Page 199 - Speedhorse September 2017

POLES
Decked out in a flashy pink shirt and leopard-print hat that perfectly coordinated with her buckskin overo mare’s golden coat, Aubrey Hollifield of Granbury, Texas, was speechless after hearing her name called as the PBRIP Hopes & Dreams Pole Bending Sweep- stakes champion.
“It is mind-blowing,” the 15 year old said. “I’ve been telling my mom that I wanted to do this show for a while, but I was always busy with other rodeos. Finally I was like, ‘I’m do- ing it this year,’ and I’m glad we did!”
Since purchasing Twomcolonelshadowbaby in 2009, Aubrey has been training her mare for speed events; the 2002 buckskin is by Colonel Back N Black (QH) and out of Blue Shadow Two M. The road to creating a competitive speed-event horse hasn’t always been easy and
she’s faced some doubters along the way, but Aubrey has persevered and it paid off in a big way in Fort Worth.
“I’ve always been very determined with her,” she said. “When we went to look at her, there were six other people before us—they said, ‘She’ll never be a barrel horse; she’s too small.’ She may be small, but she can work! She puts her heart into everything.”
Last to run before the drag, Aubrey and “Shadow” laid their heart and soul on the line— Aubrey says she could hear her mom cheering her on above the crowd. The duo crossed the timer with a :21.653 and vaulted into first place. The time held and Aubrey took home a check for $728 plus other prizes.
“I was last on the ground so it was kind of deep, so I was like, ‘I’m just going to make my run.’ I put everything in God’s hands, and He
made it work,” she stated. “Shadow’s an amaz- ing horse.”
To learn more about PBRIP, visit pbrip.com; for full Youth World Show results, visit apha. com/ywcs/results and read the September 2017 Paint Horse Journal.
[Reprinting all or part of this news release is permitted, so long as credit is given to the Paint Horse Journal and a link provided to apha.com.]
ABOUT APHA
The American Paint Horse Association is the world’s second-largest international equine breed association, registering more than a million horses in 59 nations and territories since it was founded. APHA creates and maintains programs that increase the value of American Paint Horses and enriches members’ experiences with their horses.
TWOMCOLONELSHADOWBABY AND AUBREY HOLLIFIELD WIN THE PBRIP HOPES & DREAMS POLE BENDING SWEEPSTAKES CHAMPION TITLE.
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PAINT HORSE BULLETIN