Around the Rings – AQHA L1 West Championships, Saturday, May 20
On Saturday, May 20th, at the 2023 AQHA L1 West Championships, the youth wrapped up their final classes of the show, while over in the North Hall, the Amateurs showed off their Trail skills.
In the Rookie Youth Hunt Seat Equitation, Delaney Lee won with Invite The Best, a win enhanced by the fact that she won first under all three judges. She came back in the L1 Youth Hunt Seat Equitation 14-18 with Betcha Want This and netted the Championship again!
Delaney says that two neck ribbons in a row felt amazing! “I was shocked and I was so excited,” she explains. “The patterns felt amazing and some of the best I’ve done.” She says she was really worried about the turns on the forehand but they nailed it and she couldn’t be any happier. Her strategy for herself: “I just remind myself every single time – keep my elbows in, shoulders back, and let everyone know you’re there — be bold!”
Delaney’s classes:
Rookie Youth Hunt Seat Equitation
1
Invite The Best/Lee; Catherine
Lee; Delaney (E)
2
One Good Penny/Buckley; Quinn
Buckley; Quinn (E)
3
Dont Doubt Im Hot/Parker; Mylie
Parker; Mylie (E)
4
Whisper Me A Touch/Thomas; Anna A
Thomas; Anna A (E)
5
Martinis In The Dark/Davis; Abbey
DAVIS; DELANEY (E)
6
He Is A Thriller/Dias; Maya
Dias; Maya (E)
L1 Youth Hunt Seat Equitation (14-18)
1
#157
Betcha Want This/Lee; Catherine
Lee; Delaney (E)
El Dorado Hills, CA
2
#375
Wouda Coulda Shoulda/Anderson; Amy
Anderson; Piper (E)
West Fargo, ND
3
#137
Gota Wear My Silks/Olson; Hailey
Olson; Hailey (E)
Maryfield, SK
4
#105
Rock N All Night/Adamson; Avery Grace
Adamson; Avery Grace (E)
5
#398
Dont Doubt Im Hot/Parker; Mylie
Parker; Mylie (E)
Boerne, TX
6
#405
VS Flat Out Cool/Hogg; Callie Nichole
Hogg; Callie Nichole (E)
In between those two classes, Chesney Watkins grabbed his second neck ribbon of the show, and of his youth career, this time in the L1 Youth Hunt Seat Equitation 13 & Under.
They’ve both been in patterns with “George,” The Company You Keep. Chesney says having George to do patterns with has been a big gamechanger. “I’m not used to having a broke horse like this, so I can trust him a little bit more,” he explains. “Instead of worrying about him as much, I can worry about my myself and my body position.” Chesney adds that he likes George because he’s big, and like Chesney, he has a big personality.
Their win was even sweeter because his buddy, Makaley Janneh took the reserve spot. Chesney and George’s upcoming plans are to compete at Youth World!
Results for Chesney’s class, L1 Youth Hunt Seat Equitation (13 & Under)
1
#432
The Company You Keep/Watkins; Chesney Jay
Watkins; Chesney Jay (E)
Boerne, TX
2
#447
A Natural Dancer/Richardson; Roberta A & Lily
Janneh; Makaley Emily (E)
Cheyenne, WY
3
#488
RRed Solo Cup /Finney; Sarah L
Finney; Macy Kaye (E)
Bend, OR
4
#554
Queen Of Suggestions/Dyer; Tara McCormick
King; Vivienne (E)
5
#205
One Good Penny/Buckley; Quinn
Buckley; Quinn (E)
Denton, TX
6
#101
Walking The Line/Laughlin; Melinda
Laughlin; Renna A (E)
Over in the North Hall, the Amateurs were battling it out on some challenging Trail courses. Amanda Kemling, who was on her third show with Titos On The Rocks, was thrilled to win with a horse she just loves. Watch our EC TV video:
Amanda Kemling with Titos On The Rocks win Amateur Rookie Trail
Results for Amanda’s class, Rookie Amateur Trail:
1
#401 219.50
Titos On The Rocks/Kemling; Amanda
Kemling; Amanda (E)
2
#136 211.50
Set On Kruze/Bennett; Ciera
Bennett; Ciera (E)
3
#243 209.00
Southern Extreme/Bennett; Kristy
Bennett; Kristy (E)
4
#429 205.50
Suddenly So Simple/Chapman; Lucy
Chapman; Lucy (E)
5
#248 203.50
Suddenly Im Strutin/Dahlgren; Allison M
Dahlgren; Allison M (E)
6
#269 200.00
Make Me A Cowboy/Chan; Margie Or Jennifer
Chan; Jennifer (E)
More Amateur Trail Results:
L1 Amateur Walk Trot Trail
1
#426 221.00
The Best N Moore/Albright; Laura
Albright; Laura (E)
2
#305 206.50
This Chocolates Hot/Miller; Christina Kendrick
Miller; Christina Kendrick (E)
3
#425 206.50
Idahos Precision Jo/Vance-Wehrli; Beth
Vance-Wehrli; Beth (E)
4
#284 204.50
VS Feel The Heat/Nuccio; Kimberly A
Nuccio; Kimberly A (E)
5
#220 201.50
Hesa Heart Rush/Thompson; Dana E
Thompson; Dana E (E)
6
#276 196.00
Patriotic Version/Quinn; Ingrid
Quinn; Ingrid (E)
L1 Amateur Select Trail
1
#190 229.00
This Is Why Im Here/Layon-Watson; Linda
Layon-Watson; Linda (E)
2
#549 222.50
Poison Rain/Nakahara; Cindy L
Nakahara; Cindy L (E)
3
#385 216.00
Hotroddin Renegade/Morton; Laura J
Morton; Laura J (E)
4
#404 215.50
No Doubt Im Best/Kaufman; Bubba
Kaufman; Bubba (E)
5
#448 215.50
Fish N In The Dark/Spayd; Kristen
Spayd; Kristen (E)
6
#215 212.50
Sheza Potential Diva/Otto; Robin
Otto; Robin (E)
L1 Amateur Trail
1
#364 228.00
IsThatCoolWithYou/Williams; Kerry
Williams; Kerry (E)
2
#332 226.00
In The Dark Secrets/Potter; Stacy L
Potter; Stacy L (E)
3
#136 223.50
Set On Kruze/Bennett; Ciera
Bennett; Ciera (E)
4
#141 220.00
Shelovesarainynight/Tjosaas; Alyssa L
Tjosaas; Alyssa L (E)
5
#429 214.00
Suddenly So Simple/Chapman; Lucy
Chapman; Lucy (E)
6
#401 211.00
Titos On The Rocks/Kemling; Amanda
Kemling; Amanda (E)
More Youth Results from Saturday:
L1 Youth Hunter Under Saddle 13 & Under
1
One Good Penny/Buckley; Quinn
Buckley; Quinn (E)
2
Lopin All Night Long/Johnson; Sid &/Or Charlene
Honea; Dakota N (E)
3
Walking The Line/Laughlin; Melinda
Laughlin; Renna A (E)
4
Hope Shezawillysstar/Wilson; Deana / Dennis
Wilson; Sophia (E)
5
Signature Absolute/HALORANCH
Brown; Hailey (E)
6
Certainly A Chance/Bennion; Lily
Bennion; Lily (E)
L1 Youth Hunter Under Saddle 14-18
1
Gota Wear My Silks/Olson; Hailey
Olson; Hailey (E)
2
Dont Doubt Im Hot/Parker; Mylie
Parker; Mylie (E)
3
Suddenly Im Strutin/Dahlgren; Allison M
King; Mimi C (E)
4
Invite The Best/Lee; Catherine
Lee; Delaney (E)
5
Hez Better Than Good/Kirton; Alan
Kirton; Jaylee D (E)
6
Only One At The Bar/Mcknight; Ayana
Mcknight; Ayana (E)
Our Saturday candid gallery:
