Who puts on the most miles at the 2008 Ford AQHYA World Championship Show?
Is it the devoted show parent – unloading feed and tack or at the wash rack bathing “Zippy?” Is it the exhibitor – riding at 2 a.m. in Barn No. 6 or longeing his/her gelding in Barn No. 3? Or is it the trainer, coaching showmanship in the outdoor arena at 4 p.m. and trail in the Super Barn at midnight?
Starting at 11 a.m. on Monday, August 4, we put pedometers on the candidates to keep track of how far they walk this week. Here's what happened.
UPDATES! As of 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, August 6, the trainers are winning in the online voting, by a whole lot - second are show parents with exhibitors in a close third. And the actual mileage count so far? Trainer Gary Roberts is at 18.038 miles; Trainer Stacy Huls is at 15.09; Show Mom Kendra Eckert is at 14.9; and we haven't heard back from Exhibitor Kendall Dreyer yet.
IT'S DONE! As of 11 p.m. on Saturday, August 9, the trainers won hands down in the voting, getting more than double the votes of the show parent; exhibitors were a distant third. However, when the mileage count came in...
EXHIBITOR: Kendall Dreyer, 16, of Merritt Island, Florida, is showing her horse So So Good in western horsemanship, trail and performance halter geldings.
RESULTS: Inconclusive! Kendall wore her pedometer just one afternoon, then cleared it. And she was so busy with showing and her duties as an AQHYA Region 10 Director she forgot to wear it again.
SHOW PARENT: Kendra Eckert of Indianapolis, Indiana, is Samantha Eckert’s mom. Sam, 19, is showing her horse Lopin En Style in hunt seat equitation, trail and performance halter geldings. Kendra runs daily and she is also keeping track of Sam’s standard poodle, Roxie.
RESULTS: Kendra wore her pedometer faithfully - by the time she and Sam pulled out of the Oklahoma State Fair Park she had logged 31.338 miles over the Ford Youth World week.
TRAINERS: Gary Roberts is an AQHA Professional Horseman and Judge from Murrieta, California. He’s keeping track of four kids with seven horses. Three are showing in reining, one in western riding, one in trail, two in performance halter mares, two in horsemanship, two in hunt seat equitation and one in hunter under saddle.
RESULTS: Gary was in the far lead up until late Thursday afternoon when he lost his pedometer somewhere between the Super Barn and the trade show in the Cox Pavilion. We were unable to find a replacement - his last verifiable count was 21.509 miles. This might call for a rematch!
And Stacy Huls; she and her husband, Doug, an AQHA judge, train from their Doug Huls Performance Horses in Phoenix. They have two youth showing in horsemanship, western riding, trail, pleasure, showmanship and hunter under saddle.
RESULTS: Stacy also wore her pedometer all week, every day, and logged in 31.790 miles by the time she turned her pedometer in on Saturday before leaving for her next stop as a trainer at the Reichert Celebration in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
