By Tiffany L. Rehbein
Stitch loves to be ridden for pleasure, not unlike most horses in Montana. But Stitch also enjoys competition beyond traditional award-winning competitions.
Stitch is the quarter horse owned by Jacqueline Jones who recently enrolled in the American Quarter Horse Association Horseback Riding program.
In the program, the owner logs hours on an official AQHA log sheet that records the number of hours spent driving or riding their quarter horses.
It's a lot of fun. Its fun to do all that stuff, Jones said in a recent phone interview.
Every time that Jones mounts Stitch she not only records how many hours she spends aboard, but also what she and Stitch do together.
The two generally enjoy jumping, English riding, western riding and rounding up cattle. But they also prepare for judging competitions.
There's not much local competition for the show competitions, Jones said. Hence, Jones sometimes travels to Billings or Lewistown to compete.
Stitch is an all-around horse, Jones said about her 10-year-old buckskin. This becomes helpful when they compete in dressage, drill team and therapeutic riding.
All the different riding techniques equal points for the AQHA. Awards are given by the association to the horse and owner who log a certain number of hours and work at higher levels of competition.
