DIY Youth Kayla Dawson Strikes Gold in L3 Ranch Riding 13 & Under
The soothing voice of announcer Sean Dawson of Temecula, California, can be heard across the U.S., from horse shows that are regional to shows like this year’s 2025 AQHYA World Championship Show.
Behind that mic on Friday, however, he had to experience being a show dad, too, when his daughter, Kayla Dawson showed Dreamin In Hollywood in the Finals of L3 Ranch Riding 13 & Under.
She’d had a rough week, however, Kayla explains. “We didn’t place in many of our other classes, and we hadn’t made any other finals. I was really hoping to end the week well.”
For this class, Kayla says, she took her time warming her horse up. “I was more careful about it and I made sure he was ready – then I stayed calm while I was riding him.”
Photo by Gordon Downey.
So end the week well they did – when Friday evening’s class was complete, Kayla and Enzo, aka Enzo Ferrari, aka Enzo Benz, walked out of class as L3 Ranch Riding 13 & Under World Champions. They also set a new arena record, scoring 238.50.
The family does most of the work with their horses themselves, says Kayla, who credits her mom, Jenni Dawson, for teaching her much of what she knows.
The Dawsons are the faces behind West Coast Ranch Horse in California, a grass roots organization just for ranch riders with a mission of “fostering a community of ranch horse exhibitors and promote the discipline of ranch horse through the production of high quality ranch horse shows, educational opportunities and events in the Southern California area.”
“We do also get help from professionals like Gary Roberts and Bud Lyon,” explains Kayla, who says the win left her kind of in shock. When she came out of the arena, she was not only surrounded by her friends from the Arizona affiliate, but also by her family and trainers who helped along the way, coming over just to wish her congratulations.
Complete results and scoresheet for the class:
L3 Youth Ranch Riding 13 & Under Results
L3 Youth Ranch Riding 13 & Under Score Sheets (1)
Watch video of her record high score setting run here, courtesy of AQHA:
