14-Year-Old Gentry Cherry and Imasgoodasitgets Are 2014 AQHYA Equitation World Champions

By: Brittany Bevis

14-year-old equitation superstar, Gentry Cherry, rode her beautiful, black gelding, Imasgoodasitgets, to a World Championship finish in Hunt Seat Equitation at the 2014 AQHYA World Show this evening. Cherry and “Dave” were the near unanimous choice of the judges, receiving four out of five firsts.

This talented pair typically competes in over fence events under the guidance of Chuck Briggs. Earlier in the show, Cherry partnered up with her other horse, Steady Spirit, to claim a Reserve World Champion finish in Equitation Over Fences and a fourth place finish in Working Hunter.

“We’ve been a team for two years,” Cherry says. “I love him. He’s super fun to be around. Dave is really spoiled!”

Before entering the pen this evening, Cherry sat down with her trainer to make a plan of attack and lay out a strategy for the pattern.

“We had a lot of markers on the rail, so we went from that,” she says. “It was a long pattern, but it was flowy. The two point canter to a slow down was my favorite part. I like going fast!”

“Also, Chuck told me to keep my elbows in; that’s a big thing! There was a lot of [rail work] without stirrups. I thought I was going to die! It takes a lot of hours of practice without stirrups [to be able to do that].”

The Reserve World Champion in the class was Harley Huff aboard GW Jack Bar. Third place was Taylor Searles with Al Be Sweet On You.

Hunt Seat Equitation-

1-Imasgoodasitgets/Gentry Cherry

2-GW Jack Bar/Harley Huff

3-Al Be Sweet On You/Taylor Searles

4-Zippos Kat Man Do/Bailey Anderson

5-My Emmy Award/Danica Weber

6-Red Hot Blazing Iron/Nya Kearn

7-No Boundary/Kelsey Jung

8-Skys Blue Sequel/Lindsey Whitehead

9-It’s My Lucky Detail/Madison Eichstadt

10-Taras Blue Boy/Sophia Bukowick