Ma Donna wins Congress Junior Hunter Under Saddle with Scott Jones for Susie Phillips
By Delores Kuhlwein
The meaning of the word “Madonna” is literally “my lady,” a respectful address to a lady derived from the old Italian phrase, “Ma Donna.”
Though the reference is first thought for many as the photo or figurine of the Virgin Mary, the second most popular definition, according to the Oxford Dictionary, is: a virtuous and beautiful woman.
All along, “Ma Donna” the 2021 gray mare by Allocate Your Assets and out of Truly Graceful has been that respected, beautiful female, a mare owned by Susie Phillips and Corrival Ranch. In 2023 at the Congress, Susie and Ma Donna won the Two Year Old Limited Non Pro Hunter Under Saddle, and Scott was Reserve in the Open and Third in the Maiden.
Then Tuesday at the 2024 All American Quarter Horse Congress, when she won the Junior Hunter Under Saddle with Scott Jones in the irons, her win opened the door to a flood of emotion for the spectacular mare.
“Has she come along and matured the way you thought she would?” we asked Scott and Susie. “Yes,” Scott and Susie echoed tearfully.
“We had to buy her,” explains Scott, “I saw two lope strides in the round pen, and I was on it. I called immediately. And it was a birthday present for Susie. I basically ran to a birthday party to say we have to buy this horse. There was no question, and I had to talk to everybody into it, and we sent my old business partner to go look at her. No one got on a plane till we did the pre purchase.”
It was Susie’s 50th birthday party, she says, “We were three sheets to the win at an 80’s party – my 50th birthday party – and my husband said, ‘Did we just buy a horse?’ and I said, ‘We did!’”
“She has always been special,” Scott continues. “And we gave her a great name. She always has shown really well. She kind of has just come together at the end of the year. NSBA wasn’t our best horse show with her, and we couldn’t really figure out why, and we kind of went home and regrouped. Then we put it all together here.”
Junior Hunter Under Saddle
Champion: Ma Donna with Scott Jones for Susan Phillips/Corrival Ranch
Reserve Champion: In Pats Honor with Keith Miller for Erin Boatwright
Bronze Champion: Good Ol Boys Club with Jamie English for Tali Terlizzi
