(Photos submitted) Ashley Bredlow, 12, showing her horse, Adventurous Fleet, in the Showmanship class at the 2008 World Pinto Horse Show. Bredlow and "Ady" placed third in the world in the Ideal Pinto category, which combines the Western Pleasure and Halter classes.

Wearing a new world championship belt buckle around his waist, Jeff Somers, who has accumulated over 30 years in the equine arena, exclaimed this year has been one of the most fun for him.

"To see the families compete in shows and do so well, and to watch these kids and their families evolve into what they're doing, is amazing," humbly stated the 46-year-old owner of Somers Quarter Horses of rural Sioux Rapids.

Jeff Somers atop Duplicate This, Ashley Bredlow, Heidi McGuire, Jodie Bredlow, and Pam and Allie Radintz, from right, posed for a victory photograph during a world-class horse show held June 10 - 21 in Tulsa, Okla. For their commendable performances at the event, Somers and "Rosie" earned six blue ribbons, two championship world ribbons, two belt buckles, one trophy and a jacket.

Of the eight horses the native of Spencer worked with at the 2008 World Pinto Horse Show, held June 10 - 21 in Tulsa, Okla., three top 10s, three top fives, three reserve world and three world championships were awarded.

Three mother-daughter teams from the surrounding area attended and competed in the event, deemed the "super bowl" for pinto horses, with Somers. Horses owned and ridden by Jodie and Ashley Bredlow of rural Spencer, Pam and Alexandra "Allie" Radintz of rural Albert City, and Heidi and Bailey McGuire of Sioux Rapids were joined by another Somers-trained horse owned by Susan DeRouche, a Kansas City Chiefs cheerleader.

The dual resident of Sioux Falls and Kansas City had only owned her horse one month before competing and placing eighth in the world in the Novice Amateur Hunter Under Saddle class and fifth in the world in the Amateur Hunter Under Saddle class last month.

"She didn't win a world or a reserve championship, but she had probably one of the most spectacular shows," Somers said of DeRouche's competitive rides. "...That horse she's riding is a reserve world champion itself, and also was fifth in the nation point-wise in the paint horses."

"Not every horse can be a superstar; but every horse has a level of competition inside it. And I want to see the best of every horse that I can, if I'm given the opportunity to," he added. "But it's more exciting for me to sit back and watch the families compete, and see how well they do. In my book, it says more about a trainer when his clients win on top of the horses he's trained. ... So my goal as a trainer is to see the horse and its rider -- the owners, the kids, the families -- do well."

No matter what the level -- whether it be a 4-H, an open or a breed show -- competition is stiff in this industry, taking much dedication from its participants. The other Somers team members also prevailed at the 2008 World Pinto Horse Show: Allie Radintz, who rode in the first class the first day of the event, placed eighth in the world in the Youth Hunter Under Saddle class; Bailey McGuire, who turned 12 after Jan. 1, competed in 11-and-under classes and ended up a reserve world champion in the Western Pleasure class; and Ashley Bredlow placed third in the world on her horse in the Youth Ideal Pinto class. Somers rode Jodie Bredlow's horse, Duplicate This (Rosie), to claim world champion titles in the Junior Western Pleasure and Junior Ideal Pinto classes, as well as the National Snaffle Bit Association's top award in Western Pleasure.

"Jodie is a very strong-willed, professional person who has confidence in herself. ... She'd competed on that horse several times against some of the best horses in the world -- and beat them. This time, though, we made a decision when we got down there that, for Rosie's sake, this is her last year as a junior horse, we'd give her the best opportunity to go in and win it," Somers said. "...Knowing the stakes that were there, Jodie, being the person she is, stood back and said, 'I want the horse to win, so I'm going to wait. Take her and go do your thing.'"

Somers, who has been described as being a "very patient," "persistent," "methodical and very good teacher," has an approach to training novice and amateur equestrians that differs from other trainers. He encourages them to work with their horses themselves, whether cleaning up after them, saddling them or riding them.

"I do the same in this barn that all the schools do: If they don't carry a C average, they don't ride," Somers said of his student clients.

The trainer let out a chuckle as he recalled his parents entrance into the horse business when his middle brother, Greg, bought a quarter horse with his paper route money. Somers, who advanced his fervor for horses by enrolling in classes at Iowa State University and then at a Texas college, accepted his first full-time job in the industry at Cauble Ranch, where the late Rex Cauble, a legend in the quarter horse business, hosted what was then the largest privately-owned indoor arena in America and Cutter Bill, the late three-time world champion and American Quarter Horse Association Hall of Fame cutting horse that gained fame in the late 1950s and early 1960s. There, the assistant trainer rode, groomed and clipped horses from January 1983 until 1984.

Somers then worked with horse trainer Punk Carter, a Hall of Fame cutting horse legend, in Celina, Texas until 1988, when he decided to venture out on his own in eastern Texas. Somers eventually moved back to Iowa in 1992 and established Somers Quarter Horses -- which hosts an indoor arena with an attached 14-stall heated stable -- at its present site in 2001.

The local award-winning delegation, meanwhile, was met by Christine Woodford, a Cedar Rapids veterinarian, acupuncturist and animal chiropractor, and Julie Kunde, a Peosta-based rider, in Tulsa. While neither woman currently stables horses in Somers facility, both serve as part of the team during horse shows. While Woodford earned world championships in the Western Horsemanship and Bareback Western Horsemanship categories, Kunde garnered the world Novice Amateur Western Pleasure title on her horse.

The Bredlows quest to ride a world champion

Gerry and Jodie Bredlow, who both grew up with horses, continued the tradition when they were first married. But the herd vanished soon after their sons, Dusty and Kelly, were born, until daughter Ashley came along a few years later. When she, as a 4-year-old, requested a pony, the couple reentered the horse trade.

Ashley's "ornery Shetland" was soon accompanied by another horse on the Bredlow farm. And, as a 5-year-old, Ashley earned the first two trophies of a multitude she's received over the last eight years during the first horse show she participated in. As her passion for horses grew, the youngest Bredlow advanced to ownership of Zippo, a quarter horse. She also became a regular at open horse shows throughout northwest Iowa, as well as paint and pinto horse shows held at Kirkwood Community College. Ashley, who will commence her seventh grade year at Spencer Middle School next month, is also an active member of the Clay County Conquistadors, a 4-H club devoted to horses and the preparation of better equestrians.

The Bredlows transferred from owning quarter horses to paint horses in 2005 and 2006. At the same time, they contacted Somers to break a horse for them; he became a trainer for Jodie and Ashley, and their respective show horses, soon after.

Today, the Bredlows own several registered paint horses and one quarter horse mare. They breed two brood mares and raise the colts. The Bredlows also own three show horses: Duplicate This (Rosie), Adventurous Fleet (Ady), and Dave. Rosie and Ady, Gerry explained, are both double-registered in the paint and pinto classes.

"I have two jobs. One is stable boy and one is fundraiser," Gerry, who still likes to ride and show halter horses, said with a chuckle. "When we got the good mare (Rosie), I resigned myself to sit back. One of my goals ... was to have my wife and daughter each have the chance to ride a world champion."

In order to prepare for the 2008 World Pinto Horse Show, the Bredlow women rode every week and competed in horse shows throughout the winter and spring months. Mother and daughter both progressed, placing well in the Tom Powers Futurity, held last June in Michigan.

"They've both done very well this year," Somers said. "Ashley matured a great deal. For a 12-year-old girl to compete at the level she did this year is awesome."

Her developing abilities and showmanship took center stage several times last month during the 2008 World Pinto Horse Show. Over 1,200 horses, along with riders from Canada and every state in the union, competed at the event.

Ashley won the Open Junior Western Pleasure class with a unanimous decision by her three judges. She also placed third overall in the Youth Ideal Pinto category of competition.

When asked how Ady had performed, Ashley answered, "She was normal. She loves people and looks at everything. She was just being herself."

"Ady's the type of horse that would go into a foxhole and take on the world for you. But she's very dependent upon the rider, too. She looks for somebody to guide her," her father added.

Not quite knowing exactly what they'd purchased three years ago, Somers informed the Bredlows after first riding Rosie, Jodie's 5-year-old mare, that they had "something special" with her.

"People look all their life for a horse like this," the trainer said. "She's got a huge future in front of her."

Admitting she's not the easiest horse to ride and that a world championship was a goal, Jodie let Somers ride Rosie in competition the second to last day of last month's world event.

"She gave me the ride of a lifetime," Somers reminisced. "She's a special horse; we've got a ton of them in here that are special, but she worked real hard down there. And I knew the night before she was giving me everything she could to get ready. When I went through the tunnel and rode down the middle, the only thing going through my head was: Sit back and give her the opportunity. Do it right and don't make any mistakes."

The pair were perfect in the eyes of their judges. Duplicate This and Somers received two unanimous decisions -- in the Junior Western Pleasure and Junior Ideal Pinto classes -- and became two-time world champions.

Jodie and Ashley telephoned Gerry, who was in Scottsbluff, Neb., with their exemplary news.

"They were hollering and screaming. I thought they were in a car wreck," he recalled with a proud smile. "...We thought we would do decent, but we didn't expect this. We feel blessed."

"We probably wouldn't have had all these experiences had we not gotten lucky and gotten Rosie. She's been the catalyst," Jodie said.

"Yeah, she's a diamond in the rough -- and we're trying to take advantage of it," Gerry added, noting their plan is to breed their world-class mare next year.

* Somers noted the horses and people he's currently working with will compete in a paint show this weekend in Cannon Falls, Minn. Aug. 8 - 17 will mark the Reichert Celebration Classic in Tulsa. In addition to some showing at the Clay County Fair this September, the 2008 Paint Horse Congress will occur in October and the 2007-08 Oklahoma Holiday Classic is scheduled for Dec. 29-31 and Jan. 1-2, 2008 in Oklahoma City.