JUNIOR WESTERN RIDING

LIKE HIS DAD.

BY LARRI JO STARKEY, JOURNAL COPY EDITOR

The eighth of 15 horses in the junior western riding finals, “Simon” scored a 216 on November 15 with Chad Christensen aboard.

Chad Christensen, from left, owner Gretchen Swope, AQHA President Walter Fletcher and NSBA past president Suzy Jeane with  Selected By Magic.

“I was so nervous,” Gretchen said. “He was fabulous, though. Chad did an absolutely excellent job. He is a wonderful trainer and a good friend.”

Gretchen actually bred Simon and sold him as a long yearling but kept up with his career as Simon passed $7,300 in National Snaffle Bit Association earnings. When the chance came to buy Simon in August, Gretchen jumped at it.

“He’s just a fabulous horse,” she said. “I’ve watched him as he’s grown and come along, and when the opportunity came for me to purchase him back, I was right there to get him.”

Simon’s sire, Selection So Simple, is Gretchen’s stallion, which made the win more special, she said, adding that she can see her stallion in Simon.

“He’s as kind as my stallion is,” Gretchen said.

Some quirks, though, are Simon’s own.

“Simon likes just about anything that you give him to eat but he loves to eat apples,” she said. “He eats them one bite at a time. It’s very slow, very methodical, but he’s a good boy.”

Next on the good boy’s schedule might be a trip to Amarillo.

“Maybe to take me to the Select World,” she said.

Simon’s dam is a daughter of The Invester, the stallion owned by Dan and Carol McWhirter, who sponsored the Q-Bug broadcast of the junior western riding class.

WINNER STATS Horse name: Selection By Magic Pedigree: Selection So Simple x Probably Magic by The Invester Exhibitor: Chad Christensen Owner: Gretchen Swope Trainer: Chad Christensen Breeder: Gretchen Swope Total class entries: 33 Purse: $14,768.16 World Champion Prizes: Custom gold-tone trophy, Montana Silversmiths buckle, Cripple Creek World Show jacket, Tex Tan silver halter and spurs, Justin ostrich Techno Crepe boots, 100 pounds of Nutrena feed, Professional’s Choice and WeatherBeeta product. Total purse and prizes for the 2006 AQHA World Championship Show: $2,457,010