Rusty Green and Whatscookingoodlookin Win Junior Western Pleasure at 2013 AQHA World Show

By: Brittany Bevis

For Rusty Green and Whatscookingoodlookin, the third time in the Junior Western Pleasure here at the 2013 AQHA World Show was a charm. Today, Green and “Candi” bested a field of 35 competitive horses to take the win this afternoon.

Candi has been on a definite winning streak over the past few months. She helped Hillary Roberts achieve a World Championship in Youth Western Pleasure at the 2013 AQHYA World Show and a Congress Championship in 15-18 Western Pleasure. Coming off their win in Junior Western Pleasure at the Congress, Green was hoping this would be Candi’s year to claim the top spot.

“I’ve won [the pleasure at the World Show] two other times but not with this one,” Green says. “We’ve had her for about four years. I showed her here as a 3-year-old and was third. I showed her last year, when she was four, and was second. So this year I was hoping… She keeps getting better every year. It’s a tough pen of horses, very tough.”

Green and the Roberts family are eagerly anticipating the upcoming show season, because Candi currently has two babies on the ground and will have two more in 2014.

“She’s got an Only In The Moonlite and a Blazing Hot,” he says. “They are both fillies. The one bay filly looks like her. You can tell there are similarities. She will have a Blazing Hot and a Lazy Loper next year. I’m very excited.”

A frequent topic of discussion around the World Show this year has been the noticeable improvement that can be seen in the quality of movement and demeanor of the horses competing in western pleasure. Trainers, non-pros, judges, and spectators have all commented on the positive direction they feel the pleasure horse industry is headed. Green was quick to give his two cents on the matter.

“It’s just kind of a learning curve for those who are outside of the [western pleasure] industry,” he says. “Right now, our industry and our horses are better than they’ve ever been. That shows up with how much easier they are to get ready nowadays than they used to be.”

For those watching from the stands, the majority of western pleasure horses that competed at major AQHA events this year, such as the Congress and World Show, are fat, happy, and moving forward, “which is what we want,” Green says.

Taking the Reserve spot behind Green in the class today was Gil Galyean with Rewind and Repeat. Rounding out the top three was Jay Starnes with VS Flatline.

Junior Western Pleasure-

1-Whatscookingoodlookin/Rusty Green

2-Rewind and Repeat/Gil Galyean

3-VS Flatline/Jay Starnes

4-A Gifted Invitation/Kenny Lakins

5-Cee Money/Charlie Cole

6-Suddens Leadin Lady/Andy Cochran

7-Twist Of Moonlite/Casey Willis

8-Mechanic/Shane Pope

9-A Sudden Illusion/Brett Clark

10-Zizzles Hot Blaze/Shane Dowdy

Intermediate:

1-Km Milliondollarbaby/Denton DeBuhr

2-Huntin For A Cowboy/Angie Rigdon Cannizzaro