“Rico is an awesome backer, naturally. I think it’s like he’s doing the moonwalk! He stays so up in his shoulders and backs right up for me.”

“I’ve always been very patriotic, and I wanted to have something to display that. One day, I thought it might be nice to put a flag on the back of my shirt, and then it grew from there.”

First-time AQHA Youth World competitor, Carley Rutledge, rode her horse, VS Born To Be Good, to win the first-ever 13 and Under Trail held here at the AQHA Youth World Show.

“She expects me to have the correct foot every time and to plus that maneuver and not just do an average maneuver. She always pushes me to go that next step to be better than I was the year before, or even a show before. Even today, she critiqued my finals pattern. But that’s what we love about Jennifer and Judd. They never let mediocre slide.”

“I thought it was a really nice experience for people who are younger and can’t quite compete against the older and more experienced riders,” Issie says.

“It was a very emotional day from start to finish, because this horse has my whole heart. Going into the finals, I knew it would be our last Horsemanship finals at our last Youth World together, so it was an emotional day. I think I cried five times before the class!”