SENIOR HEADING

CANT SKIPPA BLAZE WINS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP FOR FATHER AND SON.

BY TONYA RATLIFF-GARRISON, JOURNAL FIELD EDITOR

It’s funny sometimes how life can be a circle. For instance, take Cant Skippa Blaze and the Schroeders.

Robbie and Joan Schroeder had raised the 1998 bay colt, who was by their stallion Blazing Hot. But when friend, Lorenzo Armenta, visited the Schroeders’ Gainesville, Texas, ranch in 2000, he took the then 2-year-old gelding in trade.

“He was colt we really, really liked, but when Lorenzo came and wanted a project we traded ‘Uno’ along with another gelding for a horse named Raz Lad, who was 13 at the time and was really, really broke and safe for our son, Ryan, to go to youth ropings on,” Joan recalled.

So Ryan started roping on the well-trained gelding, and at the 2001 AQHYA World Championship Show, Ryan and “Tyson” won the world champion heeling title.

“Ryan was 9 and was the youngest to ever win in the ropings at the Youth World,” Joan said.

Robbie Schroeder and Cant Skippa Blaze won the senior heading with a 225. The 1998 bay gelding is owned by Robbie's son, Ryan.

Meanwhile, Lorenzo and Uno were also coming along well, and at the 2003 AQHA World Championship Show, the pair were the reserve amateur world champions in heeling.

“After he showed, I went back and said, ‘How much is it going to cost us?’” Joan said. “And I found out later that Robbie had already asked the same thing.”

So Robbie and Joan bought the gelding back at the show and sneaked him back to Gainesville, where on Christmas morning they presented Uno to Ryan.

“It was a Christmas present,” Joan said. “We had the registration papers and a bow on the horse’s stall.”

Fast forward to 2006 at the Ford AQHYA World Championship Show. It was the first time Ryan would be showing in tie-down roping, and it was the first time Uno would be his partner. But the two meshed perfectly and ended up taking home the youth world championship in tie-down roping as well as reserve world championship in heeling.

With such an impressive performance and with few horses left in the barn for Robbie to show at this year’s World Show, the AQHA Professional Horseman decided to give Uno a try in heading.

The pair made the finals, and with Robbie’s good friend J.D. Yates as his roping partner, they won the class with a 225.

“It was a good run,” Robbie said. “My horse was really good. He scored good. He ran in there, and laid it back when I roped the steer. When I first roped the steer, though, I figured eighted him and had a half inch on the horn. It kind of scared me for a minute and I knew the only thing I needed to do was go fast.

“And with my partner, J.D., behind me, he helped me get it out. Everything was really good.”

This was also the first time Robbie and J.D. had roped together in quite a while.

“I finally got my partner back,” Robbie said. “He did great. We roped together a long time but different things came along and we stopped. But we’re back together again.”

As for Ryan, what was it like to being on the other side as the owner at the World Show?

“I knew my dad could do it,” he said. “And I was proud of my horse.”

WINNER STATS Horse name: Cant Skippa Blaze Pedigree: Blazing Hot x Smooth Lil Star by Skipa Star Exhibitor: Robbie Schroeder Owner: Ryan Lynn Schroeder Trainer: Robbie Schroeder Breeder: Julie Benedict Total class entries: 61 Purse: $42,548.72 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