Owner Jason Layfield and rider C.R. Bradley accept world champion awards from "Grey's Anatomy" star James Pickens Jr. and AQHA President Ken Mumy.
Zans Even Parr made his first appearance at an AQHA World Championship Show in 1992, when he won junior heeling, nabbed a reserve championship in junior tie-down roping and was named the reserve Superhorse. Sixteen years later, this 20-year-old gelding keeps on ticking. On November 22, he took home his sixth gold World Show trophy, winning in senior tie-down roping. Exhibitor C.R. Bradley, an AQHA Professional Horseman from Collinsville, Texas, rode him to victory, while new owner Jason Layfield of Chesapeake City, Maryland, cheered him on. Although C.R. had other rope horses to show after his tie-down class, Jason was happy to chat with the Journal about his horse’s latest accomplishment:
Q: You call him "Smurf?" Jason: Smurf, Smurfy. I asked his previous owners where he got it, and that’s what they said: He came with it.
Q: Tell me how you came to own him. Jason: C.R. called me up and said “I found a really nice horse if you want to show in the amateur. You need to buy him, and if you don’t buy him, I’m gonna buy him for myself, because besides my roan horse (Twisters Enola Gay, who was also in senior tie-down roping and who has won several world championships), he's one of the best ones out there.” I just trusted him and went on and bought him, and here we are.
Q: So you compete in amateur tie-down roping? Jason: I try. I only got to go to one show to try to qualify him. He’s a high-powered horse, but he’s not real hard to ride. I think I it was just nerves and lack of ability on my behalf.
Q: Well, it takes practice – and the horse has had a lot of practice. Jason: Yeah, but I don’t think he has had a real hard life. The Tannehills that had him before, I don’t think they abused him. They just showed him around, and C.R. placed at Cheyenne and a couple of big tour rodeos this year, but we don’t take him just to go play on him. We take him only to specific places so he doesn’t get used up. He has never really had any problems.
Q: So he’s sound as a tack now? Jason: Yeah, he’s in good shape. We’re going to keep showing him in the amateur. I don’t know if we’ll show him in the open any more or what we’ll do with him, but as soon as I can beat C.R. up, I’ll take him home.
Q: Is he staying at C.R.’s? Jason: He stays in Texas with C.R., and I get to go down and ride him here and there. I think we’re going to try to show him in Tulsa this year.
Q: You live in Maryland? There aren't too many ropings up there, right? Jason: I don’t think there’s any. I’ve never been to any. Up there, you just go to jackpots and rodeos and that sort of thing.
Q: So how long will you keep showing him? Any plans? Jason: As long as he wants to do it. You can see, he loves doing it, and he’s great at it. If something comes up, we’ll just play it by ear. He’s in great shape, and he loves doing it, and we’re just going to take it easy on him and see what he does.
Q: Because of his age, does he take any special maintenance? Jason: Just some stuff to help with his joints. We do some preventive stuff with him, but we haven’t had to treat any problems, which is nice. No (joint injections), we’ve been lucky. We could probably go ahead and start sticking him, but I’m not a big fan of it if they don’t need it.
Q: What’s he like to ride? Jason: He’s like a 4-year-old, and if you ride him around, he’ll snort at stuff and carry on. But when you get on him in the roping pen, he’s all business. I get along with him fine, and I can’t ride or rope that well. He’s not hard to ride, but he acts like a 4-year-old. He has just got a great personality.
Q: Tell me about his personality. Jason: Oh, he’s very affectionate. But he has just got that thing about him. You never know, sometimes you can’t tie him to stuff, or if he sees a big line in the dirt, he won’t want to cross it. He’s a quirky horse, but he’s really cool.
Q: Now he was mugging me for treats out in the arena (during the awards presentation). Jason: That’s my fault, because I had him back there this afternoon, and we were just wrapping his ankles, and I was sitting in the chair feeding him treats, and then he started molesting me for more, and that was the problem. He saw me with my hand in my pocket, and then he started looking for them.
Q: Is there anything else unique about him? Jason: 20 years old and being that good, that’s pretty cool. Fun fact: Smurf's favorite treat is apple wafers. "Rosie (C.R.’s wife) is the one that spoils him," Jason says.
WINNER STATS
Horse name: Zans Even Parr Pedigree: 1988 sorrel gelding by Zan Parr Bar x Dusty Fox by Moon Fox Exhibitor: C. R. Bradley, Collinsville, Texas Owner: Jason Layfield, Chesapeake City, Maryland Trainer: C. R. Bradley Breeder: Joan Crews Hoyt, San Angelo, Texas
Total class entries: 47 Purse: $37,924.30
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
