The All American Quarter Horse Congress. Here’s the weekend as it happened, for everyone who was part of it.
Follow the weekendA quick guide
A western performance event where horse and rider perform a precise pattern: large fast circles and small slow circles at the lope, flying lead changes, 360-degree spins, rollbacks, and sliding stops. Precision, smoothness, and willingness are the goal, ideally on a loose rein. The crowd-pleasing sliding stop begins at a full gallop, then the horse sits back and slides twenty feet or more through the dirt. Saturday’s Reining Futurity finals were the centerpiece of the weekend.
A pattern class designed to show a horse that could put in a day’s ranch work. Horse and rider walk, trot, and lope with extended gaits, lead changes, stops, and turnarounds — some of reining’s vocabulary, but in a natural, forward frame rather than deep collection. Judges look for manners, softness, and practical efficiency. The horse should look like a pleasant, obedient partner, not a show-ring specialist.
An obstacle course that mimics the jobs of a working ranch horse: opening gates, crossing bridges, stepping over logs, dragging objects, and working a rope dummy. Each obstacle is scored on calmness, correctness, and the horse’s trust in the rider. It is the most “real life” of the pattern events — less about flash and more about a horse you would actually want on a ranch.
A timed speed event in which horse and rider run a cloverleaf pattern around three barrels as fast as possible. Knocking over a barrel adds a five-second penalty, so the test is velocity plus control. Races are often decided in fractions of a second. The amateur division is for non-professional riders.
Scott and Amy arrived, and we headed back to my place in Mason. Dinner at Twin Cities, where we polished off multiple orders of meatballs, parmesan fries, and a New York pizza.
I spent the afternoon at Congress — saw Jessica and Connor, picked up an Ariat sweatshirt for Amy’s Christmas gift, and went to Jessica and Connor’s trailer to see Jennifer and Josephine.
Josephine is Jessica and Connor’s three-month-old daughter; Jennifer is Jessica’s mother. Dinner at the hotel sports bar — loud, but the food was good. The golf-cart rental worked well, though I’m still getting the lay of the grounds.
The Congress cover stated September 26–October 24, 2026, with more than $5 million in purse and prizes. The Reining finals anchored the day.
The whole grounds in one picture.
Amateur Barrel Racing, followed by Ranch Trail Riding — an obstacle course mimicking ranch work — anchoring the afternoon.
Cowboy Leather is Jessica and Connor’s booth — Jessica is Bob and Jennifer’s daughter. Sam Bunge is Janet and Joe’s child.
The whole group together.
In the golf cart.
Paul and Bob.
Jessica and Connor’s three-month-old daughter — her own page of moments from the weekend.
Visit Josephine’s page →
