Shelby Ratliff and Willy Has Potential Win Congress Amateur Hunter Under Saddle

By: Brittany Bevis

20-year-old Shelby Ratliff and Willy Has Potential have only been a team for one week, but that didn’t stop them from achieving great success this evening in the Amateur Hunter Under Saddle. The two were named the Congress Champions in a tough class of 91 entries. The Reserve Congress Champion was Courtney Battison with Spurz N Diamonds. Coming in third was Alicia Porter with Hesa Hot Hubba.

Although she hasn’t had the chance to get to know “Willy” that well just yet, she does know he loves attention. “I have learned that he is very loving,” she says. “He likes people a lot. He likes to be petted. He’s honestly like a dog; he just wants you to hold him.”

Just last week, Beth Case showed Willy to a win in the NSBA Maturity Open Hunter Under Saddle. Although Ratliff had never shown Willy before this evening, she felt pressure to live up to his recent win. Ratliff also has previous success at the Congress. When she was in the 12-14 division, she won Hunter Under Saddle on a horse named A Big Secret.

“This was my first time showing him, so it was a good way to start!” she says. “It was kind of nerve-wracking, because I’ve never shown him before, and Beth won the Maturity on him, so the standards were set so high.”

“English has always been my thing. I liked the movement and the more upbeat pace. When I was little, they threw me on an English saddle, because I wanted to go fast, but not too fast. Ever since then, I’ve enjoyed it a lot, but I do want to get into Western.”

Before Ratliff has to jump on a flight back to Texas to return to Abilene Christian University, we asked her what initially attracted her to Willy.

“He has one of the prettiest lopes I had ever seen,” she says. “That’s what got me. He trotted, and that was really nice. Then he loped, and that’s what got me.”

Amateur Hunter Under Saddle–

1-Willy Has Potential/Shelby Ratliff

2-Spurz N Diamonds/Courtney Battison

3-Hesa Hot Hubba/Alicia Porter

4-Good Ridin Machine/Rebecca Fussell

5-Ashleys Bo Doc/Allye Deskins