Hesa Good Ride loped straight to the bank at the Premier Paint Sires Spectacular August 26–28 in Lake St. Louis, Missouri, the conclusion of the Premier Paint Sires Limited Series for 2016 .
Colten Andrews piloted Hesa Good Ride to the 3-Year-Old Limited Horse Limited Rider Western Pleasure series championship, bringing the duo’s earnings to more than $34,000 over the course of the series. The 2013 chestnut overo gelding by Hesa Special Hotrod and out of Vested Pine Vicky is owned by Tracey Hoffman of Owosso, Michigan. Tracey and “Cruz” also won the PPS Breeders Futurity 3-Year-Old Non Pro Western Pleasure, earning an additional $2,275.
“He’s a once-in-a-lifetime horse. He’s pretty fun to ride. He wants to do it and to do it right,” Tracey said. “It’s not something you have to fight through to get it right. He’s just so naturally talented, it’s easy for him.”
Tracey credits Cruz’s maturation over the last year for his performance in the Premier Paint Sires shows.
“Even within this year, he’s changed from the first PPS to this last one. That’s one of the reasons I’m thankful for this program because he was not ready to be a show horse as a 2-year-old,” Tracey said. “Having this program and knowing that this was available to him to stay a Limited horse and do this as a 3-year-old was a major benefit for me because he didn’t have what it was going to take to hit the show pen under saddle as a 2-year-old.”
Tracey’s trainer Jeffery Gibbs immediately thought of Colten to pilot Cruz throughout the series.
“I’ve known Colten for about seven years; he used to lease stalls from me. Then Colten moved to Whitesboro, and I ended up moving to Collinsville,” Jeffery said. “When I got this horse, Colten was one of the first ones I had in mind to show in the Limited. He’s a really talented young guy that does a really good job, and we’ve ridden together a lot after having horses at the same barn for two years.”
Jeffery and his team have dominated the Premier Paint Sires program, due in part to how well it fits into their training program.
“I don’t get very many strong 2-year-olds in, and by having this program we can take our time and be able to ride them when they get a little bit stronger versus having to push them as a young horse,” Jeffery said. “That’s something I think is really important about having the Limited 3-year-old class. None of the horses I have shown in this program would have made a 2-year-old. Some horses are big and strong as 2-year-olds and really come on, but this gives us a place for the horses to have a little more time to mature.”
Tracey, Cruz and the Gibbs Show Horses team now have their sight set on the APHA World Championship Show.
“Jeffery will be showing him in the Open 3-Year-Old Western Pleasure and I’ll be showing him in the non-pro,” Tracey said. “This will be the first horse that I’ve owned or shown at the APHA World Show, so it’s very gratifying to do that with a horse that’s done so well.”
Tracey and Cruz weren’t the only big winners, however. Congratulations to the following Paints and their connections:
- SV Krymsun N Gold, a 2013 brown solid mare by Scenic Rio krymsun and out of Potentials Old Gold (QH), owned and shown by Shelby Cochran: $10,000—3 Year Old Limited Horse Limited Rider Western Pleasure
- Good Night Kiss, a 2014 sorrel overo mare by CR Good Machine and out of A Little Extra Zip, owned by John Taylor and shown by JT Thomas: $3,068— PPS Breeders Futurity 2-Year-Old Maiden Western Pleasure
- Im Callin Dibs, a 2015 sorrel solid mare by Hes A Cool Hotrod and out of One Famous Blonde, owned and shown by Jodie Distad: $2,067—PPS Breeders Futurity Western Yearling Longe Line
- Want Me Don’t Cha, a 2014 chestnut overo gelding by The Gift Of Midas and out of Miss Shadow Page, owned by Brooke Ketchum and shown by Laura Spell: $1,500— All Age Limited Horse Open Rider Hunter Under Saddle
- Better In Boots, a 2015 bay overo stallion by Scenic Royal Flush and out of Victory Bride, owned and shown by Jodie Distad: $660—Breeders Futurity Hunter Yearling Longe Line
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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.