but this marks her first World Championship. She and “Cole” were named the Reserve Champions in Equitation yesterday and placed eighth in Hunter Under Saddle.

“I’ve been Reserve three times, so this was amazing,” Weiser says. “It’s a whole bunch of emotions. I’ve worked so hard in showmanship. I’ve practiced I don’t know how much with my old show horse, Joe, in my parent’s pasture.”

“The pattern was pretty difficult, and I had to go first. I didn’t have too much time to get nervous, so that kind of helped me out. There were a lot of turns. It was difficult to fit in the pen properly. He is a freight train, so I’m glad we got all of our trot turns. [I liked] my setup, and I was super excited that we walked straight up to the judge. That doesn’t sound like a difficult thing, but we were having trouble with that in the preliminaries.”

Later on in the week, they will compete in Western Riding, Horsemanship, and Trail. Trainer Karen Qualls will show the gelding in Senior Western Riding and Senior Trail.

Not only is Weiser a talented competitor, she is also a budding show clothing designer. A seamstress created the shell of her dark gray outfit, but Weiser hand-cut every piece of black lace appliqué and spent hours applying rhinestones and beads.

Coleen Bull made it three for three this afternoon with a win in Masters Amateur Showmanship. The Reserve Champion was Sid Karr with I’m Fancy N I Know It. Rounding out the top three was Tina Slater with One Sensational Diva. Mikey Trueba led On Solid Ground to a win in the Amateur Solid Paint Bred Showmanship. The Reserve Champion was Elizabeth Stryker with Zippinonin. Third place was Lana Grieve with Only By Grace.

Classic Amateur Showmanship-

1-Nighttime Sensation/Christine Weiser

2-Cool N Candid/Karly Furnas

3-Friends With Benefits/Ali Eidson

4-Reddy Made Rockstar/Kaye Nell Ivins

5-Seems Like Heaven/Tami Dietrich-Dobbs

6-A Subtle Impulse/Jennifer Humphries

7-Don’t Ask Just Watch/Beth Yoak

8-Undefleeted/Barbara Ann Fletcher

9-He’s Worth The Gamble/Jennifer Schexnayder

10- Electric Sensation/Jerri Lynn Brown

Intermediate–

1-Cool N Candid/Karly Furnas

2-Ready Made Rockstar/Kaye Nell Ivins

3-A Subtle Impulse/Jennifer Humphries

4-Don’t Ask Just Watch/Beth Yoak

5-Undefleeted/Barbara Ann Fletcher

Novice Amateur Showmanship–

1-The Big Invitation/Rachel Landman

2-Dg One Sonny Image/Marissa Hurst

3-Chex Annie Jo/Kaitlin Westphal

4-Prime Real Estate/Kyle Cavolo

5-Don’t Try This At Home/Taunya Momberger

6-So Obviously Hot/Terri Reeves

7-Fancy Favors/Paris Hughes

8-Bartwo Shameless Mr/Thernora Camillo

9-Smokin Baroness/Sarah Rivers

10-Get Frosted/Michelle Henry

Masters Amateur Showmanship–

1-Timeless Assets/Coleen Bull

2-Im Fancy N I Know It/Sid Karr

3-One Sensational Diva/Tina Slater

4-Cockeyed Cowboy/Linda Jessup

5-Vr Knockyour Socksoff/Melissa Haberkorn

6-Fool Of Irony/Cyndi Conley

7-Radicalized/Susan Prince

8-Ill Be Sensational/Daranne Folino

9-A Likely Sensation/Jodie Nolen

10-Zippos Paycheck/Robyn Hanna

Intermediate–

1-Cockeyed Cowboy/Linda Jessup

2-Fool Of Irony/Cyndi Conley

3-Sensational Gentlemen/Leona Martz

4-All About The Swing/Ann Rosen

5-Tommy’s In Town/Lisa Cherry

Amateur Solid Paint Bred Showmanship-

1-On Solid Ground/Mikey Trueba

2-Zippinonin/Elizabeth Stryker

3-Only By Grace/Lana Grieve

4-Shez Somethin Special/Sarah Plessing

5-WR In It To Win It/Kim Brown

6-On Moonlite Bay/Michael Schiller

7-A Sensational Machine/Hallie Thomas

8-The Big Spender/Amanda Burgess