Lauren Bork and Theultimate Advantage recently took their versatility all the way to a pinnacle APHA title.

By JILL SCHELLENBERG

GARDLINE PHOTOGRAPHY, COURTESY LAUREN BORK

eaching APHAs apex of Amateur all-around accomplishmentsthe Superior Amateur Championshipis two-fold. It takes a remarkable horse and an equally talented rider to tackle the feat. And for a team thats been together for only 19 months, reaching the achievement that, to date, has only been awarded to ve other horse-and-rider duos, might seem impossible. But as the newest inductees to this elite group, Lauren Bork of Westminster, Maryland, and her 2009 chestnut overo gelding Theultimate Advantage, proved they have what it takes. APHA rewards versatility with the Superior Amateur Championship. The road to the top title is daunting: horse and rider must earn a combined 270 points in Amateur halter and performance classes, four Superior Event Awards and four additional Registers of Merit in other events. See Rule AM-035 in the Ofcial APHA Rule Book for specic award requirements at apha.com/ forms/rule-books.
Under Lauren Borks guidance, Theultimate Advantage has earned Superiors in Amateur trail, hunt-seat equitation, Western horsemanship, halter, showmanship, Western Pleasure, barrel racing and pole bending.

As a team, Lauren and Guinness have gone above and beyond the awards requirements, racking up more than 1,000 points in 16 different classes, along with eight Superiors and 15 ROMs. Hes only 5, she said, but theres something about him. Hes got a lot of heart. Whenever I show him, he just does whatever I ask him to do. The rst few times I showed him, he had never done the all-around events, and he was just so willing to do anything Id ever want him to do. The 21-year-old equestrienne is amazed by the achievement, though this is not her rst taste of a superior all-around championship; Lauren won the Superior Youth Champion title in 2010 with her former mount, Shez By Design. With that award under her belt, she set her sights on the Amateur titleshe just needed the right horse to take her there. Since earning the award with Shez By Design, earning it again has always been my dream, Lauren said. For as accomplished as a partner as Lauren could have wished for, Guinness fell into Laurens lap by accident. In February 2012, when the horse Laurens mother, Lisa, was planning to show came up lame, trainer Deb Powers offered her the opportunity to try Guinness, who is by The Ultimate Fancy and out of Impacts Amazing Grace. Lisa and the then-3-year-old gelding hit it off, and she purchased him soon after. Then in June 2012, when Laurens mount Stylin Like A Star developed an abscess, Lisa offered Guinness to her daughter. The gelding soon proved more versatile than Lauren could have hoped. The second weekend that I showed him we went without my trainer, Lauren recounted. I had been jumping my other horse, Stylin Like A Star, and I was itching to jump, so I called her and asked her if I could just try jumping Guinness. She said, Well, hes never done it before but set up a jump and see. I took him out on Friday night, and he jumped right over. That weekend,

we won Amateur Hunter Hack under two judgesand that was his rst time. Despite his young age, Guinnesss adaptability and willingness didnt end there. When I rst started showing Guinness, I had no idea he would be so versatile, Lauren said. It was only supposed to be a temporary

points in barrel racing or pole bending and two points in reining. However, the largest obstacle on the road to the title was a nal Superiorfor that, they needed either points in Western pleasure or in hunter under saddle. Lauren and Guinness initially pushed for the hunter under saddle Superior, but ultimately nished their

Guiness favorite classes are the speed events. Hes the fastest horse Ive ever run, Lauren said.

thing, but as we added events and he started doing really well, I realized we had a chance at the Superior Amateur title. Guinness played double-duty in 2012 as Lauren shared him with her mother, who was competing for the Amateur Rookie of the Year title. We all had to work together in order to be successful, Lauren said. We added more and more events to Guinness plate until we were doing every single event offered at the show! The young partnership continued to grow stronger throughout the show-packed year. By early 2013, Lauren and Guinness needed only 16

Superior in Western pleasure rst. I was just worried that I wouldnt be able to do it because I needed the pleasure points and hes not a pleasure horsehes a great all-around horse, Lauren said. But he needed that Superior, and so I hoped and prayed we would get it. And get it they did, catapulting them to the rank of Superior Amateur Champion. They joined ve fellow-titled duos: Fred Sutherland on Double Buz Too, Sheryl Biondahl on Max Attack, Leona Martz on Buried Treasure, Jamie Gossett on Skipsdandy Classic, and Denise Dunlap on Hezaradical Dude.
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GARDLINE PHOTOGRAPHY, COURTESY LAUREN BORK

GARDLINE PHOTOGRAPHY, COURTESY LAUREN BORK

In the chase for the Amateur Superior Championship, Lauren and Guinness also achieved their Open Superior All-Around Championship and thereby joined another elite group. Lauren was presented both her Superior All-Around Champion title as well as her Superior Amateur Championship at the 2013 APHA World Championship Show in Fort Worth, Texas. Though she plans to sell the gelding, who is currently No. 1 on the 2013 Open Top 20 and No. 6 on the Classic Amateur Top 20 (as of November 15), this doesnt mean shes putting her show career on cruise control. Lauren is setting her eyes on another Superior Amateur Champion title with

her 2010 sorrel tobiano gelding U Gotta Rodda Trouble. Id love to get it again, because I love to do every single event, she said. I gure if I do it enough, I can get it. Despite moving on to a different mount, Lauren doesnt take for granted how special of a partner she had in Guinness. Hes only 5, and hes already accomplished more than most horses will ever accomplish in their lifetimes. Its just amazing to me what hes donewhat hes done in single weekends. Its overwhelming. Jill Schellenberg was the Fall 2013 editorial intern for the Paint Horse Journal. To comment on this article, email feedback@apha.com.

Nicknamed the energizer bunny because of his seeming tirelessness, Guinness was exhibited by Lauren, her mother and trainer Deb Powers in 2012.

KEEPING SCORE
In order to reach the Superior Amateur Championship, Lauren kept close watch over her points. While glancing at fellow riders points, she discovered something surprising. Ive always watched everybody else and looked online at the points and other people who have shown, she said. So many people have come so close to being Superior Amateur Champions but lacked just a few points. Because of her observations, she alerted fellow competitor and friend Destiny Clagg that she was just two Youth halter points away from the Superior Youth Champion award. Read about Destinys accomplishments in the October 2013 Paint Horse Journal. Dont miss out on an extraordinary APHA milestone. Keep track of your points at aphaonline.org. Heres how: Go to aphaonline.org and sign in with your APHA member ID number and pin. Upgrade to the Silver level (APHA Basic) if you havent already. Its $25 for 12 months of service. View your point standings by clicking Performance Records or Show Results under the Silver (APHA Basic) tab in the right-hand sidebar.

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