Morgan Holmes and Poco Smart Oak.
Sarasota, FL – January 10, 2015 – Horse Show by Appointment (HSBA) is giving away an impressive $100,000 in cash and prizes at this weekend’s 2014 HSBA Championship Double C Saddlery Finals. On Saturday at Triple J Ranch the champions of the Open and Non Pro Bridle and Hackamore divisions and the Non Pro Boxing division each rode away with a sizeable check, a brand new Double C saddle, a custom belt buckle and a custom engraved knife.
“The [HSBA Championship Double C Saddlery] Finals are awesome because they pay so much money,” said 19-year-old rider Morgan Holmes, daughter of Jay and Rhonda Holmes of Triple J Ranch. “It’s a good opportunity to come here and show and have a chance to win that kind of money.”
Morgan went home with a large check of her own on Saturday after being named champion in the Non Pro Bridle division aboard Joana Azevedo’s Poco Smart Oak. Morgan, who is home on winter break from Vernon College in Vernon, Texas, had never ridden the mare prior to this weekend, but they looked like a veteran pair during their runs on Thursday and Saturday.
“She’s owned by my friend Joana, and I leased her to show her here. The first go around was my first time ever riding her,” Morgan explained. “She’s a really an awesome horse. Joana has done a great job riding her and getting her ready.”
In the Non Pro Boxing division, the championship went to another relatively new combination: that of Jen Frame and her own Junkyard Cat.
The weekend marked only Frame’s second time showing Junkyard Cat, or “Jagger,” and the first of a hopeful many big wins in Frame and Jagger’s promising career.
“He’s awesome,” an emotional Frame said of the 5-year-old stallion. “I got him down here to Triple J when he was 3, and ever since then he has just done amazing. Jay [Holmes] rides him in the Open, and I ride him in the Non Pro Limited. He does great on both levels. He’s just an amazing horse.”
Frame continued, “He’s kind of a character. He’s a big kid. He likes to play. He’s a stud, but he’s just extremely gentle and well-mannered and extremely easy to work with.”
The Double C saddle going home with Frame is her first saddle win, but she has her sights set on many more down the road. Junkyard Cat will be heading to the National Reined Cow Horse Association (NRCHA) World Show, competing in the Open Hackamore division, and in a few years, Frame hopes to see Junkyard Cat in the arena at the World’s Greatest Horseman competition.
If his performances this weekend were any indication, Junkyard Cat looks fine-tuned and ready for the NRCHA World Show Open Hackamore competition. It was within that division that Jay Holmes rode Junkyard Cat to another HSBA championship on Saturday, earning another Double C Saddle and a $5,000 pay out.
Also headed for the NRCHA World Show are Verna Benbow and One Smokin Tomcat. Benbow earned the victory on Saturday in the HSBA Non Pro Boxing Derby.
“I’m very pleased with him; I’m happy with our runs,” Benbow said. “The girls I run against, they’re so awesome. Usually we just keep rotating around who wins. This time it was my turn I guess. It’s just so much fun. We appreciate Rick [Steed] having the show here for us.”
Benbow continued, “I’ve had [One Smokin Tomcat] since he was born in my pasture. It’s really nice that I’ve had him since he was a baby. At the beginning of the year he turned 5, so I’ve got another derby year on him. That’s very nice. I know everybody says it, but he’s a sweetheart. He’s so easy. He’s a pleaser. You couldn’t ask for a nicer horse.”
In addition to her win today, Benbow just qualified One Smokin Tomcat for the American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA) World Show a week ago.
Other big winners on Saturday include Jay Holmes and McKenna Ivey’s Colonel Get Yer Dun, winners of the HSBA Open Derby; Frank Prisco and his own Mr. Whiskers One Time, champions of the Non Pro Hackamore division; Richard Rosell and Smart German Remedy, winners of the Non Pro Derby; and Barry Spinweber and Hell R Highwater, champions of the Intermediate Non Pro Hackamore division.
The final HSBA 2014 champions will be named beginning Sunday morning as competition comes to a conclusion with the Two Rein, Level One Boxing, Youth, Little Britches and Level Two Boxing classes.
To view the entire HSBA Championship Double C Saddlery Finals schedule and to learn more about HSBA, visit: www.showbyappointment.com/2014-Championship-Finals.html.
About Horse Show by Appointment
Horse Show by Appointment’s fresh approach to reined cow horse competition has been an unprecedented success and aims to make showing “Fun, Fair and Affordable” for competitors. To accommodate those traveling long distances to show and to help busy riders fit showing in at their convenience, HSBA allows riders to reserve their own ride times in advance. This cuts down on usual travel expenses such as stall rentals and hotels and encourages competitors to make the trip and join in the fun.
Each HSBA series includes four shows. Riders who compete at three out of the four shows earn a place in the annual Championship Finals, which offer over $100,000 in cash and prizes. Competitors may also qualify for the Finals in absentia by simply sending in entries and payment to each of the four shows.
Steed Training and Horse Show by Appointment are preparing to open an additional facility in Loxahatchee Groves, Florida, less than 10 miles from the center of Wellington. Once complete, it will be a top-notch venue for reined cow horse competitors and other Western riders. The new facility, including a state-of-the-art arena complete with lighting, will open in January and allow Steed Training to build on their commitment to bringing Western riding to the Wellington area.
Additional sponsorships are available for HSBA’s 2015 season, and now is the perfect time to get on board to take full advantage of HSBA’s events and associated promotional opportunities. Contact Mary Adelaide Brakenridge at mab@phelpsmediagroup.com for more information.
Visit www.showbyappointment.com for information and updates on HSBA shows. Check out HSBA on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ShowByAppointment.
Mary Adelaide Brakenridge for Phelps Media Group, Inc. International
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