Congress Champion AND Reserve Champion For Bonnie Sheren in Senior Trail

By: Brittany Bevis

In one of the largest and most competitive classes at the horse show, Bonnie Sheren had not only the Congress Champion but also the Reserve Congress Champion winning horses! Riding Heza Radical Zip to score a 236.5 and take the win was Jason Martin. The Reserve Champion was Ashley Dunbar-Clock with Sleeptite, who scored a 234.5.

This is also a notable win for Jason, because the last time he won Trail at the Congress was in 1998 on Zippo LTD. “I’ve had a little dry spell,” he jokes. Jason’s partner for today’s class was the 13-year-old gelding Bonnie fondly calls “Troy.”

“He’s a really good lope over horse, and this pattern had a lot of flow to it,” Jason says. “He has a lot of expression and doesn’t get overbridled, so it’s a nice picture for the judges to look at.”

Ashley was leading aboard the 8-year-old gelding, Sleeptite, who is making his debut in the Senior division this year. That is until Jason and Troy took the stage. “I do feel bad because I knocked her off the podium,” Jason says. “If someone was going to take the lead, at least it was Jason!” Ashley adds.

“He’s still a green horse,” she says. “It’s his first real year competing in Senior. He’s a good lope over horse too. He’s really good with his head and neck and doesn’t get overbridled. He was really on today. It all came together.”

Jason and Ashley reflect on the competitiveness of this particular age division. “I think it’s the toughest class at the horse show. There are probably 50 horses out of that class that could potentially win, if they had a good ride on the course that day,” Jason says.

To have two horses from the same barn take the top two spots is an achievement in an of itself, but to have them be owned by the same person is in a word, “unbelievable,” according to Bonnie.

“I don’t know what word you could use to describe it,” she says. “It’s unbelievable. It really is. I had a horse that won about four years ago. It was Brad Ost with Chex Me I’m Cute. That was unbelievable. Now, to have first and second with these two horses is just beyond.”

Bonnie and Troy will compete tomorrow in Select Trail as the returning Congress Champions from 2016. Despite the big win today, she doesn’t feel any pressure. “I actually don’t feel like I have any pressure at all. I just want to have fun. I love Trail. If I had a choice, I would just do Trail!

Coming up next, all three of Bonnie’s horses will be headed to the AQHA World Show. She also plans to compete in Oklahoma City in L2 Amateur Western Riding with More Radical.

Third was Jennifer Paul with Some Hot Potential. Fourth was Clint Ainsworth with Hotroddin On a Harley. Fifth was Brad out with UF A Certain Star.