Persistence Pays Off For the Dempze Family
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by Kristen Spinning
After twenty long years of making trips to Columbus, Ohio, the venerable Dempze family achieved a lifetime goal of winning a Championship at the 2014 All American Quarter Horse Congress. Trainer Gil Gaylean presented Rewind And Repeat, aka “Rerun,” to the highest favor of the judges in Junior Western Pleasure. Following that success, Jenna Dempze took the reins, rewound the tape, and repeated the performance to take top honors in Amateur Western Pleasure.
For the Dempze family, it seems to be a long run of being the bridesmaid and never the bride, when it comes to the Congress. They have shown a plethora of excellent horses over the years and racked up wins at all the major shows and futurities, but a Congress Championship was one elusive bronze they had yet to add to their collection. “Gil has matched me with some really talented horses,” Jenna Dempze reflects. “We’ve placed second a bunch of times.” Leading up to the Congress each year, Jenna says, “Our goal was always to win. We had the caliber of horses that could do it, but we never quite made it before. Second at the Congress is still really good…but first is better.”
Rerun gave the Dempze family the same pre-Congress string of successes their other mounts had produced, proving he had the ability. With an overall elegance, good topline, and smooth movement at all gears in both directions, this talented gelding definitely catches the eye and leaves an impression. Still, at this level of competition, it takes a little something more to edge out the other horses.
Rerun first showed at the Congress in Junior Western Pleasure with Gil Galyean in the saddle. Pleased with how Rerun had been working going into the Congress, Galyean says, “The horse had a really successful year in 2013 and this year, too. But, when you get to the Congress, everybody comes prepared, and it’s a tough field. You have to hope it all comes together.” To get everything tuned just right, Gil rode Rerun in the NSBA Riders Cup just prior to the Congress for a little prep work. Then, everything clicked into place. When describing his Congress ride, Gil gave glowing praise. “That was one of the best rides I’ve ever had in Western Pleasure.”
Sue Dempze recalls, “I didn’t feel any different at this Congress than in past years. We’ve come in with really nice horses before, but I’ve learned to accept that it will happen when it happens. I don’t put any expectations on the horse or on Jenna.” She noted that in both the Junior and Amateur Western Pleasure, the best of the best had been assembled, and any given horse could have won the top title any other day. “It all has to fall into place on that day, that class, and that moment. That day, in that class, Rerun had his A-game on, and he went out there ready to show it.” While his performance was certainly exciting to watch, Sue says it was also a surreal experience.
Jenna has been riding Rerun for a little over a year. “I first saw Rerun at the Congress when Brian Cox had him there as his Masters horse. I told Gil about him, and we asked about purchasing him then. He wasn’t available for sale at that time. I kept talking about him; I probably drove everybody nuts talking so much about that horse!” She wasn’t the only one to admire the talented 2-year-old. He had impressed the judges too, and he went home with Reserve Congress Champion honors in The Equine Chronicle Masters 2 Year-Old Western Pleasure.
Visions of the horse’s performance stuck in Jenna’s head over the next few months. Finally, the following June, the Dempze family was able to purchase Rerun. “I never get sick of riding him or watching him go around,” Jenna says with exuberance. “He’s the perfect example of what a Western Pleasure horse should be.” Gil expresses the same view. “There are very few horses that have that kind of movement. He seems to float through the air. He stays up in his shoulder in the lope. He makes it look effortless.”
Jenna likes his charisma, too. “He can be such a goofball around the barn. He’s a very social horse and loves attention. He has such a fun personality, but he knows when it’s time to work. When he goes into the arena, it’s all business.” The Dempze family had sold the other show horses they had been campaigning during the year, so it left them with just one mount to take to the Congress. “I would joke that I was getting bored of riding just one older horse…but I guess it turned out pretty well!” Jenna says.
Despite having excellent rides, Jenna wasn’t certain how everyone was positioned in the final moments of her class. She acknowledges that all the horses and riders are talented, tough competitors, so it often comes down to the tiny details. “He presented really well, but I’ve had other horses in the finals and thought we had done well and still didn’t quite make it. You never know what the judges see or like. I wasn’t sure until Angela [Wade] was announced as Reserve. Then, I said to myself, ‘Gosh, I did it!’”
Although the entire Dempze family is extremely excited about this accomplishment, Sue certainly doesn’t expect the wins to suddenly usher in a run of bronzes. “If we’re fortunate enough to get another Congress Championship, I am certain it will be just as tough.”
The Dempze family didn’t have much time to rest after their duo of wins. Sue admits she was even feeling a little anxious going into the AQHA World Show because the expectations were mounting. Once in Oklahoma City however, Rerun developed a quarter crack, and Jenna decided to pull him from the Amateur and Junior Western Pleasure. “I really admire her for putting her horse first and not pushing him,” Sue says. “That’s the way Jenna is; He’s her boy, and he always comes first.” Gil is certain Rerun will quickly recover from this minor setback and plans to let the horse decide when he is ready to hit the circuit again.
“We’re extremely lucky to work for the Dempze family,” Gil says. “It’s a family that really enjoys the industry. They have bought some super horses, and they have put a lot of support into AQHA as a whole over the years. We’re fortunate as an industry to have people like the Dempze family involved.”
