Article & Photos by Jeremie Newcom
The annual West Tennessee Quarter Horse Association (WTQHA) Breeders Futurity, held at the West Tennessee Agriculture Pavilion at UT Martin, TN October 12-13, 2013, drew competitors from all over the mid-south.
Karie Clark and her beautiful two-year old bay mare, HP Krymsun Machine, traveled from St. Louis, Missouro. This was their first show together, and Karie was please with the results. The pair won the 2-year-old classes on Saturday and Sunday. Clark has been showing for over fifteen years, but only recently began showing at breed shows.
For Eddie Atherton, the show marked an important milestone. The Mayfield, Kentucky resident, who has been showing for over twenty years, had taken more than a year off after open-heart surgery and knee surgery.
“I had to use a stool to get on because of my knee,” said Atherton with a grin, patting the neck of his gelding, Mac N Zipple. “He’s so easy to be around. That’s the reason I chose him to ride for my comeback.”
Amanda Bigelow, from Lexington, Tennessee, and DT Cadillac have been showing together for only a year. The pair were the Non-Pro Maturity Breeders’ Futurity Champion. As a teenager, Bigelow showed hunter/jumpers before switching to western pleasure. She and the 7-year-old gelding, who loves apples and goldfish crackers, often take naps together.
Lynn Ward, of Friendship, Tennessee, and her horse, Treasured Terms (Doc), were the Reserve Champion Non-Pro 2-Year-Old & 3-Year-Old, Snaffle Bit.
“Doc loves any kind of food,” said Ward, smiling proudly. The beautiful gelding, a son of Treasure Chip, was bred and raised by Ward. “He has no bad habits and doesn’t get upset about anything.”
The show featured four judges: on Saturday, Tanya Green and Patrick Kayer; on Sunday, Gigi Bailey and L.G. Heier. In growing popularity, the show offered a flat rate show special: one fee that included stall, drug and office fee, and unlimited AQHA classes for one horse. Futurity classes ran concurrently with AQHA classes and there was an optional Jackpot class that offered 100% payback. This was the last show in WTQHA’s 2013 season. The Year End Awards banquet will be held in January, when the 2014 WTQHA show circuit starts. For more information about WTQHA, visit: http://www.wtqha.com/
The annual West Tennessee Quarter Horse Association (WTQHA) Breeders Futurity, held at the West Tennessee Agriculture Pavilion at UT Martin, TN October 12-13, 2013, drew competitors from all over the mid-south.
Karie Clark and her beautiful two-year old bay mare, HP Krymsun Machine, traveled from St. Louis, Missouro. This was their first show together, and Karie was please with the results. The pair won the 2-year-old classes on Saturday and Sunday. Clark has been showing for over fifteen years, but only recently began showing at breed shows.
For Eddie Atherton, the show marked an important milestone. The Mayfield, Kentucky resident, who has been showing for over twenty years, had taken more than a year off after open-heart surgery and knee surgery.
“I had to use a stool to get on because of my knee,” said Atherton with a grin, patting the neck of his gelding, Mac N Zipple. “He’s so easy to be around. That’s the reason I chose him to ride for my comeback.”
Amanda Bigelow, from Lexington, Tennessee, and DT Cadillac have been showing together for only a year. The pair were the Non-Pro Maturity Breeders’ Futurity Champion. As a teenager, Bigelow showed hunter/jumpers before switching to western pleasure. She and the 7-year-old gelding, who loves apples and goldfish crackers, often take naps together.
Lynn Ward, of Friendship, Tennessee, and her horse, Treasured Terms (Doc), were the Reserve Champion Non-Pro 2-Year-Old & 3-Year-Old, Snaffle Bit.
“Doc loves any kind of food,” said Ward, smiling proudly. The beautiful gelding, a son of Treasure Chip, was bred and raised by Ward. “He has no bad habits and doesn’t get upset about anything.”
The show featured four judges: on Saturday, Tanya Green and Patrick Kayer; on Sunday, Gigi Bailey and L.G. Heier. In growing popularity, the show offered a flat rate show special: one fee that included stall, drug and office fee, and unlimited AQHA classes for one horse. Futurity classes ran concurrently with AQHA classes and there was an optional Jackpot class that offered 100% payback. This was the last show in WTQHA’s 2013 season. The Year End Awards banquet will be held in January, when the 2014 WTQHA show circuit starts. For more information about WTQHA, visit: http://www.wtqha.com/
