Kerry Papendick knew she was leading a world champion. CRL Shesa Cool Coosa won the 2-year-old mare title at the 2006 Fed Ex Open World Championship Show. What Kerry didn’t know was whether she could match that title with one of her own.
What she did know was that she liked the look of the horse she was holding.
“She’s one of the most beautiful horses I’ve ever seen,” Kerry said. “My daughter put it best when she said, 'If you’re going to stand out there and do the halter at one of the world shows and stand there for half an hour or so, she’s the one you want to look at, because she’s gorgeous.'”
The judges agreed, giving “J-Lo” the Bayer Select World Championship Show 3-year-old mare title and Kerry her first AQHA world championship on August 29.
Kerry, a longtime competitor with daughters who show, only started showing in halter classes this year.
“My husband got J-Lo as a project for himself and then it trickled down to the rest of us this year,” Kerry said.
Though Kerry was thrilled to claim her first championship, she’s not done yet this week.
“Today I have western riding prelims and then Saturday I have the hunter under saddle prelims,” she said.
J-Lo, through competing for the week, will start pointing toward the AQHA World Championship Show in Oklahoma City.
“She’ll go back to Wayne Halvorson’s, and he’ll get her ready for the November world,” Kerry said.
