In the list of horses who reached the top 30 at Level 4 (
Open) in the Reining Futurities in Oklahoma City on December 5th 2009, you will
read the name "Baroom Gunslinger", ( Puzzle to his friends). He was my favourite
in the Finals, although his run wasn't his best on that particular evening - but
I was able to experience the unique feeling of watching him go and thinking "
That's my horse". A once in a lifetime moment that I still can't believe I was
privileged to experience.
Nearly 400 three year olds contended for a place in the
Finals in 2009. Each one with a story of dedication and pursuit of a dream on
the part of each team involved. Puzzle's story began in 2004, even before his
conception ! I bought a fine brood mare, Baroom Sister, from my great friends
Nathalie and Mike McEntire in North Carolina. Baroom was by the legendary BH
Enterprise out of Ned's Little Star. At the time I bought Baroom she had a filly
foal at foot by Colonel's Smokin Gun, or Gunner, Tim Mcquay's iconic stallion.
Nathalie and Mike liked the filly so much that they suggested I repeat the
breeding, and Puzzle duly appeared in early May 2006.No bald face - just a funny
strip and snip - so " Puzzle" he became.
Puzzle spent 2006 and 2007 growing up in the pasture at
Nathalie and Mike's farm, and I watched him growing and changing on my frequent
visits to see my friends. Nothing prepared us for the disaster that occurred in
February 2008, just after Puzzle was started under saddle. Baroom, two months or
so short of foaling again to Gunner, died of a ruptured uterus, her unborn baby
with her. Puzzle was now Baroom's last foal, so I hoped, sentimentally, for good
things.
As 2008 and 2009 progressed I became aware of Mike's growing
enthusiasm for the colt he called " Puzz", who grew into a ball of energy and
talent, focussed and honed by Mike. On Puzzle's first outing with Mike he won
his class on a 222. It was wonderful that the Show was at Williamston NC and
most of the people closely involved with Puzzle, including his farrier, were
there !
As the fall progressed and things went according to plan with
Shows and Futurity preparations, I began to dare to think we might get to the
Futurities. For every horseman knows, there is SO much that can go wrong before
the trailer is even hitched for that ride. But the day came, and Puzzle was
loaded in North Carolina, with his stable mate Gunners Smokin Pep ( " Champ"),
and the two colts arrived in OKC. ON November 28 I sat at home in Canada glued
to live feed while Mike cruised BOTH colts into the second go. On December 3rd I
was in the bleachers in OKC to witness Mike taking them both into the Finals AND
of course, there with friends from far flung places to see Mike take both colts
through the Final go, in at atmosphere never to be forgotten. On the night it
was "Champ" who really came through for Mike and took him to 10th place. Puzzle
was down in the line that night BUT he was a FUTURITY FINALIST which is a
dazzling tribute to his heart and talent and Mike's skill and horsemanship. It
was a spine tingling moment to see my "pony" out there in the presentation line
up that night !
Yes, it takes an owner money to get a horse to the
Futurities. But it takes so much more than that to make the Futurity Finals -a
lot of luck, for sure - a horse with heart and talent, a trainer with vision,
dedication, and consummate horsemanship, and a committed team, are so much more
important. I'm proud to have played a small part in this journey by being an
enthusiast lucky enough to see this dream come true. Back in the UK when I
taught High School, I used to tell my students " Reach for the stars and you'll
get over the wall". I hope Puzzle's story inspires fellow enthusiasts to believe
that dreams can, and do, come true.
|
NRHA EASTERN CANADA AFFILIATES FINALS RESULTS |
Here is the list of all Eastern Canada qualifiers for the
NRHA Oklahoma City Affiliates Finals next December. Top Five of Affiliates
Classes at Blainville (Sept. 25 to 27) qualified:
AQR Association Québécoise de Reining (Quebec Reining Association)
ORHA Ontario Reining Horse Association
NBCRHA New Brunswick Codiac Reining Horse Association
Open Novice Horse Level 1
1) AQR: Martin Corbeil – Hollywood Dream (Maryline Gionet)
2) AQR: Lise Roy – Slide Meto My Dream (Lucie Houde)
3) AQR: Lise Roy – Smartest Easy Whiz (Guylaine Hudon)
4) AQR: Alain Allard – Dunit Dell Milagro (Bertrand Langlois)
5) AQR: Réal Sauriol – Pepto Tums Quedows (Réal Sauriol)
Open Novice Horse Level 2
1) AQR: Martin Corbeil – Hollywood Dream (Maryline Gionet)
2) ORHA: Loris Epis – Wimpys Tinseltown (John Fletcher)
3) AQR: Lise Roy – Slide Meto My Dream (Lucie Houde)
4) AQR: Lise Roy – Smartest Easy Whiz (Guylaine Hudon)
5) AQR: Alain Allard – Dunit Del Milagro (Bertrand Langlois)
Non Pro Novice Horse Level 1
1) AQR: Jacques Desjarlais – Mr Dirt Doctor
2) Tie 2/3 AQR: Marilou Paradis – Sheza Bueno Chic
3) Tie 2/3 AQR: Debbie Éthier – BB Smart King
4) AQR: Daniel Pichette – Doc Sheri Sue
5) Tie 5/6 AQR: Rachel Therrien – The Style Of Altesse
6) Tie 5/6 AQR: Sylvain Ménard – Cody The Whiz
Non Pro Novice Horse Level 2
1) AQR: Jacques Desjarlais – Mr Dirt Doctor
2) AQR: Debbie Éthier – BB Smart King
3) AQR: Daniel Pichette – Doc Sheri Sue
4) AQR: Sylvain Ménard – Cody The Whiz
5) ORHA: Larry McDougall – Royal Miss Ruby
Rookie Non Pro Level II
1) AQR: Annie Decroix – MG Gay Bar Delta
2) AQR: Laurianne Gagnon-Duval – Colonel Doco
3) Tie 3/4 AQR: Lise-Marie Beauchesne – Peppy San Dun It All (Line
Massicotte)
4) Tie 3/4 AQR: Danielle Roux – Custom Axel
5) Tie 5/6 ORHA: Eric Mesley – Clays Royal Chic
6) Tie 5/6 AQR: Samantha Allen – Stick It To Your Gunds
Open
1) Tie 1/2 AQR: Dany Tremblay – Lucky Star Gun (Claude Barré)
2) Tie 1/2 AQR: Pierre-Luc Phaneuf – Cobras Little Step (Manon Deschênes)
3) AQR: Lise Roy – Slide Meto My Dream (Lucie Houde)
4) Tie 4/5 ORHA: Loris Epis – Wimpys Tinseltown (John Fletcher)
5) Tie 4/5 AQR: Molly Stevens – Peptoleap (Harvey Stevens)
Intermediate Open
1) AQR: Lise Roy – Slide Meto My Dream (Lucie Houde)
2) Tie 2/3 ORHA: Loris Epis – Wimpys Tinseltown (John Fletcher)
3) Tie 2/3 AQR: Molly Stevens – Peptoleap (Harvey Stevens)
4) Tie 4/5 AQR: Gilles Godbout – Shes Dunit With Style (France Blouin)
5) Tie 4/5 AQR: Lise Roy – Smartest Easy Whiz (Guylaine Hudon)
Limited Non Pro
1) AQR: Marilou Paradis – Sheza Bueno Chic
2) AQR: Louise Gagnon – Special Edition
3) Tie 3/4/5 AQR: Patrice Despars – Magnum Jag
4) Tie 3/4/5 AQR: Sylvain Ménard – Cody The Whiz
5) Tie 3/4/5 AQR: Maryline Gionet – Whizle Stop
Youth 13 and under
1) AQR: Ève Giroux-Larkin – A Plaudit Boogies (Jade Giroux-Larkin)
2) AQR: Raphaël Bourdeau – Holly Tag Star (Michel Bourdeau)
3) Tie 3/4/5 AQR: Tristan Stevens – Mr Tari Chex (Molly Stevens)
4) Tie 3/4/5 AQR: Éliane Ducharme – Smartest Jess Olena
5) Tie 3/4/5 NBCRHA: Mallory Maxwell – Colonel Gunsligner
Youth 14-18
1) AQR: Annie Decroix – MG Gay Bar Delta
2) Tie 2/3/4 AQR: Lisa-Marie Beauchesne – Peppy San Dun It All (Line
Massicotte)
3) Tie 2/3/4 AQR: Laurianne Gagnon-Duval – Colonel Doco
4) Tie 2/3/4 AQR: Catherine Rhéaume – Wheesa Dun It
5) Tie 5/6 ORHA: Starr C Boisvert – Clays Kid Olene (Mary Jo MacDonnell)
6) Tie 5/6 AQR: Roxanne Larivière – Offenbachs Real Time
Non Pro
1) ORHA: Deena Colic – Guess Peppys Flashy
2) AQR: Robert Deslandes – Mr Star Chic Olena
3) AQR: Daniel Pichette – Doc Sheri Sue
4) NBCRHA: Kathie Remington – SLJ Ruf Like Juice
5) AQR: Robert Deslandes – Great Red Gun
Intermediate Non Pro
1) ORHA: Deena Colic – Guess Peppys Flashy
2) Tie 2/3 AQR: Daniel Pichette – Doc Sheri Sue
3) Tie 2/3 AQR: Benoit Nadeau – Sumac Enterprise
4) AQR: Sylvain Ménard – Cody The Whiz
5) ORHA: Amanda Thynne – Smart Lil Rooster
Non Pro Prime Time
1) AQR: Daniel Pichette – Doc Sheri Sue
2) AQR: Jacques Desjarlais – Mr Dirt Doctor
Limited Open
1) AQR: Martin Corbeil – Hollywood Dream (Maryline Gionet)
2) Tie 2/3/4/5 ORHA: Laurier Côté – Dream N Skip (Linda McDermott)
3) Tie 2/3/4/5 AQR: Danny Labbé – Lolita Yellow (Jean Leclerc)
4) Tie 2/3/4/5 AQR: Lee Roy Dagenais – Colonel Aragun JP (Richard Marier)
5) Tie 2/3/4/5 AQR: Caroline Dallaire – Monte Dun It (Benoit Dallaire)
Pro Rookie
1) AQR: Réal Sauriol – Pepto Tums Quedows
2) Tie 2/3/4 AQR: Danny Labbé – Lolita Yellow (Jean Leclerc)
3) Tie 2/3/4 AQR: Lee Roy Dagenais – Colonel Aragun JP (Richard Marier)
4) Tie 2/3/4 AQR: Caroline Dallaire – Monte Dun It (Benoit Dallaire)
5) ORHA: Lindsay Hayes – Smart Like Jac
The 2009 Central Canada Slide
N Spin and Western Canada Affiliate Finals Show Summary
The CCRHA held its 11th Annual Central Canada Slide N Spin in
conjunction with the NRHA's Western Canada Affiliate Finals on Sept 25th, 26th
and 27th at the Westoba Agricultural Center of Excellence in Brandon, MB. We
were happy to see competitors from across the western provinces and, when the
numbers were tallied, we appreciated a 20% increase in attendance over last
year's turnout. Brian Bendele, the NRHA Affiliate Representative, hosted an
information and elections meeting for the Youth. Judging from the turnout, he is
either a great conversationalist, or the burgers and fries were the first seen
by many all weekend. Judges Lee Foster and John Snobelin were witness to
numerous excellent runs and scores of 145 and more continued to fly by the
scoreboard.
Ltd. Open Futurity Champion Bonnie McCutcheon riding Almosta Texan owned by
Heidi Petrar
Photo : Sharon Latimer Photography
One of the competitors who stood out from the crowd was the
winner of the NRHA intermediate non pro, Bonna Jean Bateman, riding Snazzy
Whizard (Inwhizable X Sheza Snazzy Sailor) scoring a 143.5. Bonna did not stop
there but went on to a tied win in the novice horse non pro level 1 and 2 and
was awarded the affiliate championship in the non pro, intermediate non pro,
limited non pro and the novice horse non pro level 2, tying the novice horse non
pro level 1. Her name was also drawn for the $300 Pard's gift certificate, an
award in the NRHA Pard's Saddle Champions draw. After the show, Bonna rushed
back to Winnipeg to take in a Keith Urban concert. She stated that, for her,
“... the concert was awesome – a great end to a dream weekend.” When asked what
her key to success is, Bonna answered “Riding your own horse as much as you
possibly can. I try to go at least three times per week.” Bonna enjoys the
reining atmosphere in her home province, indicating that “the CCRHA offers many
great shows. The Affiliate program gives competitors a goal to strive for in
their own backyard.”
3 & 4 yr. old nonpro Champion Deanna Taras riding Starkist Dunnit
Photo : Sharon Latimer Photography
The NRHA open class brought the spectators to their feet with
excitement. The talent exhibited by these athletes and their horses was
phenomenal. In the end, Vicki Braun of Beechy, Saskatchewan took home the
Morrison with a heart-stopping score of 153, riding Solanos Tag Chex (Whiz N Tag
Chex X Solanos Miss Cody) owned by Tricia Banks of Swift Current, Saskatchewan.
The cheering and whistling from the crowd increased with each maneuver as they
realized that they were watching a truly once in a lifetime run. It appeared as
though Vicki and Solanos Tag Chex could do no wrong as the pair literally flew
around the ring in perfectly balanced circles, effortless lead changes,
blistering spins and sliding stops that seemed to go on forever. There was no
mistaking the elation felt by both rider and owner when they heard the score
come across the speakers and the crowd erupted again. In speaking with Vicki
after the run we asked how she felt the run was going. Vicki stated “I was
asking and he was giving, it’s times like this that make the horse business all
worth it.” This Stallion was raised by Vicki at the Braun Ranch, and will
continue to be shown by Vicki and owner Tricia Banks in the nonpro. When
questioned about future goals Vicki stated “ To ride at WEG.” Following the
evening performance Tricia took the whole gang out for supper.
Open Futurity champion Great Rosso Pine ridden by Jim Anderson owned by Roberta
Fenner
Photo : Sharon Latimer Photography
One of the most poignant runs of the weekend was performed by
Alison Love, 17, of Winnipeg, Mb, riding her new 3 year old, Topsails Nicki
(Topsail Whiz X Goldies Doc Nic by Reminic), otherwise known as Dottie. Dottie
was raised by the Love family, owners of Mass Reining Horses, and sent to Casey
Hinton for initial training and then brought back to Winnipeg for Allison to
finish the training and start showing. No stranger to the discipline, Allison
began reining at eight years old and has been the CCHRA Youth 13 & Under
Champion in 2003, the Reining Canada Youth 13 & Under Champion in both 2003 and
2006, and was a member of the first Reining Canada Young Rider Team in 2008.
When Alison and Dottie completed their run, the score was not 153, not 143, but
zero. Nonetheless, you couldn't remove the grin from Alison's face as she hugged
both her Mom and her coach, Wendy Robinson of WW stables, telling them how
excited she was with Dottie's performance. She was thrilled that Dottie had
worked through some the issues that she and Allison had been focusing on through
the summer, and had demonstrated that she could perform under pressure. Many in
the crowd noted how calm, relaxed and willing the little mare was. Alison
indicated later that the lead changes still lacked confidence, so she had
two-handed the young horse through the maneuver, causing the zero score. Allison
credits the development of her reining skills to her coach Wendy Robinson. In
particular, Allison says she looks up to Wendy as a consummate show person, “who
always puts the horse first, doing what's best for the horse.” She also admires
Shauna Sapergia who assisted Allison in her development for a time around 12
years of age and who Allison references as a “great mentor”. Allison's grounded
approach to life can also be attributed to Judy Skwarek who Allison looks to as
a persistently selfless individual. and above all, to her parents, who Allison
says “have taught me everything I know about how to approach life's challenges.”
With grounding like this, Alison is a great role model for all of our youth.
Open Champion Solanos Tag Chex ridden by Vicki Braun and owned by Tricia Banks
Photo : Sharon Latimer Photography
The week end was full of great runs and fantastic people.
Congratulations also goes out to the NRHA Youth Team Tournament Winners. Megan
Robinson, Deanna Taras, and Bailey Kolsun. All Youth competitors are randomly
selected into teams of three and their accumulated points in the youth division
decide who the winners will be. These girls enjoyed the fruits of their labour
in the form of new belt buckles, medallions, and Scholarship money.
Congratulations to everyone.
For any who may be able to attend this fantastic show next
year, we anticipate more of the same exceptional quality in reining competition
at the fantastic facility offered in Brandon, Manitoba.
Rein or shine, slide on down and watch us spin!
For full listing of results please go to
www.ccrha.com
Ian Maharaj
Communications Director, CCRHA
