Caliendo, Yeaton, Rastall, Ditty Are Evening APHA World Champions
Nancy
By: Brittany Bevis
Afternoon classes kicked off at the APHA World Show with Amateur Western Longe Line, which was won by Nancy Wilkerson-Ditty with The Best Ticket. Reserve was Michael Allen with Luxury To Be Lazy. Third was Judy Moyer with VS Fire N Ice. Fourth was Erin Bradshaw with Joan Simon. Fifth was Angela Finegan with Easy Bein Best.
Ashley Rastall rode Bikinis Only to win 3-Year-Old Novice Horse Limited Western Pleasure. “Demi” was a natural right from the start of the training process. “She’s so natural at this class, and she was very trainable,” Ashley says. “She wants to do it all on her own. She has a beautiful lope, and her jog is very correct and slow. Also, she’s a tight mover.”
Ashley
The mare by One N Only is double registered, so she will be headed to the Congress this fall. Her owner, Heidi Webb, gave the mare her cheeky show name because of her beach-loving roots. “I picked her out as a weanling with help from some friends. She had the best consistent movement of the bunch and everything you look for. I named her Bikinis Only because I live in Orange Beach, Alabama and I wanted something fun.”
Reserve was Alicia Carroll with Don’t Stop Dreaming. Third was Laura Spell with Potentially My Daddy. Fourth was Michelle Vanrusselt with Willywanna Kiss This. Fifth was Amber Puckett with One And Only Asset.
What’s Shannon Yeaton going to do now that she’s been named a World Champion with TWF Only The Roanly in Amateur Hunt Seat Longe Line? Go get her horse’s shoe put back on!
“He threw a shoe two minutes before the class and I said, ‘Guys, I think we may have a problem…’ They said, ‘Ain’t nobody got time for that!’” Shannon laughs.
Shannon
Even with only one shoe, “Finn” was a star in his Longe Line class and helped Shannon win her third World title of the show. Finn is by The Wow Factor, a stallion that Shannon has always admired. “I’ve been around The Wow Factor, and always thought he was the coolest horse, and I’ve always wanted one. This one has the same personality.”
The 16 hand stunner has quite the presence in the show pen with his looks and movement; but, back at the barn, he’s just a pocket pony. “He likes to be in your face and always wants to see what’s going on. He was running around playing on the longe line today before the class.”
“I’ve had a lot to learn with Longe Line, but I have a great support system in Tim and Shannon Gillespie. I’ve learned so much about placement and where you need to be in respect to the horse. I’ve been teaching him how to set up and trot off. He’s so floaty and lofty, and his lope offs are so collected. I’m excited to see his upbringing and what he has to offer, and I think we will see him back in the winner’s circle.”
The Reserve Champion was Shilo Eggers with Factory Girl. Third was Paris Hughes with Al Be An Artist. Fourth was Laura Rogers with I Put A Spell On You. Fifth was Kalie Kostelac with All The Stars Align.
Finally, the winner of the Non Pro 4-Year-Old and Older Western Pleasure was Marylyn Caliendo with Shes A Flatliner. This was the third win of the horse show for the red roan mare nicknamed “Tatsu,” after a Chinese dragon. She helped Marylyn earn five firsts in Masters Amateur Junior Western Pleasure, and RJ King won Open 4 and Older Western Pleasure Sweepstakes as well.
Marylyn
“She’s easy to show and everything about her is effortless,” Marylyn says. A double-registered mare, Tatsu, has two yearlings coming up- one by A Good Machine and one by Zippos Sensation, and Marylyn is excited to watch their upbringing.
Reserve was Laura Bracken with Born Sophisticated. Third was Erin Bradshaw with Elicious. Fourth was Coleen Bull with Been there Scene It. Fifth was Tami Farnsworth with Scenic From Here.
