Sunday Working Hunter Highlights at 2026 All American QH Congress
Sunday’s over fence action at the 2026 All American Quarter Horse Congress was beyond exciting, with Working Hunter as a highlight, including the Congress NSBA Hunter Classic for Open and Non Pro riders, presented by Turning Point Ranch & McCulloch Training Stables.
Keep scrolling for three highlighted classes from Sunday, thanks to EC Writer Sarah Welk Baynum!
Vivianne Ortega and Good Lookin Mechanic Growing Partnership Wins Congress Youth Working Hunter 13 & Under
After just over a year together, Vivianne Ortega and Good Lookin Mechanic have built the kind of trust that showed when it mattered most at the All-American Quarter Horse Congress.
The pair earned the Youth Working Hunter 13 & Under championship and added a major title to their still relatively new partnership.
“I was so thankful when I got him,” Ortega said. “I just want to give all the glory to God because I’m so thankful I got the opportunity to own him.”
Known for his calm demeanor and willingness, Good Lookin Mechanic has helped Ortega grow more confident each time they step into the ring.
“He’s the best,” Ortega said. “He’s very calm and he really in tune with me.”
For Ortega, one of the biggest developments over their first year together has simply been learning to trust her horse and the people helping them along the way. “It’s definitely been a lot about trusting him this year,” Ortega said. “Everyone who has helped me has also helped me learn to trust. There’s been a lot of trust.”
Heading into their championship course, Ortega admitted there was one element on her mind. “I was a little nervous about the lead changes,” she said.
Once on course, however, Good Lookin Mechanic quickly settled those nerves.
“He felt so good through the jumps, all the lines and everything,” Ortega said. “The distances felt really good and lead changes, too”
Ortega also points to his trot as one of her favorite qualities, but it was the overall confidence she felt throughout the round that helped make their Congress win especially rewarding.
From Uncertain Future to Congress Champion: Addison Harr and Al Be In First Class Shine in Youth Working Hunter 14-18
After spending much of last year on stall rest with an uncertain future, Al Be In First Class returned to the show ring and made her mark at the All-American Quarter Horse Congress.
Addison Harr and the 5-year-old mare earned the championship in the Youth Working Hunter 14-18, making the win especially meaningful in Harr’s first year showing her over full courses.
“I’ve had her for about two years, but this is my first year showing her over fences,” Harr said. “Last year, I showed her in the Hunter Hack, but she had a lot of time off after that.”
Known as “June” in the barn, Al Be In First Class spent much of last year out of training, leaving Harr unsure what the young mare’s future might hold.
“She was basically on stall rest for all of last year, so we really weren’t sure how things were looking for her future,” Harr said. “She’s only five years old, so she’s still a baby. I’m just so glad she bounced back.”
Harr also credited her trainer, Ryan, with helping bring June back to work and keeping the mare fit as the pair worked toward their return to the over-fences ring.
Despite last year’s setbacks, June’s temperament and willingness have made the process especially rewarding for Harr.
“She is so sweet, and she absolutely loves cookies,” Harr said. “If you have a bag and crinkle it, she’ll follow you. Over fences, she’s so soft and listens to everything I ask of her. If I add leg or ask her to go to the jump, she listens and doesn’t bat an eye. She’s just super fun to ride and brave.”
Heading into the course, Harr focused on setting the right pace so June could properly set up for the first fence.
“I wanted to come in with enough pace and let her see that first jump without riding completely up to it,” Harr said. “It worked perfectly, and she didn’t look at anything.”
From there, the pair settled into a smooth round, with one fence in particular standing out to Harr.
“My favorite part was the oxer coming home,” she said. “She rode right up to it how I asked, jumped it beautifully, and the rest of the course was super slick. It worked out really well for us.”
For Harr, the win represented much more than simply a successful trip around the course. After a year of uncertainty, getting June back in the ring—and all the way to a Congress championship—made the moment especially rewarding.
“I’m just so grateful to be here with her,” Harr said.
Catch Ride Turns Into Open Hunter Classic NSBA Championship for Robert Stucky and Enuff Is Enuff
Robert Stucky had ridden Enuff Is Enuff just two days earlier while schooling on the Congress grounds—but the brand-new partnership proved more than ready for the toughest over-fences class at the All-American Quarter Horse Congress.
Stucky and the 10-year-old gelding, owned by Lucy June Vos, earned a combined score of 318 to win the Congress Open Hunter Classic NSBA, presented by the Carl & Caroline Swanson Foundation and Rick & Lori Bucholz.
“I had never ridden him before,” Stucky said of Enuff Is Enuff. “I got a call last week asking if I would catch ride him here at the horse show, and I got on him two days ago for the very first time. He’s such a cool horse.”
While the partnership was brand new, Enuff Is Enuff was no stranger to success at Congress. The gelding has previously earned major wins with other professionals, including Jerry Erickson and Lainie DeBoer, before adding another title with Stucky.
“He’s won multiple classes here with professionals, and now I’ve had the opportunity to win this class with him,” Stucky said. “I was really excited to have the chance to ride him because he’s been so successful in the past. A lot of people would love to have an opportunity like that.”
That opportunity came in a class Stucky considers one of the most technically demanding over-fences tests offered during Congress.
“The best in the business are out here doing it, and these are by far some of the most difficult courses we’ll find the entire week,” Stucky said. “Both rounds had a bending line into another bending line, which you don’t usually see. It really tests the horse’s scope, athleticism and how technical they can be, but it tests the riders, too, because the jumps come out of the turns so quickly.”
Several areas of the courses left little margin for error—and several riders had refusals because of it. In particular, Stucky pointed to the bending lines away from the in-gate, where riders had to organize their horses almost immediately out of the turn.
“You come right out of the turn and you only have a few strides, so there’s really no room for error,” Stucky said. “You have to be balanced and have your horse organized. One line takes you toward the wall, and another has you jumping directly toward the truck and the judges, so the horses can be thinking about everything beyond the jump instead of the jump itself.”
Find results, scores, and payouts on the All American Quarter Horse Congress results page:
https://www.quarterhorsecongress.com/2026-results
