~2008 Update~
August Update: We just
returned from the Youth World in OKC and what a THRILL that was. We
went with no expectations except having a good time and Joel came home with
some of the best finishes he has ever had. He tied for 10th in Trail
(placed 11th due to the tie breaker), made the semi's in showmanship and
finished 29th and finished 34th in western riding. We were MORE than
thrilled - he has never made a final before and to make it back in trail was
just beyond anything we had hoped for :) Cody was such a good boy - :)
And, when they called his number for the semi's in showmanship, we all
shrieked. I will post pictures as soon as I get them off of my son,
Jon's camera. Speaking of Jon, he worked for KC Montgomery all week - he is
a budding photographer and what an awesome experience that was! I am
so thankful to Nova and KC for allowing Jon to assist them. He learned so
much and they were so good to him. This was his 2nd year with them and
this year they let him scribe and actually be a part of the team. What
an amazing experience for a 13 yr old - photography is his passion and a lot
of the photos I post are done by him. :) He is hoping to go back
in November when we take Cody to the Open World - so he can be a part of
that experience, too.
I think for me, the most amazing part of
all of this is that when Cody came to Kellie 2 years ago, he was a good
novice youth horse. Our previous trainers had done a great job with Cody and
Joel in the novice division. But, Joel had not shown that much in
youth and they were not really a youth-level 14-18 team in terms of doing
the all around events. In fact, we had been advised by several
different people (trainers and friends) that we should sell Cody and buy
Joel a "real" youth horse. So, when I brought him to Kellie, it was
Joel's last year as a novice youth and we really had no idea what to expect
going forward.
Now, here we are 2 years later with a horse
that not only has proven he can step up and play with the big boys but he
can actually place at the world level! That makes me cry tears of joy
that Kellie believed in Cody and gave him a chance. And, Cody has
proven what a big heart he has and just how much "try" that horse has!
And, just when I think he's reached his potential, she blows me away by
stepping up another notch. He is truly one in a million - we love him
dearly.
July Update: July was a crazy month
for us - I am sorry it has taken so long for me to get photos and updates
posted. We showed the two show circuit in Temecula - it was 8 days/8
judges. The weather was nicer than it has been - hot but not as hot as
last summer :) Joel had a great show. He won the Youth All
Around on Cody. But, the highlight of his show was him showing his new
barrels and poles mare - Sissy - in the speed events. This was his
first time running her and he ended up with some fast times. At one point,
he said he almost fell off - LOL. But, I have to say, I love the speed
crowd - they are so fun and hooting and hollering for the kids - it was a
total blast!! The other highlight of the show was that Kellie put 37
senior points on Cody in those 8 days!! She won the circuit award in
Sr. Trail and was reserve in Sr. Western Riding and finished qualifying Cody
in both events for the Open World Show in November. Oh, and she won the Sr.
All Around on Cody, too :) Our barn as a group, did SUPER well.
You should see our group photo - we won a number of the all arounds and also
reserve all around in the Novice Amateur and the western pleasure high point
saddle. I will post the photo as soon as I get it - it was such a good
time for all of us in the Trendsetter barn :) We now have so
many great people in the barn and just being part of this wonderful group is
a huge blessing.
June Update: Well, it's been a great
month so far! Joel received his official world show package from AQHA
qualifying nationally in perf halter geldings, showmanship, horsemanship,
western riding and trail - and qualifying under the state in western
pleasure. Also, Cody finished his Superiors in Senior Trail, Youth
Trail and Youth Horsemanship. And, when those points post, he will have 3
Youth Superiors - giving him his Youth Performance Championship :)
Needless to say, we are excited!! Joel and Cody also won the All
Around Youth saddle at the Showtime Classic and then the All Around Youth
and Senior horse last weekend at the Lights, Camera, Action circuit.
It was a fun show - Cody did the youth barrels, poles and stake race and won
circuit awards in all 3 - and shocked us all when he took off running like
we had never seen! I can't wait for the pictures - it was a hoot to
watch and now Joel's hooked on speed events :) Of course, Cody won't
be asked to them very often - but it was sure fun to see him go.
Cody's face painting Joel's photo for youth team ad
May Update: We just finished the
Mother's Day Circuit at Paso Robles and it's just one of my most favorite
shows. It's so laid back and stress-free. The classes are not huge but I
love the atmosphere and the people - it's a nice, quiet and fun show!
Joel did well - most of his classes were 1 or 2 points - but he won circuit
awards in performance halter, showmanship, horsemanship and western riding -
and won the All Around. Cody also won the circuit in the senior western
riding (with 3 firsts and 1 second!!) and won the Senior All Around :)
It was totally cool to see Cody do so well - he's just a good, good boy!
And, on another happy note, I bought a horse for me to keep at home and
ride. It's been 4 years since I've had a horse of my own at home to ride and
I'm SOOOO excited. And, he arrived on Saturday (I had him
delivered to the show grounds) and he's just the sweetest~ My husband
is hauling him home now as I type (along with Joel) and I can't wait. I
drove down and spent Friday and Saturday at the show and then came home - so
I'm sitting her anxiously awaiting their arrival. Thank goodness Paso is
only about 2 1/2 hours from us :)
April Update: Well, I am so glad
April is over! Joel is nationally qualified in 5 events and state
qualified in 1 event - and that is everything he does - so we are very
happy~ On top of that, Cody is almost qualified in the senior trail -
and super close to finishing 3 Superiors! I wish I had pictures to
post but I've been bad about getting them. :)
Here's the early April update
- we just returned from a youth qualifier show in Woodland. We had a blast -
the show grounds were so peaceful and relaxing - it was the most laid back
show we have done in a long time - despite the 3 and 4 point youth classes
on the weekend - it was still very nice and not stressful at all :)
The owners were the nicest people and the food was great. I would
definitely go back again - once they get their permanent stalls in.
Joel did well - won several circuit awards and was res. all around youth.
And, he picked up close to 25 points in his various events. He also
showed the senior WR and trail - and picked up 6 points - and won all 4 AQHA
Open Horse all arounds :) Jordan showed Dunny on Saturday and was 2nd and 3rd on in the novice youth pleasure.
It was fun and Dunny is just a good, good boy :) Our next 2 shows will
be it for the youth qualifying period - and then we can take a break. We
will show in Del Mar and then Burbank and be back on the 28th. I'm so
glad Joel has his points done in 4 events - sure makes it fun to show and
WAY less stressful for Mom :)
March Update: We just returned from
Rancho and the Back 2 Basics circuit. Joel and Cody had a great show
with circuit awards in youth showmanship, youth performance geldings and
youth trail. The were also res. in youth horsemanship and youth
western riding and they won the All Around Youth 18 & Under for the show.
It was pretty amazing considering they took 4 months totally off over the
winter. Kellie also showed Cody in the Sr. WR and Sr. Trial - and picked up almost
10 points! But, the best part of the show was watching my younger boy,
Jordan, showing his new horse, Dun Some More, for the first time. Here
are some pictures of them in novice youth pleasure and also performance
halter:
Joel also showed Dunny in Western Riding
and picked up 2 points. Not bad for only his 2nd ride on the horse.
But, Dunny certainly knows his job and has been around forever. We
heard some great stories about Dunny - seems he has quite a history with
just about everyone :) He's a GREAT horse and will a good teacher for Jordan
this year. Jordan's big goal is to get him qualified in the
performance halter geldings so he can show at the world show with his big
brother :)
Feb Update: Well, we have had a very laid
back winter. Joel and Cody are already nationally qualified for the
2008 AQHYA World Show in 4 events - so we have not done much showing since
Scottsdale - hope Joel remembers how to ride - :) We will be up at
Rancho in early March for the 1st California youth qualifier show of 2008 -
hope to see everyone there!
2007 Year End:
Joel and Cody had an amazing 2007! He ended the year as follows:
-PCQHA
All Around Youth 14-18
-PCQHA
Champion - Youth 14-18 Showmanship
-PCQHA
Res Champion - Youth Performance Halter Geldings
-PCQHA
Res Champion - Youth 14-18 Horsemanship
-PCQHA
Res Champion - Youth 14-18 Western Riding
-PCQHA
Top 5 - Youth 14-18 Trail
-PCQHA
Top 5 - Youth 14-18 Western Pleasure
-AQHA
Limited Youth Trail - 3rd
-AQHA
Limited Youth Western Riding - 9th
-AQHA
Limited Youth Horsemanship - 7th
And, just as a note, no youth has ever won the all around novice youth and
come back to win the all around youth the next year - on the same horse!
That in and of itself says so much about what a great trainer we have!
She really brought Joel and Cody along and helped them both step up the the
14-18 division when other trainers said we should sell Cody and buy Joel a
youth level horse :)
So, we would like to give a BIG thank you to
their trainer - Kellie Hinely -
for all of her support this past year. They have had an amazing 1st year in
the youth division and none of this would have been possible without Kellie
- she is just THE BEST!
Oct Update: The Scottsdale Classic
was a great show this year! Joel and Kellie both showed Cody in the Pro
Stepps Trail Event and placed 6th overall out of 20. They said it was
a lot of fun (I wish I could have been there) and that Cody was super
good for both of them. Joel went on to show the youth events and
finished qualifying in 2 more events. So, it was well worth the trip to
Arizona - even though he had just lost his HUS horse, Gumby the week before
and was not really in the "mood" to show. :( This was a rough month
for Joel.
Sept Update: This month Joel showed at the
Santa Barbara Fall Futurity Show and was Circuit Champion in Showmanship
14-18, Res. Circuit Champion in Youth Western Riding and Res. All Around
14-18 Youth. This is one of the largest California shows of the year he
finished qualifying for the 2008 AQHYA World Show in 2 events :) Also,
Joel's trainer, Kellie, won the Trainer Showmanship - which was a fun
dress-up class! So, here's the Sponge Bob Cody picture - :)
August Update: Well, we just returned from
Youth World and what an amazing experience it was! We were so proud of
Joel and Cody - Kellie (his trainer) has done a fantastic job getting them
ready and they had a great show. They placed 12th in one of their
events and got their names called - that was such an honor! They also
finished well in their other events and considering Cody is green with his
lead changes, we have so much more to look forward to next year! Thank you to all of our
customers who have been so supportive - and to those that I met at the World
Show - :) It was a great experience!
July Update: Joel and his younger brother,
Jordan, showed at the Temecula Summer Circuits. These were two 4-day
shows - so 8 judges. Joel finished with 4 circuit awards, 2 reserve
circuit awards and the All Around Youth buckle. Kellie showed Cody in
the Senior events and finished with 1 circuit award, 1 reserve circuit award
and the All Around Senior Horse. This was Joel's little brother, Jordan's VERY FIRST AQHA
horse show and he showed novice youth showmanship and novice youth pleasure
and ended up with Res. Circuit awards in both events! Way to go Jordan :)
(see pics below)
But, the most amazing thing to me is
to watch Joel's trainer showing Cody in the senior events and doing so well.
It's wonderful to have someone that believes in your horse and has taken the
time to bring him along so he's competitive in those events. We are so
blessed to be in the Trendsetter barn! So, BIG thanks to
Kellie and Deann and the whole Trendsetter team!!
June Update: The
Oregon Summer Classic was a GREAT show, super great show management - and a lot
of fun. On our day off, we did a speed boat excursion up the Rogue
River and it was a lot of fun. The scenery is amazing in Southern
Oregon! As far as the show, Joel and Cody won a Circuit Award in the
western riding and were Top 5 in trail and Top 10 in horsemanship. We were
so proud of both of them! And, his trainer, Kellie Hinely, picked up
points in Sr. Western Riding with super deep competition - so that was also
very exciting.
Earlier in June, they competed at the Champagne Circuit in Burbank
and were Circuit Champions in Horsemanship and
Western Riding and the ALL AROUND YOUTH - 14-18 - way to go!! Kellie
and her assistant, Deann, also showed Cody in the Senior events and picked
up points in everything and were Res. All Around Senior Horse. Now, we
are on our way to the Oregon Summer Classic. It should be a lot of
fun.
May Update: Congrats to Joel & Cody -
at the Mother's Day Circuit, they won circuit awards in the 14-18
Showmanship, Western Riding and Performance Halter Geldings and were Reserve
in the Horsemanship and Western Pleasure. They also won the ALL AROUND
YOUTH 14-18. Joel's
trainer, Kellie Hinely and her assistant, Deann (see Deann above riding
Cody), showed Cody for the first time in all of the senior events and WON
the All Around Senior Horse buckle :) BIG congrats to both of them!
So far, they have accomplished the following
in 2007: AQHYA qualified in 6 events, completed Cody's Open ROM,
Completed Cody's AQHA Youth Championship, Completed Cody's Superior in
Showmanship and numerous all arounds and reserve all arounds! What an
amazing start to 2007! Congrats to Joel and Cody and a SPECIAL thank
you to Kellie Hinely and her team at Trendsetter - for making it all happen.
On Christmas day, we made the trip to Tulsa, OK for the
Holiday Circuit and then to Scottsdale for the Arizona Nationals and the
weather was good to us :) It was a long trip but well worth it. Joel
won circuit awards in both trail and showmanship and picked up points in all
of his events. He also completed Cody's OPEN ROM while we were in Tulsa -
and that was the best part of the whole trip. Sun Circuit was an
amazing show - Joel was Top 10 in the horsemanship and out of more than 75
kids~ It was a fun show and well worth the trip!
