Kaitlin’s boyfriend, Kelby Hutchinson, was lucky enough to start the mare and Kaitlin has taken over with campaigning her this year. In fact, this pair won at both the Tom Powers Futurity and Show For Dough Futurity, in addition to today’s win, so technically, she’s undefeated, but Kaitlin doesn’t want to jinx things..

Horses will be shown sequentially in three classes: Versatility pattern, which counts 40 percent; western pleasure, which counts 40 percent; and conformation, which counts 20 percent. Horses must show in all three classes.

Today’s Equitation Finals pattern had everything but the kitchen sink. First off, riders rode with no stirrups. There were extended trots, extended canters, two lead changes, and a two track section with plenty of maneuvering. While it might seem daunting to some competitors, Laura felt ready.

“I think there is a lot more horse in there that we haven’t tapped into yet. He really loves changing leads.”

“I have no depth perception, which is a challenge for Over Fence classes. I was born without it. The way I get it done is with a really good horse and really good trainers.”

“It’s been really fun. Instead of buying a finished horse, we’ve been able to build one.”