The Boys Club Dominates Amateur Showmanship at AQHA World Show

By: Brittany Bevis

This evening’s Amateur Showmanship finals was all about the boys with two, talented gentlemen taking the top two spots in the class. The returning champion from 2017, Tony Anderman, led his 14-year-old gelding, Solo Invested, to win the class once again this year. The Reserve Champion was Eric Mendrysa with Won Vital Code RV. Other gentlemen like Matthew Hickman, Daniel Carlson, and Scott Reinartz joined the top two to give the ladies a run for their money in a competitive class.

Following tonight’s win, Tony and “Mac” have completed their clean sweep of Showmanship classes this year winning at the NSBA World Show, Quarter Horse Congress, and now World Show. This particular finals pattern focused less on accuracy of marks but instead on flow and maneuvering skills.

“A lot of it was based off of the cones and weaving left and right,” Tony says. “Mac is very light and very pliable through that kind of stuff. Our biggest concern was trying to show it off. We wanted to make sure that I went through the trot part with enough speed, but that also meant that I had to go pretty fast in the extended trot across the center to show a difference. It was about keeping everything accurate and having some flow to it.”

It’s clear to everyone who watches this pair that they have a very special connection, but Tony is the first to admit that Mac has his quirks. “He has a lot of personality and he’s very quirky. When you’re on the ground leading him without the chain, he drags you everywhere. We just ignore it; because, if you get onto him, it will make him neurotic. He looks like the most untrained animal. But, when you put the chain on, he’s all business. He’s one of those horses that gets in the pen and knows it’s time. Almost every time, my pattern in the pen is better than when I practice.”

Tony and Mac regularly rely on a tag team of trainers, Clint Ainsworth and Chris Gray, but with the absence of Chris at the World Show this year, Blake Weis stepped in to lend a helping hand.

The Reserve Champion in the class was Eric Mendrysa with his bay, roan gelding, Won Vital Code RV. Eric purchased “Eli” in 2016 as a three-year-old Western Pleasure futurity horse from the Arrington family. “I saw him riding, and I had to have him,” Eric says. “I had him at home for six months, and I wanted to do all-around with him. He went to John and Jill Briggs in March, and he’s been doing Showmanship since then. This is probably the tenth time I’ve shown him in Showmanship.”

Coming off a challenging Congress, where Eli suffered an abscess and Eric didn’t get to show in his regular lineup of classes, he was hoping for an opportunity to show off all their hard work tonight.

“I absolutely love this class, because it’s so difficult,” Eric says. “It’s one class that you can add your own style and flair to. It’s judged on the person as well, so you can add your own style in the way that you run, step back, and present. That’s what makes it so fun.”

Like Tony, Eric decided to focus on the flow of this pattern with its back, to walk, to trot transitions through the cones. “It ran a lot better than it looked on paper,” he says. “There were so many pieces to it. This horse is so lofty and so soft, so it was the perfect pattern. The short, quick patterns aren’t good for him, because he’s 17 hands. He matches my stride perfectly, and I’ve never had a horse like that before. He’s tall and I’m tall, so our legs are almost synchronous.”

When asked how he feels about the top two spots being taken by gentlemen, Eric laughs. “I love it! It’s about time. To be behind Tony… He’s such a great showman, and I’ve looked up to him for years.”

Third place in the class was Nicole Barnes with He Sips Moonshine. Fourth was Jessica Baird with Amazin Dream. Fifth was Angela Fox with HP The Rusty Fox.