Susan Juroe and I’m First N Line Win First World Title in Novice Amateur Trail
By: Brittany Bevis
Susan Juroe could hardly believe her ears when the announcer relayed the news that she and her 6-year-old double registered gelding, I’m First N Line, were the World Champions in Novice Amateur Trail. Susan and “Kenny” have prior Reserve World Championship titles earned here at the APHA World Show, and even a Reserve finish at the All American Quarter Horse Congress in Select Horsemanship, but this is their first World Championship title. Making this accomplishment even more impressive is the fact that Susan and Kenny have been competing in Trail for just one year. “It’s my first win, and it’s in a class I’ve never done at the World Show before, so that was exciting.”
“There were a couple of times that I realized if I just kept my hand down that good things would happen! I just needed to figure out how to work him, because things can get intense out there! Those obstacles come way faster than you think, and then how do you remember all that when you’re old? Seriously, when you get older, you have brain decay and can’t piece it all together,” she jokes. I’ve literally only shown in Trail five or six times, so this is a gift.”
Despite being fairly novice in this discipline, Susan has already latched on to a few of the intricacies of the class. “The thing where you build speed through the lope overs is something I’m always anxious about. Then, when you go in to slow them down with your legs, there’s always the potential for them to stop. So, to what degree do you bring them back? I was real anxious about that, but it turned out well, so I was happy to get that part out of the way.”
In addition to her trainers, Tim and Shannon Gillespie, Susan relied on extra guidance from Blake Weis, who will be showing Kenny in Senior Trail later this week. “Blake really has a different perspective, so it was nice to walk the Trail course with two people who see it really differently. In the warmup, he asked if I was comfortable stopping Kenny in the middle of the lope overs, right over the pole. That was a maneuver that was the right thing at the right time for us. In the class, Kenny stayed with me, came back, and then transitioned right to the trot.”
“I think it was a tricker pattern than you think, especially during the trot portion. When you’re going in and out of the trot box, you have to cut quickly in each direction. The box is disguised within the other obstacles, so you had to hunt for it. I was seeing shapes everywhere! It looks easy on paper, but when you get out there, it isn’t. Robert [Dehn], the course designer, had all kinds of tricks.”
Later on in the show, Susan and Kenny will compete in Novice Horsemanship and Masters Amateur Senior Western Pleasure. Kenny will also be shown in Performance Halter Geldings.
