CHAMPION 2-YEAR-OLD GELDING

CREATED UPGRADES TO GOLD AFTER A BRONZE FINISH AT THE FORD AQHYA WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP SHOW.

BY CANDACE DOBSON, FIELD EDITOR

Sarah Smith promised herself she wouldn’t cry, but the only thing better than watching her son Cooper take home a bronze trophy at the Ford AQHYA World Championship show a couple weeks ago was snagging herself a gold trophy at the Bayer Select World Championship Show.

Sarah and Created were voted the top pair in a field of 19 fellow competitors in the 2-year-old gelding division.

“It was awesome,” Sarah said. “I was actually more nervous when Cooper showed him a couple of weeks ago at the Youth World, but this is just amazing.”

Sarah and Created receive their championship ribbon after being announced the 2006 Bayer Select 2-year-old gelding champions.

Sarah has been around horses her entire life but quit showing for a few years to raise her children. Four years ago her other son, AQHA Professional Horseman Jason Smith of Whitesboro, Texas, encouraged her to start showing again.

“Jason got me started back in the show pen, and he also raised Created. He’s helped me tune my show skills back in shape, and I’ve been at the Bayer Select World for the past four years,” she said.

This marks Sarah’s second gold trophy at the Bayer Select World Show after she took home the 2005 2-year-old gelding championship with JMK Dynamic Fellow.

Created is by Elusive Kid and out of WR Can Can Connie, by Can Creation.

After celebrating their Bayer Select World championship, Sarah and crew are headed north to the All American Quarter Horse Congress in October.

“It’s a great win for us,” she said. “It’s even better that we’ve done it all as a family.”