Surprizentheprincess & Jack Medows at the 2014 NRHA Derby • Photo by WaltenberryWhen it comes to diversity in the horse industry, Cuba, Mo., resident Jack Medows has got a firm handle on it. The 16-year-old has shown his reining mare Surprizentheprincess to numerous victories in the last year and, just recently, he showed her to win his first American Quarter Horse Youth Association (AQHYA) Performance Halter Mare World Championship.
Having begun his riding career in Western pleasure, Medows made the switch to reining, and Surprizentheprincess has been a solid mount for him in the show pen for the past year. The 5-year-old mare (Jerry Lees Surprise x Princess In Diamonds x Shining Spark), owned by Medows’ mother, Amy, and bred by Clinton Anderson, of Stephenville, Texas, was purchased from Kelle Smith in 2013. From there, the two have hit it off well in the arena, and they have the accolades to prove it.
Back in April, Medows and Surprizentheprincess won the NRBC Levels 3, 2 and 1 Non-Pro with a score of 219 to garner more than $16,000 in prize money. From there, they followed up their impressive finish by taking on the National Reining Horse Association (NRHA) Derby, where they took the Level 1 Non-Pro Championship with a 220.5. It wasn’t their only success, as they also qualified for all four levels, and they finished fourth in the Level 4 and third in the Levels 3 and 2. Medows’ reining earnings of more than $72,000 make up most of his Equi-Stat record, which now stands at more than $80,700.
At the AQHYA World Championship Show, which will continue in Oklahoma City through Aug. 9, Medows and Surprizentheprincess showed they have what it takes to be competitive not only in the reining pen, but in the halter ring, as well. With a score of 331, the duo secured the Performance Halter Mare World Championship.
“I thought she showed well for me in the halter,” Medows said. “She stayed really relaxed and acted the same as outside the pen! Having a horse that is built right is so important for a horse to stay sound and happy, so it’s really cool that they have a special class to judge a performance horse’s conformation and balance. I want to thank my parents and Buddy Laney for helping me get ready to show her here at the World Show in Halter!”
