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August, 2022
From Briagolong to Brazil By MICHELLE SLATER
A BRIAGOLONG teen who has been in the saddle for three years is about to take on the worlld, wh hen he head ds to Braz azi zil this month for the Global all Youth Cup in reining. Jhi Watts relocated from Queenslan and n to tak ake k up the western horseman anship n discipline under the expert rtt tuition of his uncle and an n champion reining rii rider Shan ane n Watts. The 17-year ar-old r has been han and-picked n to represent Austral alia l after aff star art rting t out in the sport rtt only two tw w year ars r ago, an and n is already all at the top of his game. “This is a once in a lifetime opport rtunity t ty, y I’m being cal alm l about it, I will wii go there and an n have fun. I will wii be competing agai ainst i the best youth riders rii in the world,” Jhi sai aid. i “I love the temperament of the
horses and the people in the industry, they are supportive and friendly.” Reining originated in the US from working g cattle,, where a rii rider guides their horse through a precise pattern of circles, spins, and an n sliding stops. The discipline is often descri ribed i as a western form of dressage, in which competitors complete a set pattern of movements. “The judge is looki king i for corr rrect r man anoeuvr n vres r in a horse who is willingly wii guided. Blaz aze z is quiet, tal alented, l fri riendly i an and n very ry y forgivi ving,” i Jhi sai aid. i “We teach the horse how to be soft in the bri ridle i an and n engage in the hind-end. We teach them to spin on the spot and an n run ru u into a sliding stop, and an n go from fast circles to slow circles an and n flyi fllying i chan anges.” n Jhi won this
year’s non-pro three-year-old futurity at the state championships on his bay quarterhorse stallion Electric Gun - or Blaze who had his first start this year. But the gun rider rii wii be will tak aki king i par art rt in the world championships on a local all horse he has never met before, drawn wn n out of a hat. “Ri Riding i a horse you have never ridden rii before can an n be hit-or-miss because I won’t know kn n its temperament or what he could do,” Jhi sai aid. i “We will wii have a couple of days to ride rii the horse and an n then go and an n out and an n show. It will wii be one-round for the show, so
I will be going over there for five minutes.” Jhi will be heading over with his uncle, and hopes to check out some of the best in the biz in Texas after aff his competition. He sai aid, i ultimately, he would
like to head to the US to show, and end up running his own yard, breeding and training horses. “It’s all about the showmanship, the crowds hyp ype p it up a lot, it’s good to have a big crowd that’s support rtive. t “But reining is not real all big in Austral alia l like it is in Am Ameri m rica, i they have more pri riz izemoney.” z
Briagolong’s Jhi Watt tts ts is off fff to Brazil to compete in the Global Youth Cup in the sport rtt of reining. Photo: Michelle Slater
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