Patty Roberts & Sweet N Spicy Me

It took Patty Roberts of Chatsworth, Georgia, 15 years to pick up her longe line again and head back into the show pen but when she did today at the 35^th Tom Powers Futurity she did it with a statement.

Roberts and her red roan filly, Sweet N Spicy Me, sired by It’s A Zippo Good Bar out of A Sudden Sweetness, won the Non-Pro Yearling Longe Line on all four judges cards and then marched right back in to the Open Yearling Longe Line and won that too.

Roberts last showed a longe line contender, Suddenly Tuffy, in 2000. She placed fifth at the Congress Non-Pro Longe Line that year and then the late Guy Stoops showed Suddenly Tuffy to a Reserve Congress Championship.

So why did she wait so long?

“I just haven’t been excited about one as a longe liner for a long time,” she says. “But from the time this filly was 3-4 months old and we’d watch her playing out in the field with the other foals, we could tell she was special.”

Patty and her husband, Waymond, own and stand It’s A Zippo Good Bar. Together they prepared Sweet N Spicy Me, to show in Michigan.

“Her self carriage was always there,” Patty explains. “Once we started handling her we could tell she was smart and was a natural.”

Patty says she was pleased with how the filly showed today.

“It was fun. Well it was once after I returned to the fence after my go,” she admits. “It’s been a long time and I was really nervous.”

The plan was to continue showing Sweet N Spicy Me at additional longe line futurities this year but after several inquiries, the filly was sold by the end of the day today.

“I probably enjoyed this one more than any other I’ve ever had because we raised her and she’s by our own stud,” Patty says.

In other Longe Line action today, Alan Wood showed Luv Sleepin In, sired by All Hands On Zip, to a win in the Yearling Longe Line Hunter Prospect class of five.

Alexandra Chavez continued collecting hardware today by winning the 2-Year-Old Non-Pro Hunter Under Saddle aboard Pretty Assets by Allocate Your Assets.

Then Its Al Over, also by Allocate Your Assets claimed the top prize in the 3-Year-Old Novice Horse Hunter Under saddle with Kristy Starnes in the irons. She and her husband, Jay, own the bay mare.

Judy Zeitler guided Only In Texas to a win in the Maturity Novice Novice Hunter Under Saddle. Then it was Judy Davis’ turn to grab blue in the Maturity Open Hunter Under Saddle aboard Just Like June, a 2011 bay mare, sired by Just Like Detail.

Pat Heeley, of Van Meter, Iowa, rode Four On Da Floor to a win in the 2-Year-Old Color Western Pleasure for owner, Mallory Menard.

Hillary Roberts & For One Night Only

Shannon Curl logged the next unanimous win in the Intermediate Open Maturity Western Pleasure class of eight aboard Impulse Of Hope, owned by Jerry and Vicki Strickland, of Jonesboro, Arkansas. Impulse Of Hope a 2009 brown mare sired by RL Best Of Sudden and out of multiple AQHA World and Congress Champion Hope By Invitation.

Hillary Roberts piloted For One Night Only, sired by Invitation Only in the 3-Year-Old Open Non-Pro Western Pleasure. Chum Machine, sired by Machine Made and out of Radical Roxanne, and Courtney Chown, of Pilot Point, Texas won the Intermediate portion of the class and then turned around and won the 3-Year-Old Intermediate Open Western Pleasure.

Wade Black & Justa Machine

Paisley Puthoff rode Bestdippednchocolate for Vogue Quarter Horses, of Whitesboro, Texas, to a win in the 2-Year-Old Limited Open Western Pleasure and then returned a few classes later to win the Intermediate division of the class. The brown mare is sired by RL Best Of Sudden.

Cheryl Mullikin’s bay gelding, Justa Machine, captured top honors in the 3-Year-Old Intermediate Open Western Pleasure with Wade Black aboard. Justa Machine is sired by Machine Made out of Zip N Therapy.

Rewind And Repeat, owned by Jerry and Susan Dempze, of Ruldoph, Wisconsin, and ridden by Jenna Dempze tied to win the Maturity Open Non-Pro Western Pleasure with Deanna Green and Bestseatnthehouse. Rewind And Repeat is sired by Repeated In Red while Best Seat In The House is by RL Best Of Sudden.

Jenna Dempze & Rewind And Repeat

Adam Mathis rode Sleep Machine, by Machine Made, to a win in the 3-Year-Old Limited Open Western Pleasure for owner William Cox.

Closing out the day’s action, Consider Me Best and Cole Baker won the Maturity $2,500 Limited Horse Western Pleasure for owner Jean Brooks, of Laurel Hill, Florida. Consider Me Best is sired by RL Best Of Sudden.

Saturday’s lineup includes the Super Sires Western Pleasure Class, the 2-Year-Old Sale Stakes Class and a BBQ, followed by this year’s Yearling Sale. Competition starts at 8 a.m. with the 3-Year-Old Open Hunter Under saddle followed by the 2-Year-Old Open Hunter Under Saddle.

Check back often as we continue to post results from the day’s events.