Janssen Performance Horses took a small contingency of horses to this show. Several clients and/or horses needed breaks from the busy summer cutting schedule. Despite that, there was plenty of success to go around.

Ryan Lind added earnings in his quest for the Area 6 championships in both the Junior Youth and $2000 Limited Rider. Ryan currently leads them both, and won 3 out of 4 times in the pen at Strait Rail, placing second in his other run. He rode Sunny Rey Solano, Smart Chicaway and Bodee Quixote.

Jim Spalla took second on his new mare, Discos Hickory Stick, in the $2000 Limited Rider.

Smart  Chicaway and Bob Janssen also pulled a second place check in the Open, and Anita Janssen earned checks in the $5000 Novice Horse and $20000 Non Pro.  

MCHA Cutting: Nevis, MN: April 25-26

We took a smaller contingency of horses and riders to the MCHA-sanctioned show in Nevis, MN on April 25-26. Since we were leaving for Ogden, Utah and the NCHA Western National Championships on the 28th, the horses going to Ogden remained at home resting for their journey. Despite that fact, Team Janssen had a fantastic show, with Bob Janssen placing first and second in the Open on Smart Chicaway; winning the $3000 Novice Horse on Colord By Vandals both days; And winning (on PA Hickory owned by Michelle Goss) and placing third (on Discos Hickory Stick owned by Deb Dryden) in the $10,000 Novice Horse.

Jim Spalla & Michelle Goss each placed second in the $2000 Limited Rider; Anita Janssen won a third place check in the $5000 Nov NP on Colord By Vandals; Deb Dryden won her first MCHA money placing second in the $1000 rider, as well as second in the Rookie. Steph Dryden and Shortys Little Jewel swept the rookie class, winning each day!

NCHA Western National Championships: Ogden, Utah, April 28-May 9

Our son, Ryan Lind, competed against the best and held his own. After the first go-round in the Jr. Youth, Ryan was third on Sunny Rey Solano, easily making the finals. He also made the finals on Smart Chicaway in the $2000 Limited Rider. The duo had a mishap with a determined cow, but finished strong on their last two cows and had the entire building cheering right to the gritty end.

We are pleasantly surprised at the number of inquiries we are receiving regarding breedings to Smart Chicaway. We hope that is in response to his offsprings’ successes at last year’s limited aged events across the region. We want to breed your good mares, so if you are considering whether or not you want to breed this year, call us, we’ll make you an offer you can’t refuse!

Bob Janssen and Janssen Performance Horses will be on the road quite a bit in April. Bob is leaving next week to spend three days riding again with Larry Bylo in Missouri. This is a great opportunity to network with other trainers and continue honing skills with a consistent limited aged event contender and champion.

On April 18 & 19, Bob is one of the featured clinicians at the NDSU Horse Fair. He will be doing demonstrations on both cutting and reining, and Smart Chicaway will be travelling with us as the featured star during cutting demos. If you are in attendance, please make sure you stop by our booth at the trade show and say hello.

April 25 & 26 takes JPH to Strait Rail Ranch for the second MCHA cutting of the year. We’ll have a fairly light load of horses going to this show because we’ll be leaving on the 28th for the NCHA Western National Championships in Ogden, Utah. We are choosing to leave all of our Ogden competitors at home during the weekend show so that they are rested and ready for national competition. Last year’s Western Nationals were highly successful with two top ten finishes (Bob on Smart Chicaway in the $10,000 Novice Horse and Ryan Lind on Sunny Rey Solano in the Jr. Youth) and a third person making the finals (Mark Blackwell on Smart Chicaway in the $2,000 Limited Rider). We look forward to a fun and successful show this year as well.

Bob Janssen riding Smart Chicaway, owned by Mark/Patti Blackwell, Open 1st place (scoring 75)

Bob Janssen riding Young N Freckless, owned by Janis Amatuzio, Open 2nd place

Bob Janssen riding JTS Aristocrat, owned by Catherine Hazelroth, $10,000 Novice Open 1st place (scoring 75)

Bob Janssen riding Discos Hickory Stick, owned by Jeremy/Jen Lindman, $10,000 Novice Open 1st place

Bob Janssen riding Colord By Vandals, owned by Bob/Anita Janssen, $3,000 Novice Open 3rd place

Bob Janssen riding High Brow Madonna, owned by Mark/Patti Blackwell, 4-year-old Open, 3rd place

Bob Janssen riding Lenas Lucky Chic, owned by Jeremy/Jen Lindman, 4-year-old Open, 3rd place

Janis Amatuzio riding Young N Freckless, $50,000 Amatuer, 3rd place

Catherine Hazelroth riding Red Hot Chicaway, 4-year-old Non-Pro, 2nd place

Nicole Dryden riding Discos Hickory Stick, Rookie, 2nd place

Brittany Staeck riding Colord By Vandals, Youth 2nd place

Jim Spalla riding Hollys Prince Jewel, $2000 Limited Rider, 2nd place

Renea Meyer riding Young N Freckless, $2000 Limited Rider, 1st place

Ryan Lind riding Smart Chicaway, $2000 Limited Rider, 1st place

Ryan Lind riding Sunny Rey Solano, Youth, 2nd place

Anita Janssen riding Sunny Rey Solano, $20,000 Non Pro, 1st and 2nd place

Anita Janssen riding Colord By Vandals, $5000 Novice Non-Pro, 1st place

And congratulations to Stephanie Dryden at her first show, showing Shortys Little Jewel.

Good luck to the following JPH horses & clients:

Young N Freckless owned by Janis Amatuzio/ridden by Janis Amatuzio & Bob Janssen

Shortys Little Jewel owned by Stephanie Dryden/ridden by Stephanie Dryden & Bob Janssen

Discos Hickory Stick owned by Jeremy & Jen Lindman/ridden by Bob Janssen

JTS Aristocrat owned by Catherine Hazelroth/ridden by Bob Janssen & Ryan Lind

High Brow Madonna owned by Mark & Patti Blackwell/ridden by Bob Janssen

Lenas Lucky Chic owned by Jeremy & Jen Lindman/ridden by Bob Janssen

Red Hot Chicaway owned by Catherine Hazelroth & Jim Bean/ridden by Bob Janssen & Catherine Hazelroth

Colord by Vandals owned by Bob & Anita Janssen/ridden by Bob Janssen & Brittany Staeck

Sunny Rey Solano owned by Anita & Bob Janssen/ridden by Bob Janssen, Anita Janssen & Ryan Lind

Smart Chicaway owned by Mark & Patti Blackwell/ridden by Bob Janssen & Ryan Lind

Shortys Last Stretch owned and ridden by Catherine Hazelroth

Smart Chic Hoo Does owned and ridden by Virginia Daniels

Hollys Prince Jewell owned and ridden by Jim Spalla

It will be Stephanie Dryden’s and Virginia Daniels’ first time in the cutting show pen. Have fun everyone. If you are in the Fergus Falls area, stop by and say hello!

While many of the JPH clients opted out of this show, everyone who did attend had a successful weekend. A huge congratulations to Janis Amatuzio, who won not only her very first NCHA class, but also her second. Janis won the $2000 Limited Rider on Saturday, as well as the $10,000 Amatuer on Sunday riding her gelding Young N Freckless. Anita Janssen and Jim Spalla took 1st and 2nd (respectively) in Sunday’s $20,000 Non Pro class. Ryan Lind showed Sunny Rey Solano to a Youth Class victory on Saturday.

Just because show season has wrapped, doesn’t mean things are quiet at JPH. We have a number of coming-two-year-olds that will begin their training in December, as well as a number of current two-year-olds and the three-year-olds to keep progressing. Bob has plans to spend a week in Missouri riding with accomplished trainer, Larry Bylo, between the NCHA futurity and the Christmas holiday.  Larry had a tremendous futurity season this fall, having had nearly his entire show string consistent finalists at the regional futurities, as well as numerous reserve championships and championships. He was this fall’s AQHA Congress Futurity Champion as well. With this opportunity, as well as others in the planning stages, Bob looks forward to continuing to enhance his successful limited aged event training program.  

Today’s AQHA cutting competition resulted in Team JPH sweeping all three ( Open, Amateur and Youth) divisions. Bob Janssen placed first (on Smart Chicaway, owned by Mark & Patti Blackwell’s Fresh Horses Farm of Delano, MN) and second (on JPH-owned Sunny Rey Solano) in the 16-horse AQHA Open class.  Sunny & I also teamed up to win the 10-horse Amateur class, with Catherine Hazelroth coming in second on Shortys Last Stretch. Ryan Lind took Sunny in the pen one more time to win the youth class.  

Bob will show in the NCRCHA Derby tomorrow, as well as show KR Smoken Tee and To Smart Lil Juice in the AQHA Open reining. Ryan will also team up with Smoken in the AQHA Youth Reining division.

The show was huge, and didn’t end until nearly 11 p.m. on Sunday evening. The Janssen Performance Horses Team had a great show, and at the year-end MCHA banquet Saturday night also celebrated a very successful year. Congratulations to the following Team JPH Horses & Non-Pros for their success during the 2008 MCHA season: Ryan Lind, 2008 Junior Youth Champion; Brittany Staeck, 2008 Senior Youth Champion; Sunny Rey Solano ridden by Bob Janssen/owned by Bob & Anita Janssen, $10,000 Novice Horse Champion; Jon Dorau, $2,000 Limited Rider Reserve Champion & $10,000 Amatuer 3rd Place; Jim Spalla, $2,000 Limited Rider 3rd Place. This year the MCHA also awarded circuit awards based upon points for the 4 MCHA produced shows: Brittany Staeck received the trophy buckle in the Senior Youth and Sunny Rey Solano/Bob Janssen won the $10,000 Novice Horse.

Congratulations also to Jim Spalla, who won the Sylvan Nelson Memorial Trophy, at the Fall Festival of Cutting.

In the Area 6 Championship races, Team JPH continues to be in the hunt in a couple of classes: Bob Janssen moved into the lead with Sunny Rey Solano in the $10,000 Novice Horse Class, and Team JPH members Jon Dorau and Jim Spalla are nearly tied for the $2,000 Limited Rider class. Good luck to all!