February, 2010 February marked the final Freedom Classic Horse Show! After 20 years, there will be no more. Youth, horses and FRIENDS all converged on Waco, TX to give it a proper send off! As usual, the show was well run, a lot of fun, and most importantly, ALL ABOUT THE KIDS! What an awesome way to honor an amazing tradition! Thank you to everyone who has helped to bring this show to our kids over the past 20 years! You guys are awesome and have done a wonderful thing! Nearly $200,000 in scholarships have been awarded over the years! WAY TO GO! On the last morning, USEF President and Olympic Gold Medalist, David O'Connor came to hand out trophies and talk to the kids! What an awesome treat! (upper left) Lance Lewis (at his 8th Freedom Classic) and Lyte Bey, ended the show with a bang! Together they were Champion Hunter Seat Equitation, Hunter Seat Pleasure and Reserve Champion Western Pleasure! Great job guys! As the show closed down, the High Point Awards were announced and Lance was High Point 13yr old! What a way to end the show! But, wait. . . Lance is the Overall Reserve High Point Winner of the show and gets to take home the coveted Yellow Jacket! It couldn't have been a better (yet somewhat tearful) way to send the Freedom Classic off to retirement! December, 2009 Lewis LTD wants to congratulate Lynne Rowlett on her purchase of Serr Signature. Lynne's program with her youth riders is an ideal place for Serr to live and be involved with! We're looking forward to seeing Serr in the show ring and continuing his legacy of bringing new young riders into the Arabian horse world!(upper right) September, 2009 The 2009 Texas State Fair Show was put on by the Arabian Horse Club of Texas. It is always a fun place to see people after the hot summer and watch the new up and coming young horses hit the ring for the first time. Madison Gessner and Korsakov SS (Kris) found their way back into the show ring after nearly 2 years off. What a tremendous change they have made in themselves! Madison's completely changed riding ability and comfort level with her horse showed, and each class showed their partnership more and more! It was very exciting when they took a 5th place in a class of 13 horses in the Hunter Pleasure Amateur to Ride Class. The rest of the class was adults and I would be willing to bet that more than 3/4 of the class will be competing in a few weeks at the Nationals show. They handled the traffic beautifully and had a really nice performance. Serr Signature has had to take a back seat to Lyte Bey for the last 18 months. He was thrilled to be able to get back in the ring with Lance. They were undefeated taking firsts in every class and culminating to Champion Hunter Pleasure JOTR and JTR 17 and under! They've still got it! June 2009 Ft. Worth, Texas was the site of the AHA Region 9 Championship Show. Lyte Bey and Lance Lewis attended and competed in their first Regional Show in Walk-Trot-Canter classes. "LB" and Lance were smoking hot this year and wowed everyone (including us!) with his performances. "LB" and Lance showed off their diverse talents and abilities and came away with the Regional Champion award in Showmanship AND Western Pleasure JOTR 13y and under. They also were Regional Reserve Champion in Western Pleasure JTR 13y and under AND Hunter Pleasure JOTR 13y and under. To round out their classes, they were Top 5 in the Hunter Pleasure JTR 13y and under. WE ARE SO PROUD! Also, a great big THANK YOU! to Jay and Robin Bray for their support and allowing Lance to compete on their Half-Arabian mare Celebrating Iris! Lance and Iris were also Top 5 in Hunter Pleasure JTR 13y and under! On to Nationals!!! . . . February 2009 The beginning of February marked the first show of the 2009 season! The Freedom Classic! The Freedom Classic horse show is a show that is put on with donated funds to allow the youth to show with minimal show fees. This year Lance Lewis and Lyte Bey attended. We stalled with our good friends Jay & Robin and Robin Bray. They brought three horses of their own. Lance showed their Half-Arabian, Celebrating Iris, Parker LaRue and Ninja also competed. Justin Bray and "Crystal" were also in attendance. It was GREAT FUN to have a barnful of boys. (Although, we have fun with all of our students.) We also REALLY enjoyed showing under Steve Leiblang. It was obvious from the very first class that this guy knew what he was looking for, not afraid to change up the way classes were run and ALWAYS seemed to put the exhibitors and their horses at the top of the priority list! The best part was that he really seemed to ENJOY himself right through the last class and took the time to talk to anyone who wanted to speak with him after the show was over. He was there for over an hour(if not longer) until he had answered all the questions presented to him. Lance and Lyte Bey pulled off firsts in both the Hunter Pleasure JOTR and JTR 13 and under classes. It was so fun to see them really start connecting and working so elegantly together. They were also Champion Hunter Pleasure JOTR 17 and under! In the Western Division, Lance and LB won the 13 and under JOTR class and were Reserve Champion in the JOTR 17 and under Championship. The Showmanship class was large and deep and they pulled off a first in that. Lance and Iris were 2nd in the Half-Arab Hunter Pleasure JTH 13 and under class as well as Reserve Champion in the 17 and under Championship. The real kicker for this show was Lance showing in his first canter Equitation classes. He won the Hunter Seat Equitation class 13y and under on LB. He then turned around and hopped on Iris and rode his very first Medal class ever. (First pattern under saddle, too.) They performed admirably and came away with another first! Equitation had never been his strong suit, but we're tickled with his work and practice to follow through with such nice rides. Parker and Ninja rode in the Walk Trot Hunter Pleasure and Equitation as well as the Western Pleasure and Equitation 10 and under classes. They also competed in the Halter and Showmanship classes and placed in everything they went in! Way to go! Justin and Crystal looked fabulous in the leadline class! It won't be long and he'll be following in the footsteps of his two buddies, Lance and Parker. When everything was packed up and ready to go, we headed to the arena to discover that Lance had won the $2000 scholarship for the 12y old division. Parker won the $2000 scholarship for the 10y old division. Not to shabby! June, 2008 June in Fort Worth can only mean one thing! Region 9 Championship show! We were blessed to haul two halter horses this year. We had a purebred 2yr old stallion named TAF Remember Me and a Half Arabian Yearling Filly named Legacy Walknonsunshine. Both horses were being shown for the first time under the big lights of Regionals! Legacy Walknonsunshine (Sunny) is a palomino filly owned by Kathy Williams of Legacy Arabians.She was so much fun to work with and teach and form a bond with! Sunny (shown by Chantelle) was Region 9 Top 5 Half-Arabian Yearling Sweepstakes Filly! She was the only filly in the class that was Western type and she held her own against the fancier Saddlebred crosses. She was hard to miss with her gorgeous golden color with a creamy mane and tail, gorgeous dark eyes and a look at me attitude! What fun we had! The show didn't end there though. TAF Remember Me (Ricky) is a bay purebred colt shown by Jessica Rowlett in the Breeding Stallion Amateur Owner to Handle class. He was the second youngest horse in the class. Normally, we would not recommend an amateur showing a two year old colt in most venues, but Ricky's loveable demeanor and kind attitude made him an exception to the rule. He was oblivious to the chaose that was going on around him in the ring. (Eventually leading to the horse behind him being excused because of poor behavior), and went on to show like a star and come away with the Region 9 Reserve Champion Breeding Stallion AOTH! Congrats Jessica and Ricky! You made us all proud! This was an especially treasured day as Ricky was the last colt that our dear friend, Gail Therrell, bred before she passed. The dam was a mare that we took to many awards including Top 10 Mare Halter AOTH (with Gail) and the sire was a black colt, Thee Onyx, that we had the pleasure to be involved with through his first few years in the halter ring. It was a very sentimental show for us and we're thrilled that it came out so well. We know that Gail was watching from above! September, 2007 Congratulations to Karen Campbell and Shez Just the Ticket ("Addie") on their achievement of the Arabian Horse Association Legion of Honor Award! This is something that not just ANY horse can accomplish! It has taken years of hard work and successful showing to get to this point! Way to go Karen and Addie! (upper left) June, 2007 Region 9 Championships are behind us. We had a week in Ft. Worth, and except for the last day and a half, the weather cooperated beautifully! The show was bigger than last year and a good time seemed to be had by all. We took three horses to show. Lyte Bey and Lance Lewis were Reserve Champion Gelding In Hand JTH 17y and under! We were soooo pleased. "LB" was the youngest horse in the class. They looked great together and we're proud of both of them. AV Olympic Spirit and Stephanie Young wowed everyone with the "black stallion" in the Arabian Stallion Breeding AAOTH! They had an amazing class and came away with a Top 5 Award! Way to go you guys! I couldn't have done better myself! Serr Signature and Lance Lewis had a good, if not busy, show as well! They were Reserve Champion Showmanship 13y and under and Top 5 Hunter Pleasure Walk-Trot as well as Top 5 Hunter Seat Equitation Walk-Trot! They had beautiful goes and we were pleased with the teamwork that was obviously there in their performances. We also had a another young lady, Megan Ferris, showing her horse Minstrels Voyaguer in the Showmanship class. Megan rides Hunter Pleasure on Voyager with Ross Tarkington and we've been working with her in Showmanship for the past several years. This year was a culmination of hard work and dedication! They were Champion Showmanship 13y and under! Way to go girl! I knew you could do it. Lance and Megan made us very proud with the Championship and Reserve Championship in the Showmanship Class. Who could ask for any better results! They are both gearing up for the Youth National Show in Albequerque at the end of July. They will be competing in different age groups, though, which is fortunate for us. We'll keep you posted on how the trip goes! May, 2007 Wow! What a busy couple of months! We attended two shows in the past few weeks. The first was the AHCT Spring Show, in Nacogdoches, TX. We go every year and between Dennis and Chantelle we haven't missed one in more than 20 years! We wouldn't miss it! We stalled with our good friends Jay and Robin Bray and the weather couldn't have been more beautiful. They even did a write up in the local paper about Lance! Lance Lewis took his two horses there. Lyte Bey(LB) competed in the Open Gelding In Hand as well as the AOTH Gelding in Hand. It was there first time to show as a team and they looked GREAT! They were Champion Open Gelding in Hand as well as Champion Halter AOTH overall! What a great way to start their show career as a team together! Lance then took him in the Showmanship class. It was a difficult pattern but LB stayed tough and Lance put him through his paces to take 1st place in that as well. Not being a Jr. Horse anymore, LB made his debut as a "grown-up" in the Western Pleasure classes. He was 1st place in the Western Pleasure Novice Horse class and took 3rd in the Championship! We were tickled with his willingness to work in the curb and hand gallop to boot! All in all, the Nacogdoches show was a success. The following week, we attended the NTAHC Mayfest show with a new horse show attendee for us, AV Olympic Spirit, an 8 yr old black Arabian stallion. He was shown for the first time as a halter horse and was 1st place with Chantelle in Stallion Breeding Halter 5yrs and over as well as Reserve Champion Stallion Breeding Halter! What a great start to his halter career. To top it off, he was shown to Reserve Champion Stallion Breeding Halter AOTH by Stephanie Young. It was Stephanie's first time to show halter as well and they did a fabulous job. We're very proud of both of them! February, 2007 The Freedom Classic Show in Waco was a rousing good time as it is always known to be. Where else can you get together with your friends and you're horses, have your face painted, shop for your prizes and watch kids get awarded "real, live" geldings for wining an essay contest! A good time was had by all. Attendees from Lewis LTD included Lance Lewis and Serr Signature, as well as Jordan Locke & O BreakDanser. Also, riding along was The Ricochet/Ricky. (More on him later.) Jordan and O BreakDanser had beautiful goes with minimal mistakes and spot on patterns, departures and ringmanship! They were awarded 5th out of 15 in the Showmanship 14-17 and placed in 3 out of 4 of the Western Pleasure 14-17 classes. Congratulations! You guys looked great! Lance Lewis and Serr Signature competed in 4 classes. They were first place in Showmanship 13y and under in a 14 horse class, first place in Gelding In Hand in a 15 horse class, 4th place in Hunter Seat Equitation Walk-Trot out of 10 horses, as well as second place (behind multiple National Champion Minnesota Spats) in the Hunter Pleasure Walk-Trot. The combined points of those 4 classes allowed Lance and Serr to win the 10 yr old high point award of a $2000 scholarship! Way to go Lance! Now, on to Ricky. . . We had the pleasure of presenting The Ricochet, a horse owned and donated by Terry Bradshaw to his new owner, essay contest winner, Sarah Smith! Wow, what a great combination they are going to make. Ricky was enamored immediately, and Sarah was as well. He jumped right on the trailer and headed south to his new home. We are so pleased for Sarah AND for Ricky as I think they are a match made in heaven! Be watching for them in the future! November, 2006 Lewis LTD took three horses to the NTAHC Shoot-Out Show in Glenrose, TX in November, 2006. The weather was BEAUTIFUL for the first two days, but turned downright chilly the last two days. Lance Lewis showed Serr Signature to Reserve Champion Gelding In Hand AOTH, as well as riding him to the win in the Hunter Pleasure Walk-Trot class! It was a beautiful ride! Lyte Bey (owned by Terry Bradshaw) and Dennis Lewis took the Reserve Champion Western Pleasure Jr. Horse with a fabulously steady and gorgeous ride! Chantelle Lewis and Prince Baraki (owned by Gene Gather) took first place in Hunter Pleasure Novice Horse, and followed that up with the Reserve Champion Hunter Pleasure Jr. Horse honors. Also, Megan Ferris and Minstrels Voyageur (a student of Chantelle's) were 1st place in the Gelding In Hand JTH, Champion Gelding in Hand AOTH AND 1st place Showmanship 13y and under. It was a great show, and we were proud of all our horses and students! January 2006 LANCE LEWIS named 2005 Walk-Trot 10y and under Horseman Award Winner! In January, 2006, Lance Lewis was recognized by the Region IX Arabian Horse Association as the winner of the 2005 Horseman Award in the Walk-Trot 10y and under category. To be eligible for this award, you must be nominated by someone in the Region IX Association and the three people who receive the most nominations go on the ballet for everyone in Region IX to vote on. Region IX consists of members in 4 states: Oklahoma, Texas, Arkansas and Louisiana. We are thrilled that one of our own received such a prestigious award from other members of the horse show world! What an honor! |
