By Krystal Smalley
ksmalley@wbcowqel.com
English or Western, trail or contesting, Riley Erwin proved she can do it all. Erwin was named the 2014 Versatility grand champion Thursday afternoon after competing in five different events: showmanship, English equitation, trail, Western pleasure, and cones and barrels.
Erwin said her favorite part of the versatility class was Western Pleasure, stating that it starts to slow the show down and helps get their horses back to a calm state. Trail, however, was one that she found most challenging.
“Our trail class was most challenging this year. All the horses that were in it messed up something but it evened out,” she said.
The versatility class isn’t for the rider that is faint of heart. Besides having to compete in multiple events back-to-back, versatility comes with a lot of other challenges.
“Being able to memorize every pattern you have to do in the time limit, working with your horse and its ability,” said Erwin, adding that she wouldn’t be able to do anything without her side helpers. “Not being able to leave the ring, you have to change all of your outfits in the ring, your horse’s tack. It’s just an overall extremely challenging class and it’s really an experience to even show in it.”
Below are the results from the horse shows on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday.
Hunt and Saddle Type Showmanship Championships
Grand Champion Marie Harstine
Reserve Champion Sidney Long
Hunt and Saddle Seat Equitation Championships
Grand Champion Chloe Carman
Reserve Champion Riley Erwin
Western Showmanship Championships
Grand Champion Sidney Long
Reserve Alissa Bartholomew
Western Horsemanship Championships
Grand Champion Austin Burton
Reserve Champion Chloe Carman
Versatility
Grand Champion Riley Erwin
Reserve Champion Chloe Carman