Get to Know the Horses in the 2013 Equine Chronicle Congress Masters- Part 2

By: Brittany Bevis

In part two of our popular series, “Get To Know the Horses in the Equine Chronicle Congress Masters,” we have a very diverse group of western pleasure pairings. There’s a Masters first-timer with a quirky Dennis the Menace, a six-time Masters competitor who will be showing her own horse this year, a former Masters Champion who picked her mount  based on rhythm and consistency, a Reserve Masters Champion with a mare that reminds him of his mount from last year, and a veteran slot class rider with a mare whose owners live in Australia.

We would like to introduce you to Jim Chafin Jr. with Diesel Maid, Kristin Klimmek with You Can Kiss This, Angie Rigdon Cannizzaro with RR Certain Blessing, Brian Cox with Cool Lookin Moonie, and Jay Starnes with It’s Best To Be Hot.

The Masters First-timer

Exhibitor: Jim Chafin Jr.

Horse: Diesel Maid

Sex: Gelding

Owner: Harley Wartman

Sire: Diesel Only

Dam: Radically Maid

Why did you choose this horse for the Equine Chronicle Congress Masters?

“We longe-lined him as a yearling, and he was just a standout horse as a baby,” Chafin says. “My other half Heather showed him a lot as a yearling. He was undefeated. He was just a talent to begin with. When we started him as a two-year-old, he reminded me of an old soul in a young horse’s body. He wants to please you. He’s a great horse.”

Interesting Fact: “He is a total Dennis the Menace. He’s one of those horses that likes to be your buddy, but he will watch for you while he’s trying to get into trouble. He also likes to sleep upside down. He rolls over on his back and sleeps upside down like a dog. He’s funky that way. He’s got a lot of personality, and he likes to get into trouble.”

How many times have you competed in the Masters?

“I have never competed in the Masters. This is my maiden voyage! I was paid up to show one last year, but my horse got injured and we had to back out of it. I’m nervous for sure and excited all at the same time. I’m hoping for a nice ride. He’s a good animal, and I’m going to keep doing what we’ve done at home and let the ride speak for itself.”

The Two in One Trainer/Owner Combo

Exhibitor: Kristin Klimmek

Horse: You Can Kiss This

Sex: Gelding

Sire: A Dream Remembered

Dam: Kiss My Impulse

Owner: Kristin Klimmek

Description: “When people spend a little time around him, they describe him as a surfer dude,” Klimmek says. “He’s got a huge forelock, and his mother did too. Everything he does is so slow and quiet. You look at him half the time and laugh at what he’s got to be thinking. It’s a very good thing. Nothing gets him wound up. He’s kind of like ‘hey man, what are we doing?’ “

“He had everything you’d want in a slot horse. Most important for me was his brain. He has a very good mind, and he’s really quiet. Stuff doesn’t bother him. He’s very easygoing. When I took him to his first horse show, he acted like he’d been hauled around for a year. He’s big, strong, and talented. It seemed like everything fell together for him. He was the one.”

Interesting Fact: “I bought him from a client, Ruckman Quarter Horses. They owned the mother, and the wife won the Congress on her. It does take a little pressure off if it’s one you own versus someone else’s. It’s probably a little easier to explain to yourself if something didn’t go right, rather than [trying to explain] to a client! But it’s still the Masters.”

How many times have you competed in the Masters?

“This will probably be my fifth or sixth time. It gets a little bit easier after you’ve done it once or twice, but it’s still a big deal for a lot of money. The hard thing of course is that it’s a 2-year-old that’s never been shown before. Then, you add in that the Congress is a little difficult of a horse show to get one ready at, especially if you’ve never had to get it ready to show before. You still get a little bit nervous. Usually for me, once I get in there and do a warmup lap or two, I’m all right. They are animals, so you prepare them the best you can and hope it all comes together. If it doesn’t, you have to work with what they give you at the time.”

The Former Masters Champion

Exhibitor: Angie Rigdon Cannizzaro

Horse: RR Certain Blessing aka “Sophie”

Sex: Mare

Sire: Certain Potential

Dam: I’m Sophisticated Sue

Owner: Kevin and Amy Smith, Capall Creek Farm LLC

Description: “She is very sweet, and she is very kind, both on the ground and on her back. She has a very consistent rhythm.”

Why did you choose this horse for the Equine Chronicle Congress Masters?

“She’s just very even-tempered from day to day. I thought she would be capable, movement-wise, of doing good in this class. She seems like she can handle the pressure of that class. It takes a special horse to be able to deal with the crowd, the temperature changes, and the whole Congress throughout. It’s difficult in a lot of ways. You’re there the whole time but trying to get them to peak at the end. It takes a really sound and mentally-stable horse to do that.”

Is there any extra pressure going in this year, because you won the event in 2012?

“No pressure. It’s never been won twice, so it’s not like I’m expecting to go in and win it again. It will be a really tough pen of horses and exhibitors. I will go in there and do the best I can and focus on putting her in the best spots I can to get her shown.”

The Former Masters Reserve Champion

Exhibitor: Brian Cox

Horse: Cool Lookin Moonie, aka “Moonie”

Sex: Mare

Sire: Only In The Moonlite

Dam: Cool Lookin Lady

Owner: Allen and Marilyn Wade

Interesting fact: “Moonie is a pretty funny mare,” Cox’s fiance Maggie Kerola says. “She is fairly certain she is awesome. She is such a girl and wants everyone to know she is. She definitely has a need to be the center of attention.”

Why did you choose this horse for the Equine Chronicle Congress Masters?

“We chose Moonie to be this year’s Masters horse because from the moment we saw her she was big, beautiful, and soft-legged. Rewind and Repeat had just been sold, and the goal was to find one that could take his place. We honestly believe that’s her. It also doesn’t hurt that she is a lot like her mother, a true show mare!”

The Veteran Slot Class Rider

Exhibitor: Jay Starnes

Horse: It’s Best To Be Hot

Sex: Mare

Sire: RL Best of Sudden

Dam: One Hot Mouse

Owner: Rawlings Enterprises of Australia

Description: “She’s pretty laid back and kind of easygoing” Starnes says. “Nothing bothers her. She was pretty easygoing about training. I like her. I think she’s got a lot of good traits about her. She’s eye-catching, black, pretty, and she’s a very good mover. I thought she was a good jogger and she could lope both ways. She catches your attention and can do everything really well.”

Why did you pick this horse for the Equine Chronicle Congress Masters?

“The Rawlings picked her out on their own. They came over, saw her at the Reichert Sale, and bought her. They asked if I would take her home, and I broke her. They haven’t had a horse show at the Congress before. They are just starting to get into showing their horses over here.”

Interesting Fact: “When she had about 60 days riding on her, I stopped her to turn around and lope the other way. I didn’t know the billet strap on my saddle had broke. She went one way, and I went the other way. I stayed in the saddle it was just on the ground. It didn’t bother her too much. She still lets me saddle her and get on her!”

Stay tuned next week for the last remaining section of the Equine Chronicle Congress Masters Western Pleasure entries and the start of the Equine Chronicle Masters Hunter Under Saddle profiles.