"West Texas A&M University’s horse judging team traveled to Oklahoma City Nov. 12 for the American Quarter Horse Association World Championship and came home with a third- and seventh-place overall finish. The team earned a third and ninth place in halter, a second and fifth place in performance and a second and seventh place in reasons.
The WTAMU team earned a total of 3,391 points to garner the third-place berth and 3,302 for the seventh-place spot. Kansas State University tallied 3,451 points to win first place, followed by Oklahoma State University at second place with 3,423 points. Texas A&M University came in at fourth with 3,390 points, and Pennsylvania State University rounded out the top five with 3,339 points. The event brought in 77 contestants and 19 teams in the senior college division to compete in halter, performance and reasons.
In individual placings, Katy Hawkins, a junior agriculture education major from Needham, Ind., earned a second-place finish overall with a second in performance, an eighth in halter and a fifth in reasons. Kyle Vanderleest, a junior animal science major from Morrison, Ill., earned a first in performance, and teammate Kyla Myers, a junior agriculture communication major from Clovis, N.M., placed eighth in performance and sixth in reasons. Paighton Kelly, a junior agribusiness/equine industry and business major from Rhome, earned a ninth place in halter and an eighth place in reasons, and Brooke Parrish, a junior agribusiness/equine industry and business major from Elmwood, Ill., finished 10th in reasons.
“I am extremely proud of the students and how well they prepared and performed,” Dr. John Pipkin, director of the equine industry program and coach of the horse judging team, said. “The hard work the students invest in their preparation to maintain their status among the nation’s elite programs in contest after contest and year after year is truly admirable and should make everyone at WT proud. This is an extremely talented team of students that represented the University in excellent fashion.”
The WTAMU horse judging team will close out its fall competition schedule Nov. 28-29 at the NRHA Championships in Oklahoma City, Okla.
Members of the team are listed by their hometowns along with their classification and majors.
Allen
Catherine Johnson, junior agribusiness/equine industry and business major
Canyon
Lauren Moore, junior agriculture communication major
Clovis, N.M.
Kyla Myers, junior agriculture communication major
Elmwood, Ill.
Brooke Parrish, junior agribusiness/equine industry and business major
Kingston, Wash.
Madison Worland, junior agribusiness/equine industry and business major
Morrison, Ill.
Kyle Vanderleest, junior animal science major
Needham, Ind.
Katy Hawkins, junior agriculture education major
Rhome
Paighton Kelly, junior agribusiness/equine industry and business major
Wolfforth
Arienne Martinez, junior agribusiness/equine industry and business major"
-West Texas A&M University
