Amateur all-around exhibitors are definitely being put through their paces today at the Congress with a jam-packed schedule that includes almost every western performance event for the Amateur and Select divisions. Trail, Western Pleasure, Western Riding, and Horsemanship are among the disciplines that will be exhibited in the Celeste Arena.

The ever popular Amateur Versatility competition provided some thrills and spills tonight at the Quarter Horse Congress. In addition to some fierce competition that kept the crowd on its toes, one of the competing horses wandered away during a tack change and two riders were unseated during the pole bending portion of the class.

“Every time [I show], he is watching,” she says. “He sets his alarm clock and gets up in the middle of the night. If I had to show in the evening, he would get up at 3 in the morning!”

“There are two goes that stand out in my life,” Gilliam says. “One was at the Redbud with the horse I won the World Show with [Design By Leaguer], and then there’s this one.”

“In 1982, I dreamed of someday going to Congress and the World,” she says. “It just took me 31 years to do it.”

“She’s fabulous,” Roberts says. “She’s so willing, and she wants to please. I could not find a better mare.”

Originally, Robin was not meant to be a maiden Coughlin horse. Lakins planned to show him at the Little Futurity and Tom Powers Futurity earlier this year.

“I’m looking forward to [the Coughlin tonight] and being in the stands with my warm feet up! I’ll be holding my trophy!”

Although Cochran is the son of western pleasure trainer, Jeff Cochran, he’s only been showing horses for six months. In fact, the Congress is his sixth horse show, ever.

Thus far this year, Katerina Mendel and Willys On The Green have claimed a Youth World Championship in Hunter Under Saddle and three NSBA World Championship titles. Today, the pair added a Congress Championship title to their long list of accolades.