Charlotte A. Sheriff stood in shock on the rail of the Amarillo National Center at the Bayer Select World Championship Show.
The longtime exhibitor heard her name called August 29 as the winner of the first Select world championship in performance halter mares.
“I was shocked,” Charlotte said, clutching her golden trophy. “It’s like a dream come true. I’m the person who has dreamed about this since they were a little girl and never gotten anywhere close to being able to do it. I am thrilled.”
Charlotte was leading her 6-year-old mare, Docs Outta Roses, who has a performance Register of Merit in horsemanship as well as halter Registers of Merit in open, amateur and youth. “Abby” has trail and western pleasure points, too.
“I show her in all-around,” Charlotte said of the mare she has been riding for three years. “I don’t show her English, but I show her almost everything else.”
Charlotte showed Abby in showmanship, where the two learned to set up, but the Walhalla, South Carolina, native said she has to think differently about showing in halter.
“In showmanship, I have to think about a pattern and doing all the elements of the pattern correctly, so my mind’s busy,” she said. “In halter, I’m thinking about standing there looking like my horse is supposed to win.”
Charlotte said her world championship in performance halter is just part of AQHA meeting her needs.
“I had pointed out of novice when I was in my 20s, and so when I came back to showing many years later, I couldn’t show novice,” Charlotte said, “so I started showing an English horse but not novice, so it was hard for me. They fixed that. Then I got old. And they fixed that by having a Select division. So I just find them very responsive to the needs of us.”
Charlotte planned a low-key celebration of her win.
“My daughter is at Clemson University and she has watched this on the Webcast,” Charlotte said, “so I am going to talk to her on the telephone. Then I imagine I’m going to make my husband take me out for a victory celebration.”
