Natalie Vargo and New Partner, Dancin In The Dirt, Win AQHYA World Show Hunter Hack

By: Brittany Bevis

14-year-old Natalie Vargo was the returning World Champion in Hunter Hack coming into the Youth World, but this year she had a brand new partner for the class. Last year, Natalie won with Art of The Deal. This year, she came out on top again with her new partner, a five-year-old gelding named Dancin In The Dirt, aka “Carter.”

“I’ve shown him for just a couple of months, so I’m really proud of him,” Natalie says. “He’s only five, and he’s so green. He just started jumping this year in January. Actually, my first show with him was the Redbud here in Oklahoma City, so that was super fun.”

Both Natalie and Carter prepared for the Youth World this year with help from trainers Chuck Briggs and Linda Crothers. This was the only class Carter will compete in at this show, but Natalie will show another horse, Hello Darlin, in the Working Hunter finals on Tuesday. She hopes to take both horses to the All American  Quarter Horse Congress this year.

“Carter was so good,” she says. “When I went in there, his head kind of came up a little. I was thinking, ‘Oh no!’ He’s never been shown at a Youth World Show before. I really, really scared, but I found my distances. I asked him to go, and he jumped up there all cute. We got down our line, went to our second jump, and it was awesome.”

Natalie feels Carter’s prior Hunter Under Saddle background with breeder Leslie Lange helps him to be a very balanced Hunter Hack horse with expertise in both sides of the discipline. “He actually came from Leslie just doing Hunter Under Saddle. All he knew was Hunter Under Saddle, so we knew Hunter Hack was going to be his main thing. I didn’t get him in time to qualify for Hunter Under Saddle this year, but maybe next year.”

Although Natalie is only 14, she has already won three World Championship titles during her youth career. Her first two were last year in Hunter Hack and Equitation. Her former show partner, Art of The Deal, aka “Rocko,” has been retired, but she is hopeful “Carter” can follow in his footsteps.

“We retired him because we figured he should go out with a bang,” she says. “He’s turned out in our pasture, and I go love on him every day. I was really scared, because I didn’t know if I was going to find a horse to replace him, because he’s definitely my once-in-a-lifetime horse. But I think Carter is a good replacement.”

The Reserve World Champion in this class was Alexis Hart with Delivered By Hand. Third place was Madeline Keyes with Classic Circle. Fourth place was Erin Gordon with An Indian Breeze. Fifth place was Olivia Derlus with ATM.