Droppin’ the Mic at the 2025 APHA World Championship Show
By Laurel Cox
Bree Cooke of Gray Court, South Carolina, calls herself a “DIY Amateur” when it comes to showing horses. With the help of her 2-year-old gelding Mic Droppin and Dare to Dream Performance Horses, Bree and her 12-year-old daughter Cate are achieving their dreams of making it big in the Paint Horse world.
When Bree’s original show horse, Ima Fancy Machine, was injured, the horsewoman knew that she wanted a baby out of the special mare to carry on her legacy. “Bekka” was bred the day after her veterinarian said the mare was out of commission to show, and “Jagger” was the result. The 2023 bay overo gelding is by VQH Heart Stoppin.
“When he was born, my kids fell in love with him. Jagger was everything I wanted, except he was a boy,” Bree said with a laugh. “I made an exception for him, and I bought him the day he was born.”
Mic Droppin’
Despite not being a mare, Jagger has been everything Bree and Cate have wanted out of their show prospect. After originally planning on competing in the Youth Futurity Project at the 2025 APHA World Championship Show, Bree and Cate decided to pivot and stick to in-hand trail, color and Youth showmanship classes.
“We realized that he wasn’t going to be ready for the 2-Year-Old Youth Futurity Project, so we decided to teach him something else,” Bree said. “Cate still wanted to show him, and I wanted him to make it to the World Show.”
Before coming to the 2025 World Show, Jagger had never been in an indoor arena. Bree was unsure how Jagger would handle the adjustment, but the level-headed gelding took everything in stride.
“He’s very good-minded,” she said. “He is a quiet, old soul.”
Both Bree and Cate are looking forward to watching Jagger’s show career unfold in the coming years, and they are hopeful to make several returns to the World Show.
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About APHA
The American Paint Horse Association is the world’s second-largest international equine breed association. Since it was founded in 1962, APHA has registered more than a million horses in 59 nations and territories. APHA promotes, preserves and provides meaningful experiences with Paint Horses. Learn more at apha.com.