Lauren Stanley and Extremely Good Stuff Win First World Title in Amateur Horsemanship
By: Brittany Bevis
Lauren Stanley was full of joy following her win at the 2020 AQHA World Show in Amateur Horsemanship. This was not only Lauren’s first World title, but also her first time making it back to the finals of the class. “It’s something I’ve dreamed of ever since I was a little girl,” she says. “It felt almost surreal and magical. I’m so thankful. Probably that’s the biggest thing; I feel thankful.”
Lauren has owned her 7-year-old red, roan gelding, “Rooster,” since he was three years old. “Rooster lives at my house, which is super unique and special. Bruce Vickery and Anthony Montes and Troy and Alicia Compton have all helped me, and my mom helps a lot because she videos me every day.”
“This class actually terrifies me! But this pattern I absolutely loved. A lot of times, in this class, it seems like it’s stop, go, stop, go. I like patterns that are very flowing, so this pattern was perfect for us. You never had any hard stops till the very end so I felt that my momentum and energy could keep going. I loved it. I thought if there was ever a time, this was the time.”
Lauren feels that she and Rooster were able to achieve the most bonus points during the trot into the arena and the two-track maneuver, which was the first impression the judges received of the team. “I think we came in really powerful there, and I loved my extended gallop. We’re definitely a lot more connected and more of a team now. Bruce has really helped sharpen a lot of our elements, and I feel like Rooster was right there. The more I asked, the more he said, ‘Let’s do it,’ and it all came together.”
Earlier in the show, Lauren and Rooster were named the Reserve Champions in Showmanship, which was her first trophy and a very exciting accomplishment. “That was even more exciting, and I think that took a lot of the pressure off today so I could go out there and ride him like we were at home, have a good time, and enjoy the fact that we made the finals. I just had a good time.”
“This means so much, because this is so much of a rollercoaster journey with horses. Today is great, but tomorrow might not be, and it’s so important to have that support group, because they become like family. Those are the people I lean on and rely on, whether it’s a horse thing or a life thing. These are my people and my community. I don’t know where I would be without all of them. It’s been such a blessing to be able to have horses, because God has blessed us and put us here in this situation so we could have these friends and meet all these people.”
Reserve in the class was Natalia DeVencenty with Moonlite Madness. Third was Carey Nowacek with Lethals Hot Weapon. Fourth was Maria Salazar with Moonlightin. Fifth was Deanna Green with Beez In The Trap.
