Troy Lehn/Zippin A Breeze Win Jr Western Riding; Tiina Volmer/Beter Late Thn Never Win Maturity Non Pro Ltd. HUS
By: Brittany Bevis
This evening’s classes couldn’t have been more different. One celebrated the laser precision and accurate maneuvering, while the other brought to mind the floaty movement of a Hunter in the field.
First, Troy Lehn rode Zippin A Breeze to win Junior Western Riding for owner, Alexandra Chavez. The Reserve Champion was Charlie Cole with HP Prime Time. Third was Kristen Galyean with VS Lady In Red. Fourth was Blake Weis with Cool Cruzen Lady. Fifth was Blake Weis with VS Heart Stopper.
Troy and five-year-old “Dani” were lucky number 13 to go in this evening’s class. Owned by Alexandra Chavez and currently under lease with Kaylee Mellott, Dani will also be competing here at the Congress in Amateur Horsemanship, Trail, and Western Pleasure. He also has Green Western Riding, Junior Trail, Junior Western Pleasure, and the 4-6-Year-Old Trail Stakes left on the agenda. Earlier today, he placed sixth in Open Performance Geldings.
Just a month ago, at the NSBA World Show, Dani was the Reserve Champion in Green, Junior, and 4-6 BCF Western Riding. “I feel like he’s always a bridesmaid!” Troy says. “We’re always second. This is actually our first year showing in Western Riding. It’s definitely taken a team of people from Brad Ost and Jeff Mellott to Carol Metcalf. This definitely wouldn’t have been possible without all of these people. It’s been a team effort to get us to this point.”
Troy and Dani were awarded with a 231.5 for tonight’s performance. Troy believes it was Dani’s consistency that helped him claim the top prize. “I think it’s his pace, quality of change, and the fact that he never changes through the actually lead change. He keeps the same pace all the way through the entire pattern.”
Tiina Volmer rode Beter Late Thn Never to win the Maturity Limited Non Pro Hunter Under Saddle Stakes. The Reserve Champion was Tammy Dyer with A Boy Named Hoo. Third was Sara Goldstein with Sensational Asset. Fourth was Laurel Champlin with Look N Hott. Fifth was Nicole Kuklinski with Sketchie Details.
Tiina describes “Rain Man” as a very “special” individual. “He doesn’t really act like a horse. He doesn’t think he’s a horse. Anything a horse would do… he does the opposite. He doesn’t go with the herd. He’s very confident in himself.”
Rain Man and Tiina are the returning Congress Champions from this class last year. Tonight, they were awarded four second place finishes in the individual placings, showing their consistency with the judges.
This team currently competes under the guidance of Robin Frid. They will also be competing in Amateur Horsemanship and Showmanship here at the show.
Although Rain Man was a bit of a late bloomer, a very special person in Tiina’s life had faith that he would grow into his abilities. “When we first bought him, we didn’t think he was going to make anything. He definitely went through some growth spurts. He was a late bloomer, but my mom loved him the whole time. She believed in him.”
