“I’ve been showing for 20+ years, and this is my first win in this class! I love this class. It’s my favorite, because I feel it’s the most synchronized with your horse. You have to truly know their every step, and you have to truly be one with them. They have to truly love it, I believe.”

“Hopefully, it will stimulate more people to start breeding,” Heather says. “When someone can spend a $1,500 stud feee, breed their mare, and then come and show their baby and win a $10,000 check, that’s great!”

This is Megan’s first APHA World Championship title with “Sly.” Sixteen years ago, she remembers winning this same class with a horse named El Sky Bar.

“I was there when he birthed and his momma colicked and he almost died,” Katy says. “I had to bottle-feed him for two days. I sent him to a trainer, and then we had to take three years off, because he was so crippled. The vet said he would never show again. We came back in 2014 and started doing Ranch Horse classes.”

“He’s as honest as a horse could possibly be. He’s good-legged and consistent. He never moves his frame and never changes his speed. He will go as slow and long as you want him to. It’s what he does. This is his class.”

One might think, that after such success, the nerves would dissipate somewhat, but for Coleen, every time she enters the pen it’s a tumult of excitement, anticipation, and an uneasy stomach. “It’s almost worse now, because the expectations are so high,” she says.