FORT WORTH, Texas — Doug Williamson and the Rocking J Ranch’s Short And Smart nabbed the Aaron Ranch Cow Horse Classic Derby, setting the stage for other California trainers and horses to make their mark in the National Reined Cow Horse Association Celebration of Champions, held Feb. 14 – 22 at the Will Rogers Equestrian Center. The big week featured the Derby, the 2013 NRCHA World Championshps, and the 2014 World’s Greatest Horseman competition (see page 20).

RANCHO MURIETA — Any other year, three inches of rain might dampen spirits at the season’s first Northern California reining event. This arid year, though, downpours were welcome Feb. 7-9 at the Murieta Equine Center, where a covered show arena and warm-up pen allowed West Coast Reining Horse Association members to kick off 2014 with its Affiliate 1 show.

BURBANK – California’s Steffen Peters and Legolas 92 showed why they are favorites to lead the U.S. Dressage Team to France for the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games this summer, putting on a dominant display at the California Dreaming Productions’ Mid-Winter Dressage Fair CDI-W/Y/J/U-25, held at the Los Angeles Equestrian Center.

Trainers Debbie McEwen, Leslie Thompson and Brianna Leahy are excited to announce that a new Western horse show series is coming to the North Orange County area! Way Out Western (W.O.W.) will be a series of four shows at the Mara Brandman Arena in Orange Park Acres. W.O.W. horse shows offer an open, affordable opportunity to show or school your Western horse. There is no club to join, and there will be enough divisions that all levels of riders will have a chance to compete with their peers. This could very well be the perfect show series you’ve been looking for – ready to start the beginners or tune up the experienced. Shows will offer classes in trail, horsemanship, pleasure, country pleasure and ranch pleasure. The trail courses will be designed by Don Lehman, who has been creating courses for PCHA and AQHA events for years. Plan to join the W.O.W. crew on March 16, June 15, July 20 and Sept 21. The W.O.W. goal is to provide a high-quality, non-rated, community event that brings riders from all over Orange County. The W.O.W. team welcomes input and comments as the shows progress. For further info, call (714) 740-5151, or visit www.wowhorseshows.com.

THERMAL — Jenny Karazissis of Calabasas is a regular contender in the Diamond Mills $500,000 Hunter Prix Final, and she has clearly lost no ground this year. On Saturday, she took Splendid to the win in the $5,000 Devoucoux Hunter Prix for owner Julia Landmann at HITS Thermal. With top scores of 85.75 and 88, Karazissis bested a field of 35 to win under the lights in the desert.

62nd in a series
Les introduced us last issue to exercises 3 and 4. Here are details for exercise 3.

THERMAL — In the $1,500 Platinum Performance Hunter Prix, a West Coast qualifier for the Platinum Performance $250,000 Hunter Prix Final at HITS-on-the-Hudson, Polly Sweeney of Pasadena jumped her own Duet to a win with consistent scores of 83 and 84. Sweeney rides under the direction of trainer Archie Cox.

FORT WORTH, Texas — True to form, the National Reined Cow Horse Association (NRCHA) World’s Greatest Horseman Championship finals, held Saturday, Feb. 22, in Fort Worth, Texas, came down to the very last fence run. The showdown in Cowtown ended with Spearman, Texas, professional Boyd Rice capturing the $25,000 World’s Greatest Horseman Championship by a half-point aboard Oh Cay N Short.