UPDATE- A Fortunate Predicament: Who to Show in Grand and Reserve?

UPDATE: It turns out that Monica Hamm’s decision to show her aged gelding, RPL My Te Cheerful, was the right choice. Just moments ago, she won the Grand Champion title in Youth Geldings. With some assistance from her little sister, Kaylee, Hamm also won the Reserve title with Boys N Toys.

By: Brittany Bevis

Youth halter exhibitor, Monica Hamm, finds herself in a fortunate predicament this morning at the 2013 Quarter Horse Congress. Just a few classes ago, she was crowned the unanimous Congress Champion in Youth 3-Year-Old Geldings with Boys N Toys, aka “Frankie.” She entered the pen again and was named the unanimous champion with RPL My Te Cheerful, aka “Henry,” in Youth Aged Geldings. Although this seems like the ideal scenario for any competitor, to have two horses named unanimous Champions, this is exactly where the difficulty arises. Who does she show in Grand and Reserve?

Because the Congress Champion and Reserve Congress Champion in each equine age division are invited back to compete in the Grand and Reserve class this afternoon, Hamm must now make the difficult decision of choosing which horse to show. Fortunately, she already has a back-up plan in place, in the form of little sister, Kaylee.

“We’ve thought about it,” Monica Hamm says. “Going into this morning, I told Kaylee to get ready because hopefully we’d be in this situation. She brought clothing today, and we figured I will go in with Henry and she will go in with Frankie. It was kind of one of those things where I was like, ‘Grandpa, I think I want to show Henry. What do you want me to do?’ “

In this situation, Grandpa, aka Vern Habighorst, deferred to his granddaughter’s judgement and gave her his blessing to show his beloved aged gelding.

“Henry is Grandpa’s little baby,” she says. “We thought that, in a situation where you are going back in and showing for your life, you kind of have to be able to get that horse to do anything you want. Henry likes Kaylee, but he responds to me a little better. I’ve shown him for six years now, and I kind of know his quirks.”

 “Frankie is pretty easygoing and will listen to anyone. So, it wasn’t a decision of whether this horse is harder to show or this horse is easier to show. They are both easy horses in some tenses. It was a hard decision though.”

Ultimately, Hamm is thrilled with the outcome of the competition today and will be pleased to have two of her horses presented in Grand and Reserve no matter which way the judges’ decision leans. However, with two horses in the pen, Hamm admits that she will do her best to keep an eye on both throughout the class.

“I want Henry to do well,” she says. “When he is in my hands, I can control it. I will be looking to see what she’s doing. I get more nervous watching her than I do myself, but I do still get nervous. I think I get more nervous with Henry than anyone else, because I know his potential and I know how well he can do.”

We wish both of the Hamm sisters the best of luck in Grand and Reserve this afternoon.