82-year-old Ramona Andrews Tops All Scorecards in L1 Select Trail in Vegas
It’s impressive enough to win a class under all three judges at a breed show level – even more so when there are 47 teams vying for the title. But to do it at age 82? That’s monumental.
And so it was for Ramona Andrews, who won the L1 Amateur Select Trail unanimously with her horse How About Later at the 2025 AQHA West L1 Championships! She came out of the arena with “Howie” with a huge smile on her face, but surprised and excited to learn her ride topped all three judges’ cards.
Ramona confirms she’s indeed a Super Select. “I’m 82 this year – way up there – so you can keep doing it,” she reveals. She estimates she didn’t start showing horses until she was in her 40’s, but she has owned horses since age 13. “We just went for trail rides and things like that,” she says. “Then I got Howie, I want to say about two years ago, and he’s just been so spectacular this year, so I’m thrilled with him.”
Even though she does much of her own preparation, the Super Select Amateur rides with her sister, Patrice Vernand, who is 20 years her junior, and who Ramona says is a fantastic trainer.
Keeping active and doing many of the tasks herself is the secret to longevity in the saddle and the show pen, she explains. “I love horses, and I think they keep you in shape; I do the cleaning and I do the picking up of the feet. I can’t say enough about having a horse to keep you young mentally and physically. But you have to love them because they’re a lot of work!”
That passion ignited in her when she was just four years old, when her dad had a Palomino named Trigger. Even though he sold Trigger, she never got over wanting another horse. “Then at 13, they bought me another, and I’ve had them ever since,” Ramona says.
Her parting advice for other horsemen as they age: “Keep active every day – you have to love it – and you have to keep moving. I’ve been lucky because I have pretty good genetics and I don’t really get sore even at 82m but I do move around a lot, and I think that’s the difference.”
Ramona and Patrice with Howie at South Point Arena in Las Vegas.
View complete results for Ramona’s and Howie’s class:
