A West Texas A&M University horse judging squad was named reserve champion at a recent national competition— coming just one point shy of tying the winner.
The WTAMU team placed second behind a Texas A&M University team at the National Reined Cow Horse Judging Contest, held Feb. 22-23 in Fort Worth.
This is the first contest for the team under the fulltime leadership of its new coach, Dr. Christy Petry-Adams, instructor of agricultural business and economics, following the December retirement of longtime coach Dr. John Pipkin.
“The team’s reserve championship truly highlights their adaptability and unwavering commitment to upholding WT’s legacy of excellence in horse judging,” Petry-Adams said. “Despite the narrow loss, it’s a rallying point to push us even further in our future competitions.
“Stepping into this role after Dr. Pipkin’s retirement, I am proud to witness the continued success of our team and excited for the future and our continuing legacy of winning.”
A second WTAMU squad came in sixth.
Three WT students also ranked in the top 10 in individual placings: Morgan Holcomb, from Canyon, in second; Abigail Newbold, from Alvord, in fourth; and Trenton Hammerand, from Epworth, Iowa.
WT’s White squad scored 1609 points in all, breathing down the neck of the A&M squad, which scored 1601 points. A second A&M team also posted a score of 1609, but WT came out ahead in the tiebreaker.
Other competitors included Texas Tech University, the University of Arkansas and Laramie County College, among others.