Grace Hertz
Grace showed her horse TF Still Smokin’ in the HA Country JTR select & JOTR 14-18. When asked about her horse she said “ He is a thrill to ride! He makes me work for it but when we both work well together, it is so much fun.” Youth Nationals was her first Nationals.
When asked about her experience she said “Even though my classes didn't exactly go as planned I still had so much fun and I think that says a lot about the show! I really liked the atmosphere of the whole show. I'm so excited to go back next year!” She also plans to start showing her horse in Show Hack in 2017.
Bianca Massman
Bianca shows her horses Cracker Jax PF, GR Laureyn Bacall and Celebrity Cyting FBF. She showed in Hunter Seat Equitation, Walk Trot and Hunter Pleasure Walk Trot. When asked about her horses she said they are great ponies, super pretty and knows they know who their people are. Bianca thought that Nationals was Super Fun and she loved how there was always something going on.
When asked about her highlights she said “Being able to watch and try out so many amazing horses” Regarding next year she said her goals are to have an even stronger relationship with her horse and to work on patterns. Outside of horses she loves photography.
Mia Tobeck
At this year’s Youth Nationals Mia showed her two horses Khross My Heart and Battman. She showed Khross My Heart in purebred Western JOTR 14-18 and purebred Western JTR select. Then she showed Battman in Half-Arabian Country JOTR 14-18 and JTR select. When asked about her horses she said Khross My Heart (Maya) is a very sweet and honest mare who loves her job. She also loves to take naps with me between classes. Battman, is also very sweet once he gets to know you and loves to be in the show ring. His favorite thing to do after shows is to go on trail rides around the farm. They both get very excited to see me and go to work when I get to the barn everyday.
This year was Mia’s 9th and final Youth Nationals. She enjoyed going to the new facility in Oklahoma City and being able to experience new places. Some of her highlights of this show were going top ten with Maya in two competitive Western classes, and having some fun classes with Battman and seeing how far he has come since the beginning of this year.
I also enjoyed spending time and learning from two of my biggest supporters and mentors, Greg Harris and Dani Stock. As my youth career comes to a close, I look forward to continuing to show as an amateur as I finish my education, then start training and showing as an open rider. I would like to give a special thanks to everyone who has helped me become the person and rider I am today, Mom, Mike, Mckenzie, Greg, Dani and many more, I can't thank you guys enough!
Erica Silbernagel and Jeanne Miller
While Erica lives in Oregon she showed her Aunts…Jeanne Miller from Auburn WA home bred mare DM Geez Louise++. Erica showed Louise to a Reserve National Champion in HA Ladies Side Saddle English JOTR and a Top Ten in HA Hunter Pleasure JTR Select 18 & under.
When we asked Jeanne about Louise she said that she has always been the sweetest horse from the day she was born. She is very gentle and can be ridden by anyone because she is very safe. She is funny because she has done walk-trot and takes very good care of her little kid, but then when she is shown in amateur divisions she needs a much stronger rider to have her looking her best, as she is anything but easy. She is very sure-footed, making her the ultimate trail horse, which she loves.
When Erica first rode her sidesaddle, about 2 years ago, no one thought it would work, but she ended up being really good. She always takes her canters perfectly without even needing a whip, which is strange since she needs a lot of leg when riding her. Louise's beauty and elegance are what, I think, make her ideal for sidesaddle.
According to Erica this was only my second nationals, but I really liked the atmosphere this year. Everyone was so encouraging and supportive of each other. My highlights were being National Champion in HA Country Pleasure JOTR 14-18 for the second year in a row, and Top Ten in HA Saddle seat Equitation 14-18 with DM Fireproof+++// and winning Reserve National Champion with DM Geez Louise++ in HA Ladies Side Saddle English JOTR. I was so shocked because this was my last class of the show and I was just glad that I had a good ride! Having my family breed these horses, I was very proud to have been able to show them both to national titles. I'm not sure what my plans are for next year with horse shows since I will be starting my first year of college at Oregon State University, but I hope I will at least get to go to some, whether I'm showing or not.
Ava Rasmussen
Ava showed two horses at Youth Nationals PA LaColline and Miss Spectacular. She showed PA LaColline in Arabian Western Pleasure JOTR 13 and Under and Miss Spectacular in Half Arabian Country English Pleasure JTR Select and the 13 and Under JOTR.
When asked about her horses she said PA LaColline is a purebred grey Arabian mare, Miss Spectacular is a Chestnut HA mare. I love both of these mares, they are friendly, pretty and have tons of personality!
This was Ava’s second Youth Nationals - last year I won the purebred Western Seat EQ Walk/Jog on PA LaColline. Both years have been amazing, I love that I get to meet so many kids from other parts of the country that share the same love of horses that I do!
Ava said that she started showing at 3 in Lead-Line and has now graduated to my first year in 13 and under….it is a lot more fun to get to canter/lope! I liked Nationals this year in Oklahoma City as my mom and I were able to visit the Oklahoma Memorial site which was both sad and awe-inspiring. The highlight was winning a second National title on PA LaColline! My plans for next year are to show both horses at Scottsdale, Region 7 and Youth Nationals, in addition I will get to show my horse Gold Rush PGA +/ at Region 4 and 5.
Outside of my horses, I play soccer and participate in Ballet where I passed the Royal Academy of Ballet dance exam with Merit this year and will be starting to dance on Pointe this fall.
About Region 5
The Arabian Horse Association's Region 5 encompasses Alaska, Washington, Northern Idaho, and Western Montana. Region 5 has earned the respect of Arabian horse competitors across the country. Whether for show, endurance or dressage, horses from the Pacific Northwest are among the best in the nation. The quality and caliber of our Region 5 horses are evident by the results of highly competitive shows such as the U.S. Nationals, Canadian Nationals, and Scottsdale.
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