The High of Highs and Low of Lows at AQHA World Show For Robinson Family

By: Brittany Bevis

Things don’t always go as planned during World Show season. The weeks spent on the road with lack of sleep and adequate nutrition can wreak havoc on your immune system resulting in an ill-timed sickness. Horse and rider can have prepared for months, only to have a last minute lameness or small mistake during competition cost you a shot at a title. Unplanned events such as these help to provide proper perspective when we examine our victories and defeats through the lens of real life.

Jerry and Penny Robinson experienced the highest of highs and lowest of lows this year in Oklahoma City with a heart attack sustained and a World Championship earned just days apart. Jerry explains.

“If we really would’ve paid attention, it’s probably something that’s been coming on for some time now,” he says. “When we got here, it was kind of cold, and we had to walk back and forth a lot in between the barns. Every day, Penny kept saying that I was walking too fast. When we go to the mall, I can’t keep up with her. But out here, she said she couldn’t keep up with me. That’s not like her. She normally has a lot of energy. For 52 years of marriage, she’s been a work horse.”

On Wednesday, November 14th, it was about quitting time when Jerry decided something just wasn’t right. He asked trainer, Dewey Smith, where the closest urgent care facility was located. After discovering that the clinic was closed for the day, he and Penny headed to the emergency room at a nearby hospital.

“They did an EKG, and it looked pretty good. They got her vitals. Then, she got off the table, walked 20 feet to the bathroom, and had a had heart attack right then. We had already gotten a doctor appointment for when we got back home; but, by that time, it might have been too late. She had 99% blockage in her heart.”

Luckily, Penny was already in the hospital and surgery was performed to insert a stent. The next day, back at the horse show, it was time for Dewey to lead the Robinson’s mare, Blue Ribbons N Lace, in the 2-Year-Old Mares class. Jerry had already been named the Reserve Champion the week prior in the Amateur division, but they were hoping to improve upon that finish and claim the top spot. During the qualifying period for the World Show, “Lace” was shown to 24 judges and received 22 Grand and 2 Reserve titles. She was the Reserve Champion Amateur Mare at the Congress and only had one performance left to close out a successful year.

When the final results were tallied, Dewey and Lace were named the World Champions in the class, much to the delight of Jerry, and Penny, who was watching the live feed on her iPad, with her heart doctor by her side.

“We bought her when she was a baby,” Jerry says. “She’s by our stallion, PF Premo, an eight-time World Champion, and out of Guns N Lace, an eight-time World Champion. We thought she had a lot of potential. We waited on her and now she’s absolutely balanced, pretty, and easy to show. She will do nothing but get better.”

“She has a little of both her mom and dad. I think it’s the best of the best right there. She’s got the mass from her dad, and they both have beautiful heads. From front to back, she’s the whole package. When you look at her, at an angle, you see nothing but bulk, and that’s God given. That’s not something you can build. Only the great ones get that, and I think she could be one of the next great ones.”

Lace’s potential may be obvious now, but when she was just a two-month-old foal on her mother’s side, Jerry didn’t have much to go on, besides her impeccable pedigree. “We knew what she’s out of and what she could be, so we took a chance on her. I want to give Premo as big of an opportunity in the world to be a producer, and we had an opportunity to buy one out of that combination. How can you pass on that if you’re the stud owner?”

Following Lace’s win, Jerry headed to the hospital to pick up Penny and take her back to the hotel for some rest and relaxation before the WCHA Banquet that evening, which she was determined to attend. Now that the World Show has concluded and everyone has headed back home, we send our best wishes for a healthy and happy Thanksgiving to the Robinson family with blessings for a peaceful holiday season.