Bakin’ in Aiken at PSJ Summer Celebration
No better way to get back to showing than with back-to-back weekends! We headed to Highfields in Aiken for the PSJ Summer Celebration show with another great group of horses and riders. Check out some of our highlights.
Emma Bradley made her horse show debut in the Walk/Trot with Suzy Jackson’s Spot On, had some difficulties with nerves on Saturday but powered through! Horse showing is about a lot more than pretty ribbons...it’s about growing and learning. Audrey so graciously lent Emma the ride on Golden Boy for Sunday, and together they earned a sweep of 3rd places. Huge thanks to Audrey for her wonderful sportsmanship, and congrats to Emma B on learning so many lessons in one weekend!
Riley Burn also made her real horse show debut (aside from IEA) aboard her lease, Picanté. Together, they earned excellent ribbons in the Long Stirrup, including a pair fo seconds on Sunday and just narrowly missing Reserve Champion! Riley and “Chili” worked hard all weekend to make every trip into the ring an improvement on their last. It definitely showed!
Ella Pickren and her boy Tuckered Out made an exciting move up to the ultra-competitive Short Stirrup division, and they did it with style! Each round got better and better all weekend long, and they earned some excellent ribbons in a very tough group! Ella handled the tricky courses with precision and “Tucker” was on his best behavior.
Audrey White and Golden Boy had some beautiful trips in the Pre-Children’s division, earning top ribbons all weekend long. They even earned an impressive 2nd place over fences on Sunday in the stacked division. It can be difficult being a quarter horse in a warmblood world, but “Peyton” and Audrey are really showing what they’re capable of lately and we’re so proud!
Lily Campbell and her Mahalo took on their second show together and had some huge personal successes in the Pre-Children’s division! They learned a lot about each other over the weekend and made improvements with every trip. Earned a 4th place in their first medal, the PSJ Mini Medal, was a huge highlight over a difficult course!
Grace Hill and her guy Caught Red Handed had some really lovely trips in the Children’s Hunters. Unfortunately, the ribbons didn’t necessarily reflect the quality of their rounds, but that’s all a part of horse showing. Grace and “Heat” practiced celebrating their own personal successes regardless of placings, and earned a couple of green ribbons in a very competitive group! It helps when you get photos of your horse jumping like this!
Emma Hill and Marrying Kind rounded out our group with two wins and a 3rd in the Progressive Jumpers to take Champion for the weekend. Emma and “Annie” again couldn’t be touched in the speed classes! We love hearing spectators saying they “didn’t even look fast”...that’s how you know its a well-ridden jumper round!
