9/21 UPDATE: Mary Norman Wins Amateur Weanling Geldings With Mister Lincoln

9/21 UPDATE: Just moments ago, Mary Norman led Mister Lincoln to a Congress Championship title in Amateur Weanling Geldings.

Amateur Weanling Geldings-

1-Mister Lincoln/Mary Norman

2-Mattlock/Scott Trahan

3-Slick Talkin Willy/Robin Robinett

4-Flying H Lucky Lindy/Kelli Heins

5-Justa Gold N Kid/Lisa Eikenberry

By: Brittany Bevis

Halter classes are flying by this morning at the 2013 All American Quarter Horse Congress, and the first two Congress Champions of the day have already been named. Ronald Stratton led Mister Lincoln to a win for Mary Norman of Virginia Beach.

While this isn’t Norman’s first Congress Championship, this particular win is special for many reasons.

“He is out of my mare, Don’t Skip Me Mister, and I’ve owned this mare since 1996,” Norman says. “I bought her from Classic Acres down in Florida, when Jason Smith was there. My son started showing with this mare. We’ve had a lot of great babies out of her [that have been] World and Reserve World Champions. This year, we bred her to I’ve Got A Cool Secret and ended up with a futurity baby. We got really lucky.”

“I’ve had futurity babies out of other mares that I’ve owned but not out of this mare. It’s hard to win up here, and this is very special.”

According to Norman, it takes a very special halter horse to be able to win a Congress Championship in the weanling division. She explains that, at this stage of their growth development, young horses are constantly changing.

“Because he is a baby, that’s still growing, we came so close to not taking him,” she says. “But within two and a half weeks, he changed and got better.”

Norman says she left the official naming of this young gelding up to her trainer of 20 years, Ronald Stratton.

“I let my trainer name them, because they’re basically his pets at the farm,” she says. “He is real solid and laid back and kind of has that presidential stature.”

Stratton will show the gelding in the Congress Breeders’ Halter Futurity in the Open Division tomorrow, and Norman will be at the lead in the Non-Pro. Next week, Norman plans to show in the Amateur Weanling Geldings.

The Congress Champion in the Yearling Geldings this morning was Ross Roark with It’s Gameday for Frank Berris.

Weanling Geldings-

1-Mister Lincoln/Ronald Stratton

2-Matlock/Tyler O’Neal

3-Slick Talkin Willy/Jeff Ison

4-Cool Naturally/Phillip Wilkinson

5-Flying H Lucky Lindy/Kelli Heins

Yearling Geldings-

1-It’s Gameday/Ross Roark

2-Text/Gene Parker

3-PF Execute A Win/Dewey Smith

4-Te Coolest Clu/Steven Britt (Ltd. Champion)

5-JMK Kamikaze Kid/Terry Sartain