BY CHRISTINE HAMILTON, FIELD EDITOR
 |
| Stephanie Smith and Virtually Zipped faced their first western riding pattern at the Region 10. With them are fiance Mike Bonsavage (left) and trainer Terry Angelo. |
Stephanie Smith and Virtually Zipped, aka “Al,” finally rode a western riding pattern all the way through.
And it happened for the first time in the novice amateur western riding at the Region 10 Experience in Clemson, South Carolina.
“All we’ve been doing at home is working on pieces of the pattern,” Stephanie said. “I’d never seen a full, entire pattern (before now).”
Stephanie has shown Al successfully in western pleasure since she bought the horse five years ago. But she wanted a bigger challenge and felt like the gelding by Virtual Zippo could do more.
In her search for an all-around trainer near home in Ocala, Florida, she landed on Terry Angelo, and they decided to tackle western riding.
“We’d been working on coming (to Region 10) because at (regular) AQHA shows I feel very intimidated,” Stephanie said. “I can go out and do western pleasure and do great and hold my own. But western riding? I’m not getting into the pen with them! It is a tough class.
“(Just before I showed here) was the first time (Terry) handed me the pattern and said, where those little gray boxes are, that’s where the changes take place. I was like, are you kidding me? It looks like they’re everywhere!”
Stephanie was “scared to death” but determined. Terry told her to just get out there and try.
“When I got finished with it, I didn’t think I got all the changes,” she said. “How many changes are there? 26? And I think I’ve only ever done two in a row at home! But I made it through the pattern.”
She ended up winning the reserve in the novice amateur western riding and then came right back to win the amateur.
“To me, that’s what the (Regional) Experience is about,” Stephanie said. “To get through that pattern and do it was huge. I’ll never forget that. It gives me the confidence to go toward the next goal.”
And that goal is the novice amateur western riding at the All American Quarter Horse Congress.
“I don’t see why we can’t do it, right Terry?” Stephanie said to her coach.
“You betcha,” Terry said. “That’s the goal.”
