Austin Green, Certainly Inspired Win NY 14-18 WP; Wade Black, Justa Machine Win 2-Year-Old WP Lim.

By: Brittany Bevis

Two gentlemen pulled out impressive performances to win Congress Champion titles in Western Pleasure this evening at the 2014 All American Quarter Horse Congress. First up, Austin Green rode Certainly Inspired, aka “Latoya,” to a win in a 100 entry Novice Youth 14-18 Western Pleasure class. Green and Latoya are the returning champions from last year. However, this year, Green had a bit more experience under his belt.

“Last year, the NSBA World Show was our first show, and the Congress was our second,” he says. “We’ve been doing the Youth Western Pleasure this year and tried to do Western Riding a little bit. We’re working on it.”

“When she’s on, she’s on, and you can just feel it. You know? She’s a good horse, and I feel privileged to get to ride her.”

Austin and Latoya will be returning for the Youth 14-18 Western Pleasure later this week, where he will join his sister Deanna and her horse, Blazenmytroublesaway. Now that the two siblings compete in the same division, there is a bit of rivalry, but Green insists it’s all in good fun.

Next up in the Western Pleasure pen, Wade Black rode Justa Machine to a win for owner Cheryl Mullikin in the limited division of the 2-Year-Old Open Western Pleasure Stakes. The pair received a check for $2,711.08 for their efforts.

The gelding named “Ziggy,” by Machine Made and out of RL Best of Sudden’s mother, Zip N Therapy, was purchased from Brian Ale in May of this year and has spent the last few months winning at horse shows across the country.

“I showed him at the NSBA World Show and was Reserve in two classes,” Black says. “I showed him in the Michigan slot class and won the Raleigh Futurity last week.”

“He was the best one I’d spotted this year, and I didn’t waste any time getting him bought up. He had a pretty front leg and was big and stout. I thought he would mature and make a great three-year-old on top of it.”

Black was pleased with his ride on Ziggy, but he feels there’s definitely more to be had from this particular horse.

“I think there’s more horse there than what I had today, and that’s a really good thing,” he says. “I think these horses need to be able to carry themselves around from the start. They need to be able to pick their backs up and lope around before you can put any weight on them, to be able to make it as a two-year-old.”

Novice Youth Western Pleasure 14-18-

1- Certainly Inspired/Austin Green

2-Zippos Sudden Chex/Aubrey Alderman

3-Sleepinwithmybootson/Sarah Orsak

4-Too Outrageous/Rachel Lebkowsky

5- Sudden Persuasion/Miranda Mitten

Two-Year-Old Open Western Pleasure Stakes- Limited-

1-Justa Machine/Wade Black

2-Hez Lopin Lazy/Aaron Moses

3-Simply Ziprageous/Tate Oakley

4-Maid U Look/Kyle DeFreece

5-Our Sleepy Valentine/Travis Duit