RJ Jacobs and Wind This Toy Win Yearling Geldings at 2014 AQHYA World

By: Brittany Bevis

16-year-old RJ Jacobs and his Stemwinder-bred yearling gelding claimed the top spot in the first halter class of the morning at the 2014 AQHYA World Show. Jacobs and “Selfie” currently compete under the guidance of his father and horse trainer Randy Jacobs. Today, the pair received a bit of extra guidance from fellow halter horse professional, Ted Turner.

“Being able to win with my dad, and knowing that he prepared the horse, is awesome,” Jacobs says. “We had Ted sit with my dad today, and that helps a lot. It’s just another perspective.”

“Selfie is an amazing show horse. Dad told me he went in and practiced with him yesterday. I was supposed to practice too, but then he said I didn’t need to practice because he was great. I went in there, and I think he only moved one time. He had his ears up the whole time. When you can win with a horse like that, it’s awesome.”

This is Jacobs’s third time in the show pen with Selfie. The pair competed at two other horse shows in order to get qualified. Because he’s a bit more comfortable showing older horses, Jacobs admits that his nerves were in full force today.

“I was a little nervous coming here,” he says. “After I watched Dad practice with him, he was a little bouncy and he was staring at everything. Then, once he got settled in, he was really good. I don’t like showing the young ones as much as I like showing the older ones. But, I guess if I can do what I did, I’ll show a young one!”

Jacobs will be heading home with two World Show globes. Yesterday, he showed Playin By My Self to a third place finish in Two-Year-Old Mares.

When he isn’t in the show pen, you can find Jacobs on the football field as the quarterback for his high school team.

“I flew out as soon as I was done with my scrimmage on Friday,” he says. “As soon as we’re done here, I have to jump in the truck and head home. I have two-a-days [practices] starting at 7 am tomorrow. Eventually, I’d love to play somewhere in the SEC. I’m not sure if that’s going to happen, but that’s what I’m going to strive for.”

Yearling Geldings–

1-Wind This Toy/RJ Jacobs

2-Righteous Rascal/Mallory Moore

3-Mattlock/Christopher Trahan

4-Awesome Sirprize/Averie Vidrine

5-Coolsified Secret/Monica Hamm

6-Bugsie Malone/Erin Mask

7-Rockin Casual Le/Cameron Doud

8-Xxtra Inningz/Victoria Summers