2-YEAR-OLD MARES

GQ ELLE WINS.

BY CHRISTINE HAMILTON, FIELD EDITOR

Candace Jussen of Pilot Point, Texas, and her mare GQ Elle, walked out of the Amarillo National Center with a Select world championship in 2-year-old mares.

GQ Elle is a product of Candace and her husband, Edmund’s, longtime breeding program. She’s by their homebred stallion Mister GQ (a multiple world champion) and out of Skip My Party by Skipa Star.

Listen in on the Journal’s interview with Candace just after her win.

Tell me about this mare.

She’s very special. She’s out of my oldest mare that I originally bought to show riding. She’s 24 now, and this is probably her last baby. So this filly that I showed today is very, very special.

And she’s by Mister GQ, so I’ve raised both of them. This is the second or third generation of these horses that we’ve raised. It’s very rewarding. I’m very proud to take them out.

How long have you been in the horse business?

All my life, off and on. I’ve been breeding for 20-something years, my own horses, trying to improve and find my direction. Everyone has to just find his own niche. Mine ended up going in a halter direction, but I’m really a rider at heart. I’m also showing riding horses by Mister GQ.

Candace Jussen and her homebred GQ Elle win the Select world championship in 2-year-old mares.

What do you enjoy about showing halter?

The “sculpting” of it. It’s like juggling hand-grenades on ice skates. It’s extremely difficult. People oftentimes think it’s just getting a horse heavy, and it isn’t that at all. They’re born a halter horse or they’re not, you cannot teach them to be one.

It’s one of the most difficult disciplines I think there are. You can’t make it, they either have it and you can work on that, or they don’t. But it’s very hard. It’s pushing them and pulling back, and going in different directions, and trying to find out the best program for that particular horse. Just before you think it’s going to be too much you have to back off. It’s very challenging.

Is there anyone you’d like to thank?

Without a doubt, (AQHA Professional Horseman) Ted Turner. He is amazing. He is a very, very good friend, and he helps me tremendously. He always has.

Over the years, we’ll see one of my babies that I’ll have my eye on, and he’ll come by and tell me what he thinks. We’ll work together that way. And he always tells me if he doesn’t think one is going to be quite enough to be able to handle the program. So we’ll back off, and I’ll keep it at home or find another direction for it in maybe a lesser demanding area.

He knows that my husband is ill, and I was by myself, and he would come over once a week and go through the horses and make sure everything was OK. A very good friend.

Anything else you’d like to add?

I am so thankful and appreciative of this. I think the Select event is one of the best ideas AQHA came up with, and it’s offered even more chances for people to get out and enjoy themselves and show.

I’m happy with the way things are going with halter horses. I think we’re breeding more horses that will be correctively sound, and we’ll be able to do more things with them. I’m happy with the way things are going.