On The Cover of EC
Marilyn Masterson & Suddenly It’s Time
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10 – October, 2014
By: Brittany Bevis
Marilyn Masterson and her five year-old mare, Suddenly Its Time, aka “Suzie,” are busily wrapping up an impressive show season. Recently, the pair was named the Reserve NSBA World Champions in Amateur 50 and Over Western Pleasure and fourth place in Western Pleasure at the AQHA Select World Show. In addition, Suzie was Circuit Champion each time shown at events like the Region 9 Championship, Lucky Seven Classic, and West Tennessee Quarter Horse show. Suddenly Its Time for the All American Quarter Horse Congress, and both Ken and Marilyn couldn’t be more excited to see what the future holds for this dynamic duo.
Suzie has previous success at the Congress, having won the 3 Year-Old Open Limited Western Pleasure in 2012 with Mitch Leckey. At this year’s event, Marilyn will pilot her mare in the Non-Pro Western Pleasure Maturity and Select Western Pleasure. Trainer Greg Wheat will again assist Marilyn with Suzie as he has in the past with horses like Taylormade Sheik, Sheiks Masterpiece, Winnie Three Bars, and Nothin But Jazz.
From the very first time Ken laid eyes on the beautiful bay mare by RL Best of Sudden and out of Huntin Tee Time, he knew she would make the perfect partner for his wife. “Ken purchased her at the Reichert Celebration, right before she won the Congress two years ago, and he fell in love with her,” Marilyn says. “After only about half a lap!” Ken adds.
In many ways, Suzie reminds the couple of her sire, RL Best of Sudden, aka “Bo,” who is currently enjoying the life of a 12 year-old breeding stallion at the Masterson’s beautiful farm in Somerville, Tennessee. While father and daughter share the same trademark movement, Suzie has a decidedly more feminine eye appeal. “I thought she was a perfect match for Marilyn, and they looked really pretty and correct going down the rail,” Ken says. “She reminds me of Bo in a lot of different ways, but she’s very much a mare. She’s very elegant, refined looking, and very feminine in her appearance. They’ve become a great pair.”
Marilyn confirms that Suzie’s feminine looks come as part of her overall princess package. “She’s a princess, and she likes to be treated as such!” Marilyn says. “She has a great personality; she loves to be petted and loves to snuggle. She also loves to have her picture made. She stands and poses! She’s definitely a girly girl.”
While Suzie is an example of the type of western pleasure ability passed on by her sire, Ken notes that the stallion’s foals also do exceedingly well in other disciplines like Trail, Western Riding, and even Performance Halter. At the recent NSBA World Show, RL Best of Sudden was named the winner of the inaugural Performance Halter Get of Sire class. When asked about future goals for their stallion, Ken says, “We’d like to see him top the Leading Sires list in Performance and Performance Halter, and he’s certainly going in that direction. He’s passed the $2 million earning mark at this point, and he’s long been on the NSBA and AQHA Leading Sires lists. He’s sired ten AQHA World Champions and fourteen Reserve Champions. We’re very pleased with not only how his offspring are doing in Western Pleasure, but they’re also proving to be excellent all-around horses as well. And, of course they’ve done very well in Performance Halter. They’re pretty much successful across the board. The average earnings of his foals is over $11,000, and they’ve accumulated over 20,000 AQHA points.”
Both Ken and Marilyn are quick to note that Bo and his offspring couldn’t have reached this current level of success without the help of the great team at Masterson Farms: Trainer and Manager Amanda Ringer; Assistant Trainer Kaitlin LeBlanc; Business Manager Zak Baker; Director of Breeding Services Dr. Colin Anderson; Resident Veterinarian Dr. Hope Burge; Breeding Assistant Amber Powell; and Property Manager David Mitchell.
