Vickery and Colvin Win Junior and Senior Trail at 2014 AQHA World Show

By: Brittany Bevis

Just a few weeks ago, Bruce Vickery and Signature Absolute were crowned the Congress Champions in Junior Trail at the 2014 All American Quarter Horse Congress setting a new record high score of 239. The pair made history again tonight in Oklahoma City by being named the AQHA World Champions in Junior Trail and breaking the record high score of 235, also held by Vickery, from last year with Zips Chocolate Impulse.

Their task certainly wasn’t easy as they had to tackle a tough Tim “The Trail Man” Kimura course that featured fancifully decorated obstacles, a throwback swinging gate, quick transition work, and plenty of raised poles. “The course was really hard,” Vickery says. “It was intricate and it was highly decorated, which I think is fun. I enjoy all that, because it gives the horses something to look at, and they all have bright expressions. Also, it was crazy high in both classes, honestly.”

“I was really proud of my little gray horse, because he picked his feet up and he was clean. It was one of those goes when you’re thinking, ‘Is this really happening?’ We felt like a team.”

Signature Absolute is a five-year-old grey gelding owned by Nancy Riggs, who was able to cross two huge items off her bucket list: winning a Congress Championship and World Championship in the same year, in the same event, with the same horse.

What makes this particular horse so consistent at such a high level is his ability to excel in multiple obstacles, according to Vickery.
“What’s cool about him is that he is a good lope-over horse, a good trot-over horse, and a good walk-over horse,” Vickery says. “He sidepasses great, backs through great, and spins great. He is made for this class. He is a great one, and he will be a great one for a long time.”

While the course was being reset for the Senior Trail finals, the folks from Shorty’s Caboy Hattery and Rein In Cancer partnered for their annual frisbee toss for the chance to win two custom Shorty’s hats and gift certificates for Justin boots.

Hundreds of flying pink disks soared across the arena this evening with the goal of landing in, or as close to as possible, a small covered wagon guarded by Tim Kimura’s trusty sidekick, Laker Monkey. Then, Shorty Koger came to the arena to draw the lucky ticket for the winner of a one-of-a-kind, 100X, custom, white Shorty’s hat encrusted with $5,000+ Swarovski crystals. The lucky winner was Jamie Hylton.

During the Senior Trail finals, Michael Colvin and PF Put It N Park laid down an impressive run to score a 235 and the top spot on the leaderboard. Always humble, Colvin credits “Parker’s” excellent trail technique to his previous trainer, Buddy Fisher.

“I’m really just trying to ride all of Buddy Fisher’s training!” Colvin says. “We bought Parker as a five-year-old at this show when Buddy had him. Buddy won the Junior Trail on him, and he was the Reserve World Champion on him the year before. This year, [his owner] Jane [Sutcliff] was the Reserve Congress Champion in Youth Trail, and I was the Reserve Congress Champion in Senior Trail.”

Colvin agrees with Vickery about the extreme difficulty level of the courses this evening describing them as “extremely high” and technical. “There were lots of different blocks and tests, as Tim would say,” Colvin says. “You had to really think about it. It felt like you couldn’t have a strategy, because it was overwhelming, but you had to have a strategy.”

“Parker’s trot work was really pretty, and I had a really good back through and gate. Some of those little technical things are some of my strongest points, so I wanted to try to gain every point I could. That was my strategy; just point Parker in the right direction and let him help me out.”

Colvin praises Parker’s ability to be consistent and stay careful throughout the duration of an entire course.

“For one thing, he really picks his feet up,” Colvin says. “I go over poles [to practice], but he is not a horse that you have to school on that; he just wants to pick his feet up. I didn’t hit a lot and, in that way, I think I gained some points because it was really tricky for other horses.”

Congratulations to both Bruce Vickery and Michael Colvin on their big wins this evening!

Junior Trail–

1-Signature Absolute/Bruce Vickery (238 1/2 new record!)

2-Snap Crackle Pop/Blake Weis

3-Mac N Cheese Please/Lindsay LaPlante

4-Smooth And Chocolate/Whitney Lagace

5-Don’t Crash My Assets/Chad Evans

6-Too Hot To Frisk/Brynne Bassler

7-Surely I’m Sultry Hot/Whitney Lagace

8-Tell A Rosey Story/Garry McAllister

9-Suddenly I’m Cool/Bruce Vickery

10-So Dang Lazy/Melissa Jones

Senior Trail–

1-PF Put It In Park/Michael Colvin (235)

2-Ginnin/Chad Evans

3-Potential Advantage/Brad Ost

4-My Bar Passer/Miya Childers

5-Zip Along Home/Bruce Vickery

6-Good For The Ladys/Bruce Vickery

7-Design By Leaguer/Jason Martin

8-Good Vintage/Miya Childers

9-Southwestern Gunman/Bruce Walquist

10-Tamu Zippin Asset/Jeff Mellot