Madeline Keyes Captures American Quarter Horse World Championship
Local Rider competes in Oklahoma
Madeline Keyes of Middleport, NY attended the American Quarter Horse Youth Association World Championship show in August of this year. The championship show is held in Oklahoma City, OK Youth members from all over the world are in attendance. The United States is the largest representatives, but exhibitors from others countries traveled as well, such as; Costs Rica, Canada, Denmark, Luxembourg, and many more.
This event is a coveted event for the AQHYA members and exhibitors. It is a show that requires a predetermined number of points in order to qualify to compete.
Madeline and Her horse competed in three events. Riders must ride in a preliminary ride first. The top 15 entries will then go on to qualify for the finals rounds. Which is typically one or two days later. Madeline and her horse qualified for the finals in all 3 events. They placed 4th in the Working Hunter and were named World Champion in both the Hunter Hack and Equitation over fences. This is something every rider dreams of achieving. It is not hard to recognize the partnership that Madeline and her horse have with each other. Madeline says “he (her horse) picked the pace when we entered the ring. I let him take me through the course. He was right there for me, every step of the way.”
Madeline and her horse train and reside at Amy Hanssen Training Center in Middleport, NY. AHTC offers ridding lessons, boarding, and training. If you stop by, Maddy will most likely be there to greet you with smile. She puts in a lot of hours at the barn, and her hard work has shown off in recent years. She was also awarded the National high point titles for AQHA Youth working hunter and Youth Equitation Over Fences. Her horse also went on to win the National title of AQHA Open Senior working Hunter and Open Senior Hunter Hack in 2017. Huge accomplishments for this horse, rider and their team.