Tim Gillespie and Sheza Special Machine Win APHA World Show Open Yearling Longe Line

By: Brittany Bevis

In a large Open Yearling Longe Line class of 29 entries it was Tim Gillespie with Sheza Special Machine who were named the World Champions this afternoon at the APHA World Championship Show. Coming in Reserve was yesterday’s Non Pro Longe Line World Champion, Laura Alloway with Vital Signs Are Sweet. Third place was Kathie Kennedy with Hesa Love Machine. Fourth place was Cindy Polley with GQs Victoria’s Secret. Rounding out the top five was Kristin Layher with The Jerry Maguire.

Tim was at the lead of “Sam” today for owner Carla Perri and trainer Lyn Fick. After a chance encounter with the yearling at a New Jersey horse show, a few months ago, Tim knew this was the horse he wanted to lead at the most important APHA event of the year.

“I saw her in New Jersey, when I went up there a few months ago, and I just loved her,” he says. “I asked if they were going to take her to the World Show, and they said they weren’t. I said,  ‘You have to take her to the World Show!'”

Tim has always been a strong supporter of Longe Line classes, but until today had spent several years out of the show pen. This is his first World Champion title in the discipline. “I think this class is such a neat avenue to show what a person would pick when you look out in the pasture. It should be the horse you want to take home, and this is the horse I would want to take home out of a pasture of 100 babies.”

Sam is a filly by CR Good Machine and out of a daughter of Special Invitation [Solid But Special]. Sam was bred and raised by Yarnelle Farms, but she wasn’t the foal Carla was originally planning to take home. “The owner had a mare she bought from Johnny Yarnelle, but it had all kinds of complications with the birth. He felt really bad that the foal died, so Johnny said she could come pick out another baby, and she picked this one. He was really wonderful for honoring that.”

As fate would have it, Sam was the right choice, as evident by her solid performance in the class today. “I was tickled to death [with her performance],” he says. “She is a super well-trained filly. She’s super flat kneed and super soft legged; she barely hits the ground. Also, she’s real fresh. Her ears were perked, and she was happy. She didn’t look overtrained. She’s just a natural.”

Tim has been working closely with both Lyn and Erin Fick and is hopeful he will have a place in the filly’s future when she is started under saddle next year.

Yearling Longe Line Results:

1- Sheza Special Machine/Tim Gillespie.

2- Vital Signs Are Sweet/Laura Alloway

3- Hesa Love Machine/Kathie Kennedy

4- GQ Victoria’s Secret/Cindy Polley

5- The Jerry Maguire/Kristin Layher

6- Lazy And Lovin It/Amber Cazier

7- I’m The New Kinda Hot/Richard Zenner

8- Scenic Countrycowgirl/Marty Dixon

9- Invite Mona Lisa/Mark Gilmore

10- Deliberately Dirty/Cooper Evans

11- MS Krymsun Dimension/Deserie Armstrong

12- Seattle Time Fancy/Peggy Knus

13-Kruzen N Blue Jeans/Nicole Dalton

14- Kiss My Krymsun/Steve Sauder

15- Wise Men Talk/Gavin Pope

16- Scenic Kandy/Penny Kane Sandvig

17- Oh So Original/Debbie Boyd

18- Only Gifts For Divas/Brian Henry

19- MM WithoutA Doubt/Kathie Kennedy

20- See Me Smile/Bear Smith