Senior team ends season in Oklahoma

OKLAHOMA CITY – The Texas A&M University Junior Horse Judging Team won reserve champion team and secured the top two individual honors at the National Reining Horse Association Futurity in Oklahoma City on Dec. 1.

Derby Jones, sophomore business major from College Station, won high individual overall, and Meghan Wanstrath, sophomore animal science major from Batesville, IN, finished second high overall.

Left, Junior Horse Judging Team members Erin Worthington, Paige Marek, Kaleigh Potter, Meghan Wanstrath, Jessica Medrano, Carrie Estrems and Derby Jones.

Other team members are Carrie Estrems, junior agricultural science major from Kingwood; Paige Marek, junior agricultural science major from St. Croix Falls, WI; Kaleigh Potter, sophomore animal science major from Spring; Erin Worthington, sophomore animal science major from Darlington, MD; and Jessica Medrano, sophomore animal science major from Ft. Worth.

“The NRHA Futurity is always the first contest in which the junior team competes,” said Dr. Clay Cavinder, associate professor in the Department of Animal Science and team coach. “With a reserve champion finish, they are off to a strong start, and I am excited to see what the spring competition season brings.”

Also this fall, the Senior Horse Judging Team ended their competition season with a fourth place finish at the All-American Quarter Horse Congress Contest in Columbus, OH, and a fourth place finish at the AQHA World Show in Oklahoma City.

In Columbus, Alicia Erwin, from Bridgeport, won seventh high individual and Braedy Foster Thomas, from Rathdrum, Idaho, finished 10th high. In the individual competition in Oklahoma City, Erwin tied for high individual but finished second after the tie breaker, and Alycia Crandall, from College Station, secured seventh high individual.

Other senior team members are Melanie Armstrong, from Dime Box; Kaitlan Farmer, from Lubbock; Caitlin Scott, from Tomball; and Alexis Swan, from Aubrey.

“My seniors really turned it on after the Congress in preparation for the World Show.  I am happy about how they ended the year as they prepared and competed well.”

Assistant coaches are graduate students Ari Sear and Caitlin Vonderohe.

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For more information regarding news from the Department of Animal Science, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Texas A&M University, please contact Courtney Coufal at cacoufal@tamu.edu or (979) 845-1542.