Returning Champs, Christine Hocutt-Senteney and Bellieve Hes Blazing, Are 2013 Select Horsemanship World Champions

Just moments ago, Christine Hocutt-Senteney of Burbank, California and her 15-year-old gelding, Bellieve Hes Blazing, were named the World Champions in Select Horsemanship at the 2013 AQHA Adequan Select World Show for the second year in a row. In a class of 51 competitors, judges Andrea Simons, Mike Carter, Lisa Krohn, Cindy Hale, and Cynthia Rucker determined that Senteney and “Blake” claimed the top spot with a final working total of 286 points.

This win is very special for Senteney, not only because she is the returning Champion from 2012, but because she was able to achieve the title with the help of two old friends.

“Everyone always asks me if I spelled [Blake’s name] wrong, because it has ‘Bellieve’ with two L’s,” she says. “That’s because his mother was Bell of The Barn, a mare I showed as an amateur in the 90s. So, he’s a home-bred gelding. He’s my little baby that I raised.”

“Nancy Renfro is my trainer, and she’s had Blake since he was five, so for ten years. She’s really made him the horse he is today.”

Senteney and Renfro have been quite the dynamic duo for many years. However, there was a time that the pair competed on opposing ends of the arena.

“We rode together as amateurs. I talked her into being a trainer so I didn’t have to show against her anymore!” Senteney jokes. “Since we competed against each other, I understand what she tells me to do and how she wants me to ride. Nancy is also a multiple World Champion in Horsemanship, so it’s a class she knows really well.”

“I was one of her first clients, and my horse was the first horse that she showed at a horse show in an open class [as a trainer]. Everyone kept saying, ‘Nancy, you’re going to get in trouble, and you will lose your amateur card!’ She said, ‘I already gave it up!’ ”

Before the finals this morning, the former competitors sat down to talk strategy about how best to tackle a pattern that utilized only one cone.

“She and I went through [the pattern] late last night and early this morning,” Senteney says. “She gave me pointers about how to negotiate the pattern, how to trouble-shoot if something were to go wrong, and how I should ride through it and just keep riding the pattern to make it not look like it was an error.”

Following their big win in Horsemanship this morning, Senteney and Blake will begin preparations for the Western Riding preliminaries. Then, the pair will compete in the Hunt Seat Equitation finals this afternoon. Today is definitely the biggest day of competition for the Senteney-Renfro-Bellieve Hes Blazing trio. But no matter what the outcome may be, one thing is for certain. They will remain forever friends.

“Nancy and I were in each other’s weddings, not as bride and groom of course, as bridesmaids!” she laughs.  We’re having an incredible time. Today is our big day, but at least we had a good start.”

The Reserve World Champion and first place Intermediate Champion in this class was Linda Coakley with Patsys Royal Secret, a brown gelding by Make My Grey and out of Patsys Chic. Rounding out the top three was Karen Zarda with Givin Up The Goods, a sorrel gelding by Macs Good N Plenty and out of Spoken Words.

Select Western Horsemanship-

Judges Andrea Simons, Mike Carter, Lisa Krohn, Cindy Hale, Cynthia Rucker

1-Bellieve Hes Blazing/Christine Hocutt-Senteney

2-Patsys Royal Secret/Linda Coakley- First place Intermediate

3-Givin Up The Goods/Karen Zarda

4-Visible Investment/Anne Wilson

5-A Classy Loper/Renee Howes

6-Dunitagain Naturally/Tamra Kyle- Second place Intermediate

7-Hot N Jammin/Dan Yeager

8-Touched By TNT/Lisa Foreman Stewart- Third place Intemediate

9-Hot Jazzin Zippo/Farley Barbera

10-One Good Rip/Jenny Carlton