Jacs In Doubletrouble had a banner year in 2018 as part of APHA’s Paint Alternative Competition program. The 2008 palomino tobiano gelding earned championship honors in six PAC categories—Cutting, Equitation, Reining, Showmanship, Western Riding and Working Cow Horse—and became only the second horse in APHA history to earn the Six PAC Champion award.
The Six PAC Champion title is awarded to a horse that wins at least six PAC category championship titles in a single year. It was last awarded in 2008.
Bought sight unseen from a video, Carly Reyna was full of hope when her new partner stepped off the trailer after journeying 1,700 miles from Texas to New York. After years of showing all-around horses, Carly had big plans to try her local American Ranch Horse Association shows; in addition to classes like showmanship and horsemanship that she knew and loved, the ARHA shows also provided the opportunity to try a few completely new events: cattle classes and reining.
“I went on the hunt for a ‘unicorn’ that would hold his own in both ‘dry’ and cattle classes—and, one patient enough to do the job with a green rider,” the equestrienne from Ravena, New York, said. “A trusted friend and professional horseman, Jon Carpenter, found JacJac for me in Texas. Time was of the essence, so I wired the money and bought the horse without so much as a video. It turned out to be one the best decisions of my life.”
With a background in reining and ranch horse events—the 2008 palomino tobiano gelding by Dolls Union Jac (QH) and out of Shys Double Trouble was APHA’s 2017 world champion in Novice Youth Reining and has Registers of Merit in reining, trail and working ranch horse—JacJac’s natural talent, training and work ethic proved to be just what Carly to jump into the ranch horse versatility arena.
“A 10-year-old horse that has been shown most of his life is usually pen smart—they know the drill, so adding variety was key to keeping his mind fresh. We did a lot of trail riding, hacking through fields and chasing cows,” Carly said. “He already changed leads, stopped big and could turn a +1, so I just introduced new things. We started pole work and added trail. The horsemanship was an easy addition because he was so broke. I taught him the showmanship, which is my very favorite class. He just is so willing to do anything, as long as you ask him nicely. No amount of success compares to what I learned as a competitor and horse person.”
Through occasional lessons and lots of homework, Carly and JacJac refined their partnership without relying on a full-time trainer. In 2018, Carly decided to make a run at national ARHA accolades—the duo hauled up and down the East Coast, from New York to Florida, and inland to Ohio, Indiana and Kentucky, logging nearly 30,000 miles in all. Carly brought her PAC report forms along for the ride, and they accumulated a total of 576 PAC credits in 2018, clinching six year-end categories: Cutting, Equitation, Reining, Showmanship, Western Riding and Working Cow Horse.
“All of the ARHA shows have official secretaries and they record results and points like any breed organization does, making all their events PAC eligible if you do the paperwork,” Carly said. “I don’t think people realize how easy APHA makes it to compete for these great awards.
“I love the flexibility that [the PAC program] allows. You can go to any shows that are convenient to you. You can pursue any discipline that you like. It is inexpensive to participate, and the awards are great—and it really does help to promote the versatility and athleticism of the Paint Horse throughout the horse community. It was a no brainer to sign Jac up.”
Last fall, Carly made the tough decision to sell JacJac—he’s now owned by Allie Robinson of Union, Missouri.
“I ultimately ended up selling him to become a youth rider’s ‘step-up’ horse,” Carly said. “I was having second thoughts after accepting the deposit check, but when I walked down my aisle at the ARHA World Show, I found the young lady laying down in the stall with JacJac.
“I cried in the last class I entered with him. I cried when we delivered him to Missouri—and for most of the ride back to New York. But, I am confident that JacJac is loved, and he will have the opportunity to teach a young cowgirl the ropes.”
Learn more about PAC at apha.com/programs/pac.