The Equine Chronicle High Point Ad WINNERS Are…
By: Brittany Bevis
While the southern and east coast crowds headed to Lexington for the Virginia Quarter Horse Classic over the weekend, those up north went to Springfield, Illinois for the 2015 International held April 17-19.
Judges for the first split/combined show were GiGi Bailey, Dean Bogart, and Jennifer Leckey. Judges for the second split/combined show were Robin Griggs, Murray Griggs, and Judd Paul.
The three-day event provided competitors with six sets of points (AQHA, NSBA, LLQHA, double IQHA points) and some highly coveted High Point awards…
In addition to all new Walk/Trot divisions, the show provided AQHA Leveling in many all-around classes. Take a look at some of the largest classes at the show listed below.
- L1 Trail- 14
- L1 Amateur Western Horsemanship- 15
- Senior Trail- 16
- Open Hunter Under Saddle- 16
- Amateur Performance Halter Geldings- 16
- L1 Amateur Showmanship- 17
- L1 Amateur Western Pleasure- 18
- Open Performance Halter Geldings- 20
- L1 Amateur Horsemanship- 21
Winners of the new Walk/Trot divisions, Adult Walk/Jog and Youth Walk/Jog, received high tech electronic awards. The recipients were Robyn Garcia with JS Good Bar Gold and Madison Taylor with This Hot Invitation, respectively. Briley Czerwinski and Snazzy Lil Chip were named the Small Fry Champions.
The all-around races for the Open, Amateur, Select, Novice Amateur, Novice Youth, 13 and Under, and 14-18 Youth High Points were stiff with many competitors entering additional classes to squeeze out the maximum number of points possible. That’s because the High Point prizes were full page ads in The Equine Chronicle, a $650 value!
Congratulations everyone! We can’t wait to see your ads in an upcoming edition of the magazine…
The International Equine Chronicle Ad High Point Winners:
Novice Amateur – Michelle Speck and RU Radical
Amateur – Courtney Suthoff and Skipalilassets
Select – Kelleigh De Monbrun and Achipofftheoldgold
Novice Youth – Melanie Heinz and My Irons Are Hot
13 & under – Nya Kearns and Southern N Sweet
14-18 – Kamryn Krutchen and Chex Out My Lope
Open – I Got My Game On – Anne Demirjian (owner)
Claire Demirjian with I Got My Game On. Photo courtesy of Anne Demirjian.
Following the show, we had the opportunity to speak with a few of the big winners, including Anne Demirjian, owner of the Open High Point winning horse, I Got My Game On, who was ridden by trainer Brad Dohm in Western Performance classes with assistance by Valerie Kearns and Kat Zelnio in English events.
“Levi” is an eight-year-old gelding that actually belongs to Anne’s daughter, Claire. Since Claire is a graduating senior this year, Anne is taking over showing duties for a while, at least until the AQHA Youth World Show that is…
“He’s a new horse for me,” Anne says. “My daughter hasn’t had a lot of time to show, because she’s going to college. So, I’m sort of taking him over. At the show, he competed in Performance Halter Geldings, Hunter Under Saddle, Trail, Western Riding, and Showmanship.”
“Claire hopes to go to the Youth World in Performance Halter and Trail, and I’d like to learn how to do Horsemanship, Trail, and Western Riding. I want to thank [Mark Harrell Horse Shows], because they do such a nice job with this show, and this was an amazing prize. We really appreciate it!”
Courtney Suthoff and Skipalilassets
Courtney Suthoff, rode her 14-year-old gelding named Skipalilassets, aka “Rusty,” to win the Amateur All-Around title by competing in Hunter Under Saddle, Showmanship, Horsemanship, and Hunt Seat Equitation. The pair trains with Chris Russell and Brendon Mechochko Performance Horses.
“I’ve shown at the International a few other times, so I did know that an Equine Chronicle ad was up for grabs,” she says. “Since we don’t really show the all-around, we weren’t trying for it, initially… We had good goes in the Hunt Seat and Showmanship on the first day, but I was surprised to see we were leading. That was exciting, so I decided we’d try to get it!”
“I did borrow a western saddle and show pad so I could show in the Horsemanship on the first day. I think Rusty was surprised to have a western saddle on his back! He was a trooper; We ended up with a pretty good pattern and a win under one judge! On Sunday, we did well in the Hunt Seat and decided to call it a day, so he got out of having to go in any other classes. It was a really fun experience!”
Michelle Speck and RU Radical.
Michelle Speck and her horse, RU Radical, aka “Rodeo,” competed in Amateur Aged Geldings, Novice Amateur Showmanship, Novice Amateur Trail, Novice Amateur Western Pleasure, and Novice Amateur Horsemanship to claim the Novice Amateur All-Around title at The International. Like Courtney Suthoff, this pair also trains under the guidance of Chris Russell and Brendon Mehochko Performance Horses.
“Rodeo is only 4 years old,” Michelle says. “I bought him at the Congress in 2014. He has come a long way in a very short time. I did know that an Equine Chronicle ad was the prize for winning All-Around at the show, but I wasn’t sure I was even going to compete for the All-Around. I was taking it class by class.”
“This is only our third show together, and he was really good for me. I was surprised when I looked at the All-Around standings and saw that I was leading it after the first show. In the end, we got 15 Novice Amateur points, 1/2 point in Green Trail, and 2 1/2 Halter points. I was so happy to hear that I had won the Novice Amateur All-Around!”
Kamryn Krutchen and Chex Out My Lope pose with trainer Jeff Greaves following their big win at The International!
Kamryn Krutchen and her seven-year-old mare, Chex Out My Lope, were named the 14-18 All-Around champions after accumulating the most points in 14-18 Western Pleasure, Horsemanship, Showmanship, Trail, and Equitation at The International. Krutchen rides her Lazy Loper-bred mare named “Penelope” under the guidance of trainer Jeff Greaves from Galva, Illinois.
“Not only is Jeff a great horse trainer, he is also an amazing role model,” Kamryn says. “His countless hours and hard work is greatly appreciated and will never be taken for granted. Winning the All-Around at the International was an amazing end to a great show. I was just happy to have great rides on Penelope, and winning the All-Around was an added bonus.”
“Mark Harrell runs an awesome show and all of his staff are always very friendly. Thank you Mark Harrell and The Equine Chronicle for such a great All-Around award and my family and horse trainer for allowing me to have this opportunity!”
Thanks to Mark Harrell Horse Shows for providing complete results from the show. Click on the links below to view.
Click here for S/C 1 results.
Click here for S/C 2 results.
Click here for circuit awards.
