Story originally posted by: Katie Tims

Junior Hunter Under Saddle

Hot N Blazing (Blazing Hot x Zippos Baby Jane by Zippo Pine Three) sizzled through the Junior Hunter Under Saddle to take the Championship with rider Nancy Sue Ryan. This was Ryan's eighth World Championship. The horse's owner, Courtney Battison, was on hand to see her 5-year-old bay stallion work to perfect scores under three judges.





Originally trained and shown in Western pleasure by Gil Galyean, Hot N Blazing made headlines last year when Tanya and Rusty Green showed the horse to Congress championships in the Limited Open Hunter Under Saddle and Junior Western Riding. After placing fourth in the Junior Hunter Under Saddle at last year's World Show with Tanya, the horse sold to Battison and moved to Patty and Butch Campbell's barn.

Suffering from a serious inner-ear problem, Patty was not able to ride the horse she had qualified for the 2002 World Show, but she watched every second. Ryan was very appreciative of Patty's training and faith.

"Every time I rode him, he was 100 percent for me," Ryan said about the horse's wins in the preliminary and final rounds. "He's a nice trotter and his canter is just phenomenal. It's just like sitting on a pillow - it's so easy and so soft."

The Reserve Championship went to Acertifiable Hunter (Im Certifiable x Its Toni Again TB by Major Moran TB), ridden by Judy Davis and owned by Wayne Davis, Ortonville, Mich.

Senior Hunter Under Saddle

Ashleys Bo Doc carried Chris Thompson to her first AQHA World Championship in the Senior Hunter Under Saddle. The horse placed first under four judges and second under the fifth.

Purchased last year by the Peter J. Cofrancesco Estate, Ashleys Bo Doc was bred and later trained and shown by Lisa Brown, who took the horse to a fifth-place in the Senior Hunter Under Saddle at the 2001 World Show. The gelding seemed the perfect horse for Peter Cofrancesco III, to show in the Amateur and Thompson to use in the Open Division. The proof was perfectly evident when the horse won dual Open championships as well as fifth in the Amateur Pleasure Driving with Cofrancesco.

Thompson, who has worked for the Cofrancesco family for 14 years, was impressed with the gelding's ability to switch gears from Amateur to Open, Driving to Working. "It's not a big deal to him at all and it keeps him active," Thompson said. "He's always looking forward to doing something and he doesn't get bored or sour."

Cofrancesco was on hand with his mother, Peggy, to see his horse take the gold. Apparently, he'd taken quite a ribbing for having worn a bright yellow shirt for the occasion. "With the way it's going, I might have to buy a few more yellow shirts!" he said happily.

Invite Me Please (Invitation Only x Stormy Stride TB by Kibe TB) won the preliminary round and came back to take the silver Reserve in the finals. The 8-year-old bay mare was ridden by Jennifer Goss and is owned by Chris Lagerblade, Scottsdale, Ariz.


Reprinted with permission of Quarter Horse News