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SENIOR WORKING HUNTER A LONG WAIT FOR A SPECIAL HORSE. BY CHRISTINE HAMILTON, FIELD EDITOR The 8-year-old gelding GI Jazz has been showing real talent in the AQHA hunter ring. His accomplishments include finishing in the top 10 of at least one over fences class in the last three Ford AQHYA World Championship Shows with youth rider Taryn Shepherd. In August of this year, longtime exhibitor and two-time Featherlite All-Around Amateur Award winner Nancy Murfin-Moxley purchased him and put him with AQHA Pro Horseman and Team Wrangler member Lainie Deboer. Now, he’s the 2008 world champion in senior working hunter – and a dream come true for Lainie. Q. Why is GI Jazz so special to you? Lainie: There is a lot of history with him. We just recently purchased him this year after the (Ford AQHYA World Championship Show). But I saw him as a 3-year-old in the pasture at Jerry Erickson’s, and I just fell in love with him. I couldn’t afford him at the time, so I called my best friend, David Warner, and I said, if anybody’s going to buy him, you need to. He went down to Texas and bought him for his client, and she had several wonderful years. And I had said I want to be first in line when he’s for sale, and we bought him. We were lucky enough to purchase him. He’s wonderful; I’ve admired him from afar. It’s an honor to be able to ride such an amazing horse and have him in my barn. Nancy’s been an amazing customer; she’s great, she never questioned anything. I said, this is the horse to buy, and she said, that’s no problem, let’s buy him. Q. Is there anything unique about the way he rides? Lainie: He’s got this amazing rhythm; he’s really rhythmic with his canter. The key to him, and I helped Nancy with him with this at the (All American Quarter Horse) Congress because he was new to her, is if you just let your kneecaps relax and kind of feel that bouncy rhythm, then you just never come off that stride. It’s a natural gait that he has; it’s really neat. Q. While you were riding out there, the show disc jockey played the song “And All That Jazz,” did you hear it? Lainie: No. Last year, I got really rattled with the music because they played “Happy Days” with my other horse (Larks Happy Days), and it really took my mind off (the ride). So all year I’ve been blasting music in my indoor arena to get used to it. I just worked on the mental focus. So, no, I tuned it out, thank God! That whole year paid off. I’ll have to watch the video. Q. Is there anything else you want to add about this world championship or this year’s World Show? Lainie: No – I just feel blessed to have great clients and wonderful horses and super friends. It’s so awesome to come to a show like this and have everybody clapping for you. I love the AQHA; I’m a huge fan. I didn’t grow up in this world, and I just have the neatest friends. It’s a great organization. Q. There is a special friend behind you, the plastic squirrel sitting on the rail there, what's up with that? Lainie: This is Cracky, and he is our mascot and lucky charm. Chris Lagerblade bought him for us almost two years ago, and we bring him to every horse show, and he is in all of our pictures. He has won eight world championships. We put him in every picture, like “Where’s Waldo.” You’ve got to always look for him in the Journal because he’s always in there. Fun Fact: K. C. Montgomery, official World Show photographer, actually stepped into GI Jazz' world championship photo. He owned and named the horse's late dam, appropriately, Ms Photogenic. WINNER STATS Horse name: GI Jazz Total class entries: 33
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