New APHA Youth Team Alert- Talyn Smith and Its All Bhindthe Zipr

By: Brittany Bevis

With the start of any show season comes the excitement of new goals, new dreams, and even new partnerships. The beginning of 2018 marks a very exciting time for APHA youth rider, Talyn Smith, as she embarks on a new journey with a new equine partner.

His name will be familiar to most of our readers as it’s synonymous with all-around excellence in the show pen in a variety of divisions and disciplines- Its All Bhindthe Zipr, aka “Theo.”

Theodore is the 2004 APHA gelding by All Time Fancy and out of Zipby The Invester. During the course of his show career, he has accumulated 4,020 lifetime points in events like Longe Line, Halter, Hunter Under Saddle, Equitation, Western Pleasure, Horsemanship, Western Riding, Showmanship, and Trail with a number of riders including Barron Knaus, Peggy Knaus, Scott Suggs, Julie Suggs, Brittany Bevis, Brett Sanders, Shannon Gillespie, Tim Gillespie, and more. He has 28 Register of Merits, 15 Superiors, two APHA Championships, two Versatility titles, and lifetime earnings of $40,212. In addition, he has Six World Championships in Equitation and Western Riding and five Reserve World Championships in Hunter Under Saddle, Equitation, Horsemanship, and Western Riding.

For Talyn Smith, the first time she saw Theo was when Brett Sanders showed him at the APHA World Show in 14-18 all-around classes. “From that day on, he had always been my dream horse,” she says. “Theo is one of those horses that knows his job and knows when it’s time for business. He gives 110% every time I ride him.”

Talyn and Theo officially became a team in early February of this year and have already competed at their first show together, under the guidance of Gillespie Show Horses. “It was so good! she says. “He was the best horse ever. I was really nervous considering it was my first show in two years, but he led me, made me feel comfortable, and calmed me down.”

Although Talyn hasn’t competed in two years, she has quite a show record herself. “I started showing in 2012, and, since then, I have won 14 Pinto World Championships and 7 Reserve Pinto World Championships. I’ve won 7 APHA World Championships and 5 Reserve World Championships. I’ve shown Sensational On Cuervo, Sensational Me, Hesa Mega Sensation, Ultimate Kiss, and now It’s All Bhindthe Zipr.”

Heading into this 2018 show season, Talyn plans to show Theo at the APHA Youth World Show in 14-18 events like Showmanship, Hunter Under Saddle, Equitation, Horsemanship, Western Pleasure, Trail, and Western Riding. Talyn’s favorite event to compete in with Theo is Horsemanship. She thinks his best events are  Horsemanship and Equitation.

“He’s super easy to ride and knows his job, and he’s very consistent and easygoing. My hope is that we win at least one World Champion title, and my personal goal is to be on a college equestrian team.”

Although they’ve only been a team for a short time, Talyn already feels like she has created a special bond with Theo. “I visit him at least one time a month. We already have a bond going. It’s like we were made for each other. Some things I’m doing [to create a bond] are giving him lots of love and treats and rewarding him when he’s good for me.”

“I would like to thank Brett Sanders for allowing me to own such an amazing horse. Also, I want to thank my parents for buying Theo for me and believing in and helping me chase my dreams. I would also like to thank Tim and Shannon Gillespie for taking me in and training Theo and I to become an amazing team!”