Speedy Youth win big at the 2017 Youth World Show

They say you’ve got to dream big to win big, and a slew of young competitors showed up do to just that in the annual PBRIP Hopes & Dreams Barrel Racing and Pole Bending Sweepstakes at the AjPHA Youth World Championship Show on July 1. Paint Horses and Appaloosas squared off in these exciting added-money events, sponsored by the RAM Pain Barrel Racing Incentive Program. Collecting more than 30 entries across the pair of PBRIP events, 11 Youth scored checks for their clock-stopping runs but only two took home the title of Hopes & Dreams champion.

Barrels

Though Grace Davis of Fulshear, Texas, saddled up for her first Youth World Show in 2017, she’s no newcomer to barrel racing—the 14-year-old has been chasing cans since she was 3. Paired up with her Paint, Sprats Wild Smoke, for about two years, Grace says she was excited to come try her luck in Fort Worth.

“My grandma saw this events was happening, and so I thought this would be a good opportunity to try it,” she said.

A 2005 sorrel overo mare, Sprats Wild Smoke—better known as “Fancy”—is owned by Grace’s dad, Ronald. The cutting-bred mare is by JR Colord Smoke and out of Miss Sprat.

“She was good; she didn’t really like the dirt so she was a little sloppy around the barrels, but she made three good turns and came out with a good run,” Grace said.

Grace and Fancy clocked a :17.117 to win the PBRIP Hopes & Dreams Barrel Racing Sweepstakes, taking home $882 plus other prizes.

PBRIP Hopes & Dreams Barrel Racing Sweepstakes (unofficial results)

Poles

Decked out in a flashy pink shirt and leopard-print hat that perfectly coordinated with her buckskin overo mare’s golden coat, Aubrey Hollifield of Granbury, Texas, was speechless after hearing her name called as the PBRIP Hopes & Dreams Pole Bending Sweepstakes champion.

“It is mind-blowing,” the 15-year-old said. “I’ve been telling my mom that I wanted to do this show for a while, but I was always busy with other rodeos. Finally I was like, ‘I’m doing it this year,’ and I’m glad we did!”

Since purchasing Twomcolonelshadowbaby in 2009, Aubrey has been training her mare for speed events; the 2002 buckskin is by Colonel Back N Black (QH) and out of Blue Shadow Two M. The road to creating a competitive speed-event horse hasn’t always been easy and she’s faced some doubters along the way, but Aubrey has persevered and it paid off in a big way in Fort Worth.

“I’ve always been very determined with her,” she said. “When we went to look at her, there were six other people before us—they said ‘she’ll never be a barrel horse; she’s too small.’ She may be small, but she can work! She puts her heart into everything.”

Last to run before the drag, Aubrey and “Shadow” laid their heart and soul on the line—Aubrey says she could hear her mom cheering her on above the crows. The duo crossed the timer with a :21.653 and vaulted into first place; the time held, and Aubrey took home a check for $728 plus other prizes.

“I was last on the ground so it was kind of deep, so I was like ‘I’m just going to make my run.’ I put everything in God’s hands, and he made it work,” she said. “Shadow’s an amazing horse.”

PBRIP Hopes & Dreams Pole Bending Sweepstakes (unofficial results)

To learn more about PBRIP, visit pbrip.com; for full Youth World Show results, visit apha.com/ywcs/results and read the September 2017 Paint Horse Journal.

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