Yearling In-Hand Trail Take-Over at APHA World: Winners Include Henry, Trueba, Evans, and Moravitz

By: Brittany Bevis

This afternoon at the 2015 APHA World Championship Show was entirely devoted to a relatively new discipline, Yearling In-Hand Trail. The Open Yearling In-Hand Trail class saw 26 entries. Winning the class was Brian Henry with a beautiful, bay overo filly named Only Gifts For Divas for owner Candice Thompson.

Of course, “Cher” was named after the ultimate diva. She is by The Gift of Midas and out of an Invitation Only daughter named She’s A Party Diva. She was bred, raised, and trained by Brian Henry. After being purchased by a client earlier this year, Cher began training in April.

At the recent Pinto World Championship Show, Cher was named Top 5 in both Longe Line and In-Hand Trail. After returning home for a few months to rest and recuperate, she headed back into training two months ago for the World Show. How does one go about training a young horse to compete in In-Hand Trail? Brian gives us some valuable insight he’s gained from his first year competing in the discipline.

“Honestly, the biggest thing is teaching them to lead and maneuver really well,” he says. “A pole is a pole; they’re going to find their way over it. Especially in today’s pattern, the serpentine was so tight and there were so many square corners, so teaching them to give to you more like a Showmanship horse is very important. That’s the thing I like about In-Hand Trail. When it’s time to start doing Showmanship and the actual Trail, it will be easy.”

“To be honest, I like In-Hand Trail more than Longe Line. I think it’s easier for them to do, and it’s not as hard on their bodies. It’s more realistic preparation for setting them up for a real future event.”

One of the reasons Brian thought this particular filly would excel in In-Hand Trail is because of her extreme intelligence. “She’s really cute on the longe line, but she likes to use her brain and be busy. We’d thought she’d love Trail, because it would give her something to do. We think she’s going to be a really good all-around horse. We’re going to give her a few months off and see what she comes back like, whether she wants to jog or trot. She’s bred to do both, so we’ll let her pick.”

In the barn, Cher certainly lives up to her diva nickname with tons of personality, her high maintenance attitude, and that stunning face. “We were really excited when she was born, because we got color out of a Quarter Horse mare, but her mother hated her. She didn’t know what to do with all that white. I think she was surprised. She didn’t think it was her baby!”

The champion in Silver In Hand Trail was Mikey Trueba with She’s A Hot Lil Number. The Reserve Champion was Nicole Dalton with Hunting Blue Skies. Third place was Crystal McBride with GQs Victorias Secret. Fourth place was Autumn Hagen with Good To Be Invited. Fifth place was Jodie Distad with Sunshine N Whiskey.

The winner of Bronze In-Hand Trail was Cooper Evans with Kissing My Cash. The Reserve Champion was Laura Alloway with Al Take You There. Third place was Nicole Dalton with Fancy N My Stilettos.

The winner of Gold In-Hand Trail was Malisah Moravitz with A Victorious Legacy. The Reserve Champion was Amanda Wright with Sensationally Pretty. Third place was Laura Alloway with Lopin To The Party. Fourth place was Pamela Switzer with Low Down N Lazy. Fifth place was Bear Smith with Nickys Miss Zippn Tru.

The Reserve Champion in Yearling In-Hand Trail was Laurel Hanlon with Neon Sensation. Third place was Malisah Moravitz with A Victorious Legacy. Fourth place was Amanda Wright with Sensationally Pretty. Fifth place was Amber Cazier with Lazy and Lovin It.