November 8-23, 2013, Oklahoma City

Amateur Jumping

Raymond Coutley and Navier Stokes take their third world championship in jumping.

by Allison Grayson
The American Quarter Horse Journal

Raymond Coutley and his horse Navier Stokes are leaving the 2012 AQHA World Championship Show with their third world champion title in jumping. The pair won in 2007 and 2010, and they have no intention of slowing down.

Not only that, but Raymond also took the reserve title with his mare Rubys Work Of Art.

“It was fun going on ‘Maven’ because I just wanted to go clean because he was the first double clean,” Raymond said. “And then (AQHA Professional Horseman Alfred Hewitt) said, ‘If you can beat his time, go for it and try to get first and second and just go clean,” so it was kind of exciting to take brother and sister out there. They’re out of the same mare.

“I’m just blessed,” he said of the pair. “They both came out of the same mare, Ferns Ruby. And I actually delivered the gelding, so he’s gonna die on my farm and stay with me. Both he and the little mare are staying with me until they go away.”

And their mother just happens to be a three-time world champion as well.

“They definitely have that lineage,” he said. “(There’s) a lot of their mama in both of them (and) like I said, I bred them both and raised them myself, so it’s pretty exciting.”

Raymond and Maven had the crowd sitting on the edge of the seats in Jim Norick Coliseum during his jump-off for the title. They made a quick cut to get a much faster time.

“It was pretty good,” he said of the run. “Alfred and I talked about the really sharp, first rollback and then we decided not to do it. And then when I got to the second fence, it was there, so I took it and went for it. And then with the mare, I definitely just wanted to be safe and I took the little bit longer route.”

Now that Raymond has won both the world championship and the reserve, he has a couple of plans for his horses when he gets home.

“We’re gonna breed the mare next year, so she’s gonna take time off and we’re gonna find her a boyfriend,” he said with a laugh.

“And I’ll do Quarter Horses with Maven again, but we set a goal to take him to the Washington International this year, so we’re gonna try to get him (there).”

The wins November 9 were special for Raymond for several reasons, especially since he bred and raised both horses.

“Of course winning the world championship and getting the title (is exciting),” he said. “For the mare, it’s really special because I am gonna breed her next year. And this is the best she’s ever done. With Maven winning his third world championship…and he’s only been showing at the World Show since 2007, that’s pretty good.

“They’re not going anywhere,” he said with a laugh.

There was one person in particular that Raymond wanted to thank.

“Obviously (I want to thank) Alfred Hewitt,” he said. “He’s really been working hard with me this year. We’ve been trying to do hunters and then (Maven) was actually high point select at the (All American) Quarter Horse Congress this year in hunters.”

Raymond also explained why he has been competing in AQHA competition since he bought his first horse, Ferns Ruby.

“It is about the people,” he said. “I love the people here at the Quarter Horse circuit and the Quarter Horse World, and I’m gonna keep coming back just for the people.”