Rusty Green and Bestseatnthehouse Win 2-Year-Old Western Pleasure For Alexandra Chavez

By: Brittany Bevis

As it turns out, the Bestseatnthehouse in the Jim Norick Arena here in Oklahoma City was right where Alexandra Chavez was sitting. Just a few moments ago, her 2-year-old mare by RL Best of Sudden and out of Invited Always was named the World Champion in 2-Year-Old Western Pleasure with Rusty Green in the saddle.

Coming in Reserve in the class was Brian Cox with Cool Lookin Moonie for Allen and Marilyn Wade. Rounding out the top three was Gil Galyean with Don’t Stop The Lite for Michelle and Sheila Bauer.

Green is on somewhat of a hot streak here at the AQHA World Show. A few days ago, he won the Junior Western Pleasure with Whatscookingoodlookin for the Roberts family. Following his win in 2-Year-Old Western Pleasure, Green will have just a few classes to prepare before coming back for the Senior Western Pleasure finals. Although another win tonight would put him three for three in each of the western pleasure classes here at the World Show, he’s not one to count his chickens before they hatch.

“The Senior Western Pleasure is going to be a tough class,” Green says. “It’s a very tough class of horses. There are so many nice horses in there. You have to go in there and try to have the best trip you can.”

Joining Green tonight in the finals will be his 14-year-old daughter, Deanna Green, aboard her popular palomino mare Blazinmytroublesaway, aka “Buttercup.” Might she be the youngest rider ever to make it back to the Senior Western Pleasure finals at an AQHA World Show?

“I’m not sure, but I’m very proud of her,” he says. “Nobody gets along with that horse as well as she does, so we decided that’s her horse from now on.”

Completing the Green Team’s lineup for the finals tonight will be Maggie Grandquist aboard The Party Starts Now. In the 2-Year-Old Western Pleasure, Grandquist rode to a sixth place finish and an Intermediate win aboard No Doubt I’m Best. Katie Green and Lope The Line came in fourth place.

No matter what happens tonight in the Senior finals, Green is thrilled that his two-year-old, “Jodi,” was able to claim a World Championship title here today as well as a Reserve Congress Champion title in the Equine Chronicle Congress Masters Western Pleasure just one month ago.

“She’s the same all the time, and her mind is unbelievable,” he says. “It doesn’t matter if you’re standing out there by yourself or if you’re out there with 15 other horses. Wherever you put her, she is happy to be there.”

Joining Green and Chavez for the win photo was Brian and Dawn Baker, who broke the mare and began her training when Green first spotted the horse at the Tom Powers Futurity earlier in the year.

“We bought her from Brian and Dawn Baker, who had her in training, and from Ken Masterson, who bred and owned her,” he says. “We bought her in June for the Masters and the World Show. Alex is planning on showing her next year in the non-pro three-year-old western pleasure.”

“I really like this mare’s rhythm. She matches up good front and back. When we got on and rode her, [for the first time] she was amazing to ride. Even though you might want this or that to be a little better, she felt so good to sit on, and that means a lot.”

2-Year-Old Western Pleasure:

 1-Bestseatnthehouse/Rusty Green

2-Cool Lookin Moonie/Brian Cox

3-Don’t Stop The Lite/Gil Galyean

4-Lope The Line/Katie Green

5-It’s Best To Be Hot/Jay Starnes

6-No Doubt I’m Best/Maggie Grandquist

7-The Rock/Scott Frye

8-Spyderman/Katy Jo Zuidema

9-Lope Out The Doubt/Shane Dowdy

10-Were Talkin Easy/Jamie Pait

Intermediate-

1-No Doubt I’m Best/Maggie Grandquist

2-The Rock/Scott Frye

3- RR Only Young Once/Denton DeBuhr