November 8-23, 2013, Oklahoma City

Amateur Yearling Geldings

It's been a year of successes for the Shawver family.

by Allison Grayson
The American Quarter Horse Journal

After retiring, Jack Shawver and his wife, Vicki, were looking to get back into Quarter Horses. And this year, they couldn’t be happier about that decision.

“We’ve always had horses off and on. But got out of them for a while when the kids were younger,” Jack said in his Journal Winning Run interview. “And then we were retired and had an empty nest and got back into it. Back in with both feet, I should say.”

The Shawvers have had a lot of success with their aged gelding, Intoxikating. In fact, Vicki and "Toxi" were world champions at the 2012 Adequan Select World Championship Show.

But their yearling gelding champion, Under Cover Secret, is a fairly new addition.

“My wife actually went with Penny and Sue King (of Oblong, Illinois) to look for a filly for them, and called me and said, ‘I found a gelding, can I bring another one home?’” Jack said. “I said, ‘if you think he’s gonna be all right, yeah, why not.’”

“That was, I think, in May, so the rest is history I guess,” he said.

As far as his win at the 2012 AQHA World Championship Show, Jack wasn’t anticipating going home with multiple gold trophies.

“It feels great… it really does,” he said. “In fact, I think my wife was gonna pass out, and I think I was, too. I guess it’s kind of unexpected.”

“I just showed in aged geldings (on November 7). Got a reserve with Toxi. We’ve had him for four years,” he said. “I guess it’s still a little unexpected. I thought he’d do all right, but not that good.”

Jack has been very impressed with how well “Russell,” his 2011 chestnut gelding by The Top Secret and out of the Temon mare, Dees Vantage, has been doing in such a short period of time.

“He can be, in the arena, a little hard to handle. But he’s really gentle,” he said. “(But) there are times he can try you because he is a yearling.”

After their many successes this year, Jack is ready to get home and relax for a while.

“I’ll tell you what, it’s been a whirlwind,” he said. “(We went to) Amarillo, the Select. We went to the National Halter Championship, then the Congress, now here.

“So to be honest with you, I’m about ready to get home for a while and just stay there. The last three months we’ve been on the road a lot,” he said.

There were a few people that Jack wanted to thank.

“We do want to thank (AQHA Professional Horseman) Buddy Laney for all of his help,” he said. “(I also want to thank) my wife Vicki, who actually takes care of everything. I just grab (Russell) and lead him in there, she’s the one that does all the work.”

“(And) our kids and grandkids for being supportive because we’re gone a lot, like I said, and we’d rather be at home with them,” he said. “But this is what we like to do, too… We’ve had a good year.”