Smooth Like Butta’

By: Brittany Bevis

Kimberly Johnson will be heading home to Michigan with a substantial amount of hardware from her first APHA World Championship Show. Today, Johnson rode her 5-year-old gelding, “Butters,” to a World Championship finish in Novice Amateur Hunter Under Saddle and a World Championship finish in the Classic Amateur Junior Hunter Under Saddle. The classes went back to back in the John Justin Arena this afternoon, so there was no time for rest between their wins.

Johnson and Butters were the last to exit the pen in the Novice Amateur Hunter Under Saddle and the first to trot in for the Classic Amateur Junior class. This is Johnson’s first trip to the World Show, but, for Butters, it’s old hat.

“This is actually the fourth year he’s been here,” she says. “Sonnesa and Garth Gooding had him, and Michelle Bauer showed him as a 2-year-old and 3-year-old. Michelle won that same class that we won today.”

“I purchased him last fall. I hadn’t ridden horses for twenty-some years and decided to get back into riding. I’d done a bit with the hunters and had been enjoying that. But, I’m a mom with two little kids; I was looking for something that wasn’t going to be putting my life at risk!”

During her search for a horse trainer, Johnson heard wonderful things about Michigan-based couple, Garth and Sonnesa Gooding. As it turned out, their facility is located just 45 minutes from Johnson’s home.

Not only is this Johnson’s first trip to the World Show, she and Butters have only competed at four horse shows this year. Recently, they attended the NSBA World Show, but an unfortunate entrance into the class nixed any hopes of a title in Oklahoma.

“The NSBA World Show was good practice, because it’s the same type of pressure,” she says. “Unfortunately, I made him walk in his trot-in, and that didn’t help me. Then, last night we did the practice class, and he cantered on the trot-in, so I was devastated a bit. But, I thought, “Ok, the good news is we walked once on the trot-in and cantered at the trot-in, so maybe now we’ll trot the trot-in!”

Johnson and Butters started their first class off on the right hoof with a successful entrance and achieved a near-unanimous finish. The Reserve World Champion in Novice Amateur Hunter Under Saddle was Carlina Progin with Just Say Whoa. Butters and Johnson rode to a second near-unanimous finish in Classic Amateur Junior Hunter Under Saddle, their second and final class of the show. The Reserve World Champion in Classic Amateur Junior Hunter Under Saddle was Tracy Stenroos with LX Just Call Me Fancy.

Now that Johnson’s first APHA World Show has come to a successful conclusion, she will catch a flight to Michigan to get back home to her two little boys.

“I’ve got two little boys at home,” she says. “It doesn’t matter if Mom has a World Championship, they still want me to come home and make their sandwiches for lunch tomorrow! My mom and sister came into town to watch. My sister is a school teacher, and she is actually missing some parent-teacher conferences back at home. We’re staying tonight, and we’ll maybe see if we can squeeze a Friday night out of Fort Worth and have some fun!”

Novice Amateur Hunter Under Saddle–

1-All That And More/Kimberly Johnson

2-Just Say Whoa/Carlina Progin

3-Fancy Favors/Paris Hughes

4-All About It/Ashley Bland

5-Prime Real Estate/Kyle Cavolo

6-Chansation/Dianne Rouse

7-Fancy Tin Lizzie/Melissa Baus

8-All Time Sensation/Angie Devine

9-The Big Invitation/Rachel Landman

10-An Ultimate Pleasure/Olivia Schmitt

Classic Amateur Junior Hunter Under Saddle-

1-All That And More/Kimberly Johnson

2-LX Just Call Me Fancy/Tracy Stenroos

3-Ms Silver Sensation/Jana Simons

4-BMQ The Jig Is Up/Tami Dietrich-Dobbs

5-Alot To Offer/Alison Foster

6-Good Lopin Linda/Courtney Root

7-Friends With Benefits/Ali Eidson

8-Electric Sensation/Jerri Lynn Brown

9-Fancy Tin Lizzie/Melissa Baus

10-Shetakesdoubleshots/Jennifer Heuker

Intermediate Classic Amateur Junior Hunter Under Saddle–

1-All That And More/Kimberly Johnson

2-Lx Just Call Me Fancy/Tracy Stenroos

3-Electric Sensation/Jerri Lynn Brown

4-Frankly Sensational/Ashley Enoch-Scott

5-Shez Wicked Fancy/Ashley Steffenhagen

6-Zip Me All The Time/Mary Elizabeth Sand

7-Surprisingly Fancy/Lauren Bork

8-Sensational Prince/Rachel Landman