Pole Bending

Ross Ramsey wins his first world championship on a homebred mare.

by Larri Jo Starkey
The American Quarter Horse Journal

Ross Ramsey of Richmond, Kentucky, owes his parents a big “Thank you.”

Sure, most of the parents of exhibitors at the 2012 Built Ford Tough AQHYA World Championship Show have done a lot for their children, but Jennifer and Steven Ramsey have gone a step further: They bred the pole bending world champion for their son.

Ross and Shesa Joeyful Jet ran a time of :20.625 for a two-run total of :41.29 and Ross’ first world championship.

“I had two horses (in the preliminaries),” Ross said. “The first horse, I knocked (a pole over) and I was pretty nervous about the second run. I went in there with nothing to lose and had a pretty good time. Today, I went for clean pretty much and it all worked out.”

Shesa Joeyful Jet is a 2007 brown mare by Rene Dan Jet and out of Time Of Joey by Joey Time.

“She’s good on poles and barrels,” Ross said. “(Rene Dan Jet) had a bunch of babies that have done good here, and so we thought we’d give him a try. (The dam is) just an old mare we used to run in the poles ourselves.”

Of the 15 horses in the August 7 finals, Rene Dan Jet also sired third-place finisher and 2011 youth high-point winner Jens Ky Jet, ridden by Morgan Marie Jones, and RDJ Modern Day Romeo, ridden and owned by Ali Einolander of Templeton, California.

Ross was one of three finalists representing Kentucky in the barrel racing finals. Morgan is also from Richmond, and Channing McWilliams is from Walton.

Jennifer has earned barrel racing points on the Shesa Joeyful Jet, while Steven has both pole bending and barrel racing points.

The win made the 15-hour drive to Oklahoma City and the Jim Norick Coliseum worthwhile, Ross said.

“It feels pretty good,” he said. “(To celebrate), I’m probably going to go in there, watch my buddies in the stakes and then get something to eat.”