| | When the day opened, the amateur and open titles were up for grabs, and both divisions hinged on the last class - ranch horse conformation. Terri Cooper and Peppy Chex Your Gun of Yuma, Colorado, won the amateur gold in a close race with Betty Lou Valdez and Little Bell Pepper who won the silver reserve; Holly Major and Love A Little Devil of Fowler, Colorado, took the bronze. The last two classes in the open were held in the evening - working ranch horse and ranch conformation. The Four Sixes Ranch's stallion Sixes Pick and Chance O'Neil took the world championship, with Mike Major and Smart Whiskey Doc hot on their heels for the reserve win; Cody Crow and Amigos Medicine of Eaton, Colorado, placed third. Have a story from the show that you’d like to share? Send an e-mail to Christine Hamilton, the Journal’s field editor in Denver.  |  | Exhibitors line up for the amateur ranch conformation class on Thursday, the last day of the versatility competition. | Joi Luene Brackenbury of Yerington, Nevada, sets up her 1994 mare Senorita Express. They placed in the Top-10 in the conformation. |  |  | | 1999 stallion Ladys Croton Lobo and Bryan Lee of North Platte, Nebraska, fence the cow in the amateur working ranch horse. | Sweet Paramour and Daryl Lund of Paicines, California, rope their cow in the amateur working ranch horse. |  |  | The crowd in the Denver Coliseum cheers as the top finishers in the overall amateur competition are announced. | Terri Cooper of Yuma, Colorado, and her stallion, Peppy Chex Your Gun, are the 2008 amateur versatility ranch horse world champions. |  |  | | Students from Laramie County Community College in Cheyenne, Wyoming, came down to help with the competition - working the gate, handing out programs and hanging banners. | A herd of longhorn cattle opened the evening performance, open working ranch horse and open ranch conformation. |  |  | | Cody Crow of Eaton, Colorado, and his 1998 stallion Amigos Medicine placed second in the open working ranch horse class. | Bill James of Abilene, Kansas, and his 2002 stallion Real Smart Mate in the open working ranch horse class. |  |  | | Jacey Watt of Sidney, Nebraska, was the youngest competitor in the open competition at age 17. She and Watts Twisten Badger ended up eight overall. | It's a long wait for the open working ranch horse scores. Mike Major and Smart Whiskey Doc (right) won the class. |  |  | | Jimbo Humphreys of Dickens, Texas, and Josephs Catchum All pick up their open ranch conformation ribbon from AQHA President Frank Merrill. Jimbo ended up fourth overall. | Sixes Pick and Chance O'Neil of the Four Sixes Ranch in Guthrie, Texas, won the ranch conformation class and clinched the first versatility ranch horse world champion title. |
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