Yearling Mares

Erin Jefcoat wins her first world championship with a homebred horse.

by Jody Reynolds
The American Quarter Horse Journal

You know it’s going to be a fun year of horse showing when one of your biggest competitors is your husband and your favorite horse is homebred.

Erin Jefcoat of Soso, Mississippi, was all smiles after winning her first world championship at the Adequan Select World Championship Show August 28, 2012. She beat out 19 entries, including her husband, to take gold with homebred 2011 bay mare Cheer For The Girls in yearling mares.

She and her husband, Wayne Jeffcoat, have shown against each other much of the year, both with homebred mares. Wayne showed Cheers To Billy Jean to 10th place in yearling mares.

Both mares are by the Jefcoats’ 2007 bay stallion Cheer For Mocca.

Erin’s win marks the first world championship for Cheer For Mocca’s progeny.

“This mare is my dream,” Erin said tearfully. “She’s an embryo baby. I knew how good the mama (Childhood Sweetheart by Noble Tradition) could be, but her mama couldn’t carry a baby. She’s special to me.”

Erin and Wayne, owners of Triple J Paint and Quarter Horses, say showing against each other has been exciting this year.

“These two mares have been back and forth all year,” she explained. “I did good, and he did good, so it was a fun year. He likes one, and I like the other. So we do whatever’s best for the horses.”

This is the Jefcoats’ fourth year at the Adequan Select World.

“We love it,” she said. “It’s a fun show. It’s very relaxed.”

Earlier in the day, Erin took reserve in yearling stallions with another homebred horse, WEJ Firewater, a bay stallion by Cheer For Mocca.