Glenda Cook And Easy N Bodacious
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252 – May/June, 2024
By Megan Sacia Ulrich
In an industry where specialization has become increasingly the norm, a horse that excels in many different disciplines is a rarity. The all-around horses that do compete across disciplines are still typically competing solely in the pen, not in events like Racing or Distance Trail Riding. But that’s not true for ApHC stallion Easy N Bodacious, winner of the Appaloosa Horse Club’s Silver Medallion in 2023. He has shown his prowess on the racetrack, in the Halter pen, and under the loving care of owner Glenda Cook, will strive to dominate in a Performance event this year as well as Distance Riding.
Where other associations have medallions or awards based on production or year-end points, the ApHC medallion system is unique, aiming to showcase a horse’s diversity and athleticism. It is a tiered award system. Here’s how it works. There are four tiers of medallions: bronze, silver, gold, and dia-mond-studded. There are also four category bases of achievement: Performance, Halter, Racing, and Distance Trail Riding. A Bronze Medallion is awarded to a horse who has shown superiority in one of those category bases. In Halter and Performance, that means the horse has won an ApHC World Championship or National Championship, or was High Point in the Nation in an event. In Distance Trail or Endurance Riding, a medallion is earned when the horse proves to have ridden 350 miles in one year. In Racing, medallions are awarded using a formula of the number of race wins and money earned.
Once a horse has earned a Bronze Medallion, they could earn a Silver Medallion by showing superiority in an additional category. The Gold is awarded to a horse once they’ve dominated three categories, and the Diamond-Studded Medallion would be awarded to a horse that has earned a medallion in all four of those categories.
Never before has that been done. But Easy N Bodacious is headed that direction. Last year, he earned his Silver Medallion in Halter as the 2023 High Point Performance Stallion, a pretty impressive feat for any horse, but especially one off the track.
How the Journey Began and the Bronze was Born
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252 – May/June, 2024
