No funny business: Halter champion The Jokeer hits the ranch pen at Paint World
Scanning the pen of more than 20 Green Ranch Riders, one entry couldn’t help but to catch your eye. Part varsity athlete, part prom king, The Jokeer had a chiseled head, swan-like neck and ripped muscles. His vibrant heartbreaker-blue eyes and flashy markings didn’t hurt The Jokeer’s good looks either, though owner Desiree Duhon Dyess of Natchitoches, Louisiana, says the 3-year-old is more class clown than valedictorian.
“He lives up to his name,” she laughed. “He’s always looking for fun. He’s very inquisitive and fun to be around.”
Most Likely To Try Something New
Bred to be a halter horse, The Jokeer is by The Heisman Legend and out of Playin By My Self (QH). He was the reserve world champion in Amateur Weanling Stallion with former owner, John Cooper, at the 2022 APHA/WCHA Halter Million.
Desiree bought The Jokeer as a yearling and showed him with trainer Jerm Christensen. When she purchased another halter horse the same age, Im Expenziv, Desiree and Jerm decided a career change was in order for The Jokeer.
“The ranch riding seems like a lot of fun, and it fits his personality,” Desiree said.
Started under saddle about a year ago, The Jokeer is still wet behind the ears when it comes to performance classes.
“This is only his fourth time being shown,” Jerm said about their World Show debut June 28 in Green Ranch Rail Pleasure. “He’s coming along. When he goes good, he’s a lot of fun.”
Despite a few bobbles in his World Show class, Desiree was pleased with The Jokeer’s efforts and says experience gained in the pen is worth the trip.
“It’s always exciting to watch your horse,” she said with a grin. “He’s young, and there is experience you get in the show ring that you can’t take away. I’m glad he had that experience today. We’re happy to own him.”
And that myth that halter horses can’t ride? Jerm says that’s nothing but a schoolyard rumor.
“We ride all of ours,” Jerm said. “Im Expenziv won the Paint World as a yearling and a 2-year-old, and he was grand champion stud at the Breeders Halter Futurity, and we ride him, too. They can ride, and most of them are good-minded. If you look at the pleasure horses, most of them go back to halter horses, so I do think it’s a misconception that halter horses can’t ride.”
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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.