Florida Classic/Jacksonville

To sum this weekend up the usual suspects did well as usual!! Kyndall showed "Chicken" in the youth 13 and under classes and won both days! I remember about a year and a half ago she won her first youth class ever getting her first plaque and we all took pictures and the whole family celebrated ... now its so normal that we all take it in stride!! Way to go Kyndall!!
We had fun watching Lucas show his new mare "Chubby"(Chics Annie Oaklyn). Together they won $184 dollars in the Limited Open class which actually quadrupled her lifetime earnings!! Before this weekend she had only won $62 dollars so good job Luke and Chubby.
Ginger showed her good mare "Juiced Up" in the Rookie both days and did a beautiful job!! They won the Rookie 1 class on Friday and placed second on day two!! Thats huge!!! Keep up the good work Ging!!
The rest of our group worked hard all weekend and had very respectable rides...Steven, Burl, Melanie, Ray and Amber... way to go.
We sure missed Karen Anderson this weekend who is helping her mare, Patti, recover from surgery on her sesmoid bone. Patti is out for the year and is going to be bred to "Nic It In the Bud" which is the only redeeming factor of that situation. That should be a stopping.. spinning maniac of a baby!! I can't to ride him/her!
Esther showed a couple of horses this weekend for the first time which was fun. She got along very nicely on "Smart Doc Dualittle" in the Rookie Professional class and then also showed "Smart American Lena" in the Limit Open Derby. Both horses show a lot of promise and are just beginning what we think will be nice show careers.
I got to show "Boony" in the Open Derby and had a respectable ride going until he stepped on his tail and flipped over backwards as we backed up on our last manuever!! Bummer...thats all I can say. I guess I'll cut his tail shorter next time... as a matter of fact I already did.
Finally I want to give a big congratulations to my friend from south Florida... Dave Moore won the Florida Classic Derby in all three divisions!! He's been hiding that yellow sports car of a horse since last year and finally got him out of the garage and spanked everyone!! It was really a great ride!! Way to go Dave! and congratulations to the owner .. Javier!
Well we actually have a couple weeks at home before our next show and it feels great!

2008 Big Year for 16 Year Old!!!

Well its time to brag a little bit about Lucas Mccullough. Lucas owns the ranch here where we train....well actually his parents do but you get it. He has been riding with us for the last 4 years and has come along way. 2008 was a pretty amazing year for Luke and two of his horses. To begin with Lucas and Nice Bobby Sox won the year end Championship for the Florida Reining Horse Association Youth 14-18. This is no small feat!! The youth competition level is very strong here in Florida. If you can compete here you can compete anywhere in the country.
Lucas also rode both "Bobby" and "Lana", (Chic O Lana), in the National Reined Cow Horse Association shows this year. Lucas won eight buckles including the following...Reserve NRCHA Champion in the Novice Non Pro. This is huge!! Lucas' first year ever going down the fence on a cow and beat the entire nation except for one person! On top of that he won three year end titles in the South East division of the NRCHA... the Non Pro the Novice Non Pro and the Youth Bridle. He also won those same three year end awards for the Dixie Reined Cow Horse Association. He was also reserve year end champ in the Novice Non Pro for the Florida Reined Cow Horse Association.
So put all that together Lucas and his two horses won NINE BUCKLES!!! in one year!! Pretty crazy for a kid who only turned 16 in September!

So... whats next for Lucas? He has a new mare by Paid By Chic we call "Chubby" who is eligable for reining derbies this year. The focus will be to get some money won on her as well as showing Bobby and Lana at enough AQHA shows to qualify for the Youth World Show and the NRCHA World Show again. Lucas will also plan to show in the USEF Reining competition this year as well. Don't be surprized to see his name in the magazines again!!
Congratulations on a great year Luke!!