“My trainer, Tom Robertson, has definitely gotten my confidence up. When I first started, I was so nervous because they’re so big. He’s helped me to trust the horse, relax, and make it happen. He tells me to come at the young horses easy. Don’t try to fix something right away. You have to ease into it.”

It was by the light of a Columbus harvest moon that Aaron Moses rode A Diva By Moonlight to win Senior Western Pleasure for owner, Jeri Lockwood.

“Maggie has really helped me with control, making sure my horse is listening to my legs, and not being just a passenger. She’s taught me how to communicate with my horse though my legs. I think that’s huge.”

Next, Lori Bucholz drove Larks Happy Days to win Amateur Pleasure Driving. 15-year-old “Fonzi,” aka “Arthur Fonzarelli,” was very excited about his Championship finish, so much so that he gave the camera a big smile following the awards’ presentation! “He really is a happy horse!” says trainer, Lainie DeBoer.

“Words cannot even describe it. It’s something I’ve only dreamt about.”

“Raymond had asked me to ride him a little bit when he was a two-year-old. I took him home, and after four or five days I didn’t want to give him back!”

UPDATE- Ross Roark led It’s Gameday to win Grand Champion Gelding title for Josh Weakly. The Reserve Grand Champion was Gene Parker with SS Rampage for Darrell Ireland.

The unique convergence of circumstances worked out perfectly for everyone involved, since the Headley family was able to present the Grand Champion award to Ross Roark and Best Kept Secrete.

“A lot of the horses I get are multipurpose. They do a lot of different events. I think Pleasure Driving helps get them a lot more steady, solid, and receptive. They’re get all around tamer, I think.”

This is Entrigue’s first trip to the Quarter Horse Congress, so Thomas was throughly pleased with her debut performance. “This is her first time here, so it’s really awesome,” he says. “She showed really well. She was on the muscle and looked great.”