The American Quarter Horse Journal, September 11, 2007 – The American Quarter Horse Association’s 2007 Bayer Select World Championship Show is part of the record books, and history will show the 2007 show to be the biggest ever.
The Bayer Select World Show, the world’s largest, single-breed horse show open exclusively to amateur exhibitors age 50 and older, was held at the Amarillo National Center at the Tri-State Fairgrounds August 28-September 2.
The first Select world champions were crowned in AQHA’s newest events – performance halter and ranch sorting. In performance halter mares, Docs Outta Roses and Charlotte A. Sheriff of Walhalla, South Carolina, earned the title. In performance halter geldings, Chockfullachocolate and Cee Cee McDonald of Bernard, Iowa, won the championship. Danny Dale Fitzgerald of Eminence, Kentucky, rode Docs Sugar Scratch and teamed with Jimmy L. Ham of Athens, Alabama, and his brown mare Miss Tari Belle to win the first Select championship in ranch sorting.
Some Bayer Select exhibitors won multiple championships. Annette Kimball from Ransom Canyon, Texas, won hunter hack, working hunter and equitation over fences with her chestnut gelding Kelvan Gogh. Kerry Papendick of Rapid City, South Dakota, won western riding, hunter under saddle and 3-year-old mares.
Farley Barbera and Hot Jazzin Zippo proved they’re a tough act to beat when they won their third consecutive showmanship world championship at the 2007 Bayer Select World.
Select champions received a prize package that included a custom-designed trophy, Montana Silversmiths belt buckle, Tex Tan and WeatherBeeta products, a Cripple Creek jacket and prize money.
Eileen Cravens of Richmond, Indiana, came to the 2007 Bayer Select World Show only wanting to make at least one final. She left with a new Sooner trailer and other prizes as the Sooner Trailer Bayer Select All-Around Amateur. “This is unbelievable,” the 51-year-old said. “I just get chills. I never expected this earlier in the week when it all started.”
Cravens and her 14-year-old gelding, Lopin Leaguer, competed in western riding (placing seventh), trail (fifth), horsemanship (second), hunt seat equitation (ninth) and performance halter geldings (12th).
In addition to the trailer, Cravens won a Lisa Perry bronze and WeatherBeeta horse blanket. Reserve All-Around Amateur Annette Kimball of Ransom Canyon, Texas, received a Tex Tan saddle and $2,500. Third- through fifth-place finalists each received $1,000.
On August 29, Select exhibitors were treated to a reception at the newly renovated American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame & Museum. “The Bayer Select World Championship Show proves that it is never too late to live your dream and achieve your goals” said AQHA President Frank Merrill. “Hosting the Bayer Select in Amarillo, just a few blocks from AQHA’s headquarters, allows many AQHA staff members to interact with the exhibitors and gives the exhibitors a closer look at their Association.”
Before the Select western pleasure finals began, 91-year-old Jack Finney of Greenville, Texas, made an appearance. In 1973, the American Quarter Horse Association offered its first amateur western pleasure class, and Finney was one of the earliest and more ubiquitous competitors on the amateur western pleasure show scene throughout the mid 70s and into the 90s. Finney began competing at AQHA shows at the age of 61.
In 1979, riding his prized chestnut mare Schottische, Jack earned a reserve world championship in amateur western pleasure. It was a feat he would repeat the following year – and it was just the start of a long list of awards and honors Finney would earn in western pleasure.
The 2008 Bayer Select World Show is tentatively scheduled for August 26-31 in Amarillo. For horse enthusiasts who can’t wait an entire year to see great competition, AQHA’s World Championship Show is set for November 2-17 in Oklahoma City. With more than $2.5 million in cash and prizes, new classes, a fun Team Wrangler Showdown and a trade show with hundreds of vendors, the AQHA World Championship Show is a must for anyone who loves great horses and great competition. Visit www.aqha.com for details.
For complete results, visit www.aqha.com/showing/shows/selectshow/index.html. There you will find video interviews with the World Champions, pedigree information on the winning horses and other highlights from the show.
AQHA news and information is a service of AQHA publications. For more information on The American Quarter Horse Journal, The American Quarter Horse Racing Journal or America’s Horse, visit www.aqha.com/magazines.