Well I hate to say rein or rain with Arizona washing away but it was a full day and then some with our reining class today.

The players: Kate Buchanan on two horses, Jessica Liebold, Kaylee Naylor on two horses, Robbi Kay Pederson and Chandler Winard.

Out of 117 runs today most of the reiner girls were in the top 23 in the draw. First out of our team in draw 12 was Chandler and she posted a really good score of 214.5 which would hold as a top score for many runs.  Kaylee on her first horse draw # 15 had a few bobbles and had a good score but not enough to keep her in the top numbers for the finals or shoot out, this would be the same for Kate with her horse in draw # 18. Then we had a few horses before the next draw 29 Jessica Leibold would post a 208 this would be a score high enough for the shoot out, well until those darn last horses went and bumped the bubble to 208.5 – so close Jessica, thank you for coming and I hoped you had fun on team Arizona!  Next to go in the draw was Kaylee on her second horse on draw 51.  Kaylee had a really good ride and posted a 212.5 to make it into the finals, so Kaylee is gong to the Finals on Saturday in reining! YAY.  We had to wait until draw 71 for Robbi-Kay to ride and her score just short by a half to make it in the finals, her score 211.5, just short of the finals so she had to go into the shoot out to see if she would be able to be one of the five to be taken from the shoot out and to go into the finals with the rest. We would have to wait until draw 116 second to last to go for the day for Kate’s second horse to show.  It started off really well but she had a bit of lead problems and would not score enough to make it to the shoot out.

In the shoot out Robbi Kay was our only rider to make it back to the shoot out she started out strong but a few things just didn’t go how she planed and after she woke up Joe Carter the judge by getting a little closer view of her horse than he wanted she would not make it back to the finals from the shoot out.

So to recap we have two girls going into the reining finals on Saturday, Kaylee Naylor on Spookamatic and Chandler Winard on Tags Golden Star, so get some rest lady’s! Thanks to Matt Mills and Patrick Flaherty for coming to help your youth girls.  Brent Naylor and Dan Huss you still have work to do!

Thankfully with the reining draws that we had I had time to run over to watch Taylor Searles on She Says Aloha in the Hunter Under Saddle finals.  I was sitting with Sunny Parker, the announcer would begin the placing’s the line up started getting smaller, top five then top three. On the third place horse he said the rider was 1st in 13 and under, so that’s not Taylor, yay! Down to Two! Seemed like the announcer took forever to say placing 1st in the Level 2- I knew then that’s not Taylor- she won the GOLD!  The announcer finished with the second place information and then Taylor Searles with She Says Aloha wins first place and the Gold trophy for Hunter Under Saddle- Great Job Taylor!

Roping!  It starts tomorrow with breakaway for Shandiin, then Kate Buchanan with two horses in heading and then Shandiin in the heeling. I hoping for big things from my roper girls, they have big shoes to fill since the Hershberger boys are not here this year. Wyatt will be starting College at New Mexico University and Garrett will be starting High School this year, wow how they grow up so fast.  Thank you to Dad Jason who sent me information for Isabella Nunes’ horse that is not sweating, I’m sure she thanks you. I guess someone does read these blogs. LOL

Just two more days left, I fly out on the late flight on Saturday so that days blog will be coming on Sunday so Lolli don’t stay up waiting to read the blog from Saturday.

Thanks to all of you that have sent thanks for the blogs on the show, and good wishes for the team its nice to know that you all care about the Arizona Youth Team.

Till Tomorrow

Connie Hay
AzQHYA Advisor