Madi Peters and You Had Me At Cowgirl Crowned Inaugural Champions of the APHA Youth Yearling Futurity Project

The American Paint Horse Association recently introduced the APHA Youth Futurity Project, a program to reward AjPHA members for raising and training their own horses. Their project horse, which could be any breed and didn’t need to be owned by the youth, would then be evaluated as a world show entry at the 2022 APHA World Championship Show, and the youth had the option of entering one or all of the following classes:

o            Yearling Halter

o            Yearling Longe Line

o            Yearling Showmanship

In order to qualify for the program, youth could enter only one horse, had a required logbook to submit, and though guidance from trainers, parents and coaches was allowed, only the youth could handle the horse after April 1 of the current show year and until the youth exhibitor had completed all of their APHA Youth Futurity Project classes.

Madison Peters of Tucson, Arizona, showed You Had Me at Cowgirl (Prada) to the overall championship of the Youth Futurity Project, and she explains this year was the first experience she’d had handling a yearling.

“I learned so much in and out of the show pen this year,” Madi explains.  “I gained confidence and it taught me a lot of patience.  It has definitely humbled me a little bit, because you can feel totally ready and confident, and then you get out there, and they’re unpredictable.”

She says that training her own yearling made her realize if she did anything differently next time, she’d likely not start the baby as soon.  “She learned so fast and is very advanced, so I could tell by the end she was getting bored doing the same thing,” Madi explains. “Teaching her showmanship helped, though, because it was different than the regular longing she was used to.”

Prada, Madi says, will have most of this year and next year to grow up and mature, and they have hopes of showing her at the World Show as a three-year-old.

For youth thinking about participating next year, Madi says her best advice is to be patient. “It’s a cool program, and it can be frustrating when your horse is not learning fast, since both of you are novice – yearling and youth – so patience is a key factor.” She adds that taking Prada to local shows to get her used to the atmosphere was extremely helpful.

The program had excellent numbers for a first year, with a total of nine youth participating with their yearlings.  Brandon Severin, Business Manager at Leier Performance Horses, who also manages the West Coast Breeders Futurity, was one of many people who originally worked on the program proposal for the APHA leadership team.

“I really love the concept and I think that it is a strong avenue to encourage youth kids to advance their horsemanship skills and explore training,” he explains. “The numbers for year one are impressive, considering that most often the best form of advertising is real-time and results. There is so much room for advancement from here.”

Individual class placings for the Youth Futurity Project classes are below. Congrats to all the youth!

Youth Yearling Futurity Project – Halter

1-CC BLAMELESS/BYERS AND TRUESDELL

BYERS; REESE E M (E)

2-GOOD VISION/HOSTETLER; IZZY J

HOSTETLER; IZZY J (E)

3-YOU HAD ME AT COWGIRL/PETERS; CHELSEA M

PETERS; MADISON (E)

4-VS FANCY HEARTTHROB/MAXWELL; AVERY LYNN

MAXWELL; AVERY LYNN (E)

5-CERTIFIED V EYE P/ZIZZA; ANGELICA

ZIZZA; ANGELICA (E)

6-IMA RISING SENSATION/LINDNER; ALEXIS

LINDNER; ALEXIS (E)

Youth Yearling Futurity Project – Longe Line

1-CERTIFIED V EYE P/ZIZZA; ANGELICA

ZIZZA; ANGELICA (E)

2-GOOD VISION/HOSTETLER; IZZY J

HOSTETLER; IZZY J (E)

3-IMA RISING SENSATION/LINDNER; ALEXIS

LINDNER; ALEXIS (E)

COMFORT, TX

4-VS FANCY HEARTTHROB/MAXWELL; AVERY LYNN

MAXWELL; AVERY LYNN (E)

5-YOU HAD ME AT COWGIRL/PETERS; CHELSEA M

PETERS; MADISON (E)

6-MV MAIDEN ATHENAOLENA/MCCLOSKEY; ANNETTE M

REMALEY; ZOE (E)

Youth Yearling Futurity Project – Showmanship

1-YOU HAD ME AT COWGIRL/PETERS; CHELSEA M

PETERS; MADISON (E)

2-CC BLAMELESS/BYERS AND TRUESDELL

BYERS; REESE E M (E)

3-LYTE UP THE NITE/CALLAGHAN; KATIE M

RIPOLL; JILLIAN ROBBINS (E)

4-VS FANCY HEARTTHROB/MAXWELL; AVERY LYNN

MAXWELL; AVERY LYNN (E)

5-IMA RISING SENSATION/LINDNER; ALEXIS

LINDNER; ALEXIS (E)

6-CERTIFIED V EYE P/ZIZZA; ANGELICA

ZIZZA; ANGELICA (E)