Stacy Lane Huls and Blended Choclate trot in before the judges.
Blended Choclate made the perfect mix November 20, as the 3-year-old gelding strode to a win in junior hunter under saddle. It was the first world championship for the horse; his owner, Kimberly Lloyd Wright of Scottsdale, Arizona; and his exhibitor/trainer, Stacy Lane Huls of Phoenix. Here, Stacy talks about why “Big Ben” is such a special ride:
Q: Tell us about your horse. What’s he like to ride? Stacy: He is so much fun. I’ve never had a horse like that. He takes so little work. He goes in every time, he does his job. He’s kind of a card to be around on the ground. You wouldn’t think that, but he never misses a beat when you ride him. He’s just wonderful. I can’t say enough good things about him.
Q: So what’s his personality like on the ground? Stacy: He’s a little busy, a little obnoxious. He drags us places and things like that. And he kind of gets away with it, because he’s kind of the prince. He’s got a lot of personality. Like during the class while we were standing in the lineup, he’s looking into the stands, going ‘Oh, wow, what are you guys doing?’ So yeah, he’s very curious.
Q: How long have you and (husband) Doug had him in your barn? Stacy: We got him the end of January. The really incredible thing about him, he’s 3 years old, hasn’t been shown a lot. But we’ve just done really, really well with him, so it’s very exciting.
Q: But his owner couldn’t be here? Stacy: Nooo, and I would feel really sorry for her, but she’s in Hawaii on vacation. Life is not so bad. She was on the phone with Doug, and they watched on the Webcast, so she did at least get to see it. She was very excited, very, very excited. She can’t wait until January because she’s going to start showing in Select.
Q: Tell us about the horse’s bloodlines. Stacy: He is by Sweet Talkin Chip and he is out of a Sonny Dee Bar, Smokey Poco Dude mare. So he’s actually kind of western bred.
Q: But he doesn’t move that way. Stacy: No, he’s a big boy. He’s over 17 hands.
Q: How do you get up on him? Stacy: A leg up or a stool.
Fun Fact: Stacy says she can’t pick one unique thing about "Mr. Personality Plus." “He just has all kinds of weird things. I could go on for days about weird things. He’s a very wonderful horse.”
WINNER STATS
Horse name: Blended Choclate Pedigree: 2005 chestnut gelding by Sweet Talkin Chip x Kinda Showy by Sonny Showcase Exhibitor: Stacy Lane Huls, Phoenix Owner: Kimberly Lloyd Wright, Scottsdale, Arizona Breeder: Wayne or Barbara Liska, Grants Pass, Oregon
Total class entries: 29 Purse: $16,150.10
World Champion Prizes: Custom-designed gold-tone trophy, Montana Silversmiths buckle, neck wreath, gold medallion, Cripple Creek-logo jacket, world champion patch, Tex Tan product, Justin Boots
