“It’s always been a dream of mine to win Trail here at the Congress,” Troy says. That dream came true this morning in the form of a huge 239 score to win Junior Trail.

“I think I’ve made friends with the mare. She’s green, but she’s got a big, ‘ole stride and you can count it easily. She seems to have a big heart, and she’s not high energy.”

“I think she’s one of the most fun Halter horses I’ve ever gotten to show. She stands like a statue. I only set her up once in that class, and she stood the whole time.”

“It was a ride I will never forget. I’ve always searched for the next horse that could feel like him, and be like him, and I never have. He’s one-of-a-kind.”

After Blythe completed her patterns with both horses, she had to wait to see how she would end up in the final placings. “Nobody would tell me what score I got, so I went in there and I had no idea!”

“The reason why I was so desperate to find a horse is that I lost my dad to a brain tumor; I lost my mom to an accident; and I lost my middle child, Justin, in a car accident. He was two miles from my house, and it was four months before his wedding. I was desperate for a distraction.”

The show, held in Scottsdale October 6-9, 2016, saw an astonishing increase of nearly 2,000 entries over the prior year.

“If it’s a good horse, it’s worth letting them come to it on their own.”

“This is the first time we had to show with the big boys, and we beat them today. It was pretty cool!”

“I’ve been in the Quarter Horse business for 65 years now. I’m a 50-Year Breeder with AQHA, and, in two more years, I will be a Legacy 50-Year Breeder, without missing a year. For people who say [they’re too old to compete], I would say to get off the couch and go! It keeps your mind and body occupied, keeps you strong, and it’s fun!”