Susan Knapp Wins Second Congress Title of the Day in Select Western Riding

By: Brittany Bevis

Select competitor Susan Knapp began this morning in spectacular style at the 2013 Quarter Horse Congress. First, she claimed the top spot in Select Trail. Then, just one class later, she was named the Congress Champion in Select Western Riding. How exactly did she accomplish such an impressive feat? With a versatile nine-year-old gelding as her partner, Heavenly Mac.

“I bought Mac in 2009, and he was a Junior horse at the time,” Knapp says. “Charlie Cole and Jason Martin owned him. I decided I wanted to try to do some all-around events, because I’d been doing pleasure up until then. I found Mac, and I bought him.”

“I didn’t know how to do western riding or how to do trail. Mac taught me. I remember Charlie said to me, ‘Mac is going to be a good teacher, and then he will take you to the top.’ This was a good day for us. This doesn’t happen every day.”

Although Knapp was definitely pleased with her run, she had no idea that she and Mac were in the lead for the top spot. That’s all thanks to a little joke from her trainer, Jason Martin.

“When I called him and asked how I did, Jason said, ‘You’re at a 220, so you’re in eighth place.’ He wanted it to be a surprise that I was going to win. Then, he said to meet him up there for the awards. I was looking to see if I was still in the top ten, and I couldn’t see us anywhere. I thought I’d been knocked out. Then, I looked and Heavenly Mac was at the top! Jason is a bit of a jokester…”

Once the shock had worn off a bit, Knapp felt very honored to be placed in the top five with such a competitive group of Select riders.

“I’m just happy to be up here in the mix with these gals,” she says, “I respect Susan Johns, Kathy Tobin and of course Mary Lou Searles. They’ve been riding a very long time. I’ve watched them, and it’s an honor to be up there with them. On any given day, any one of us could have won.”

The multi-talented Mac not only helped Knapp win two Congress Championships at the show. Knapp’s granddaughter, Brooke Granzow, was named the Reserve Champion in 14-18 Western Riding just the other day. When the Congress has concluded, Mac will head back to Texas with Jason Martin to prepare for the AQHA World Show.

Select Western Riding–

1-Heavenly Mac/Susan Knapp

2-Flashy Attraction/Mary Lou Searles

3-Heza Radical Zip/Susan Johns

4-Lopin For A Chex/Susan Johns

5-More Radical/Kathy Tobin