BY ABBY WHITAKER, JOURNAL CORRESPONDANT
Jason Martin is no stranger to the winner’s circle, for individual events or the leading exhibitor award. He holds countless world championships and now five Professional’s Choice Leading Exhibitor titles at the AQHA World Championship Show during Fed Ex Open Week. But this year, he threw in something new to win the award.
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| AQHA President Walter Fletcher presented Jason Martin with the Professional's Choice Leading Exhibitor award. |
“My highlight was definitely being the reserve world champion in the junior pleasure. It’s the first time I’ve ever shown in that class, and it’s probably the highlight of my career,” he explained. “There’s so much talent out there; I just feel fortunate to be in the same lineup with most of the people that I’ve always admired.”
Along with the junior pleasure reserve world championship, Jason won the senior pleasure driving and senior western riding. He finished second and ninth in junior western riding, third in junior hunter hack and senior working hunter, fourth in senior trail and seventh in senior hunter hack.
“This is definitely something that I always look forward to trying to win,” Jason said. “I just show the horses that I have, and if it all works out, it works out.”
Jason, from Pilot Point, Texas, started training at 19 years old. Perhaps the secret to his success is that he started from the bottom and worked his way to the top, learning the ins and outs of the business along the way.
“I came up through the ranks where I slept in the back of the trailer and braided horses so that I could show,” he said. “I definitely think it has helped me because I started at the bottom, and I learned what defeat was. I just think it makes success so much more rewarding when you really had to work for it.”
Along with the title of Professional’s Choice Leading Exhibitor, Jason also received a $5,000 check from AQHA Corporate Partner Professional’s Choice, a $1,000 Professional’s Choice gift certificate and an original Lisa Perry bronze.
