“Once upon a time, my grandpa said that if I ever had a good enough horse, that I should have Gene fit it. That always resonated with me.”

To bring Gerri Leigh back to the show pen, after a 30-year absence, it’s clear that Willie Nelson is one very special creature indeed. Serendipitously, both Gerri Leigh and Kevin were thinking of exactly the same horse, when it came time to look for a prospect. 

Cool Cruzen Lady, came out on top once again in Junior Western Riding tonight at the 2018 AQHA World Show. Last year, the 4-year-old mare by VS Flatline and out of Suddenly A Cool Lady, nicknamed “Hazel,” broke the Junior Western Riding World Show record with a score of 232. This year, she improved upon her performance scoring a 235. 

“It’s a really hard class when you get into the intricacies of it. You have to really study it and know it’s all about timing, feel, and rhythm. The hardest thing is developing timing and making sure your horse is in the correct position for the change.”

Scores using the new system can range from 0 to 100, with the average score being 70. The patterns will be divided into six to 10 maneuvers, with each maneuver being scored from a plus 3 to a minus 3 in half-point increments, a 0 is average. The maneuver score will have equal consideration with the performance of the pattern and the rider’s position and effectiveness.

Tonight’s main event to cap off a full month of horse showing in Columbus, Ohio was The Equine Chronicle Congress Masters 2-Year-Old Event.

Laurel Champlin and her trusty partner of seven years, Look N Hott, aka “JJ,” just claimed double wins at the Quarter Horse Congress in Select Hunter Under Saddle and Select Equitation. 

There’s no doubt that all of tonight’s entries have WILLY BIG DREAMS; but, in order to claim the top spot and that big check, they BETTER B SWEET,  EXTREMELY GOOD LOOKING, and EXTREMELY SALTY. If you’re planning to attend the Masters tonight, don’t worry, it doesn’t require a lot of OLD SOUTHERN MONEY. The price of a ticket is just $10, as is the pay per view live feed.