November 8-23, 2013, Oklahoma City

2-Year-Old Mares

Rita Crundwell locks up gold in 2-year-old mares and 3-year-old stallions

by Becky Newell
The American Quarter Horse Journal

You’ve heard of repeat and three-peat wins, but what word do you use when someone wins year after year? Maybe you just move on to “successive” to describe the number of wins Rita Crundwell has had with her halter horses. During Fedex Open Week at the 2010 AQHA World Championship Show, Rita’s 2-year-old mare, I Execute Class, and her 3-year-old stallion, Touchdown Cali, added to the Dixon, Illinois, owner/exhibitor’s trophy cache.

I Execute Class, won the 2-year-old mare class with AQHA Professional Horseman Buddy Laney leading. In 2009, the mare won the amateur and open yearling mare classes at the World Show and came back this year to win the amateur 2-year-old mare class. Rita’s homebred mare is by her homebred stallion Execute and out of Im About Class by Kids Classic Style.

In the 3-year-old stallions class, a first-timer at the World Show, Touchdown Cali, nabbed the gold. Bred by Terry Stever of Sulphur, Oklahoma, Touchdown Cali is by Touchdown Kid and is out of Cali Accord by Cordero. To broaden his appeal, Touchdown Cali has been shown some in western pleasure.

“He’s more of a cowboy’s horse,” said Buddy, who also showed the bay stallion. “He’s got Weiscamp bloodlines on the bottom, which makes him more of a cowboys’ kind of horse.”

Rita also won the amateur 3-year-old stallion class with Touchdown Cali during the Bank of America Amateur Week at this year’s show.