Nicollet native crowned Western Saddle Club Association Princess – Prairiepublishingmn
[ad_1] By Ruth Klossner Courtesy Ashley Zutz rode her game horse Lacey in the queen’s ride and in the game classes at the WSCA championship show. Not many “horse crazy” little girls grow up to be “horse queens,” but that’s exactly what Nicollet native Ashley Zutz has accomplished. Zutz was crowned Western Saddle Clubs Association
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By Ruth Klossner
Courtesy
Ashley Zutz rode her game horse Lacey in the queen’s ride and in the game classes at the WSCA championship show.
Not many “horse crazy” little girls grow up to be “horse queens,” but that’s exactly what Nicollet native Ashley Zutz has accomplished.
Zutz was crowned Western Saddle Clubs Association Princess at the 2021 WSCA Championship show Sept. 26 at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds Coliseum. It was the culmination of months of preparation.
Ashley is a member of the four-woman WSCA queen’s court — with Emily Berger of Belle Plaine as WSCA Queen and Ms. Congeniality, Zutz as Princess, Sarah Schwartz of Le Sueur as Ms. Horsemanship, and Isabella Witucki of St. Paul as Ms. Games.
The entire process began early in the year, when a Royalty Clinic was held to help interested saddle club queens learn about the contest. Contestants must be at least 18 years of age by Jan. 1 of the current year and a member in good standing of a WSCA member club. Contest applications had to be submitted by July 1.
In August the queen candidates took part in the speech and interview portion of the judging and also completed a written test on WSCA rules and general horse knowledge.
“We did a speech on what WSCA means to us and how we’d represent the association,” Zutz explained. “We had a panel of six judges for the speeches and we did interviews with six different judges.”
The riding portion of the competition started on Wednesday, Sept. 22 with a queen’s ride and the horsemanship portion. The queen’s ride included a salute run around the arena, along with a pattern to show horsemanship and control of her mount. Zutz pulled her senior gelding, “Bentley,” a 23-year-old Paint, out of retirement for horsemanship and he gave her a great ride — even though he’s been retired the last six years.
Candidates had the option of choosing either games or pleasure to have their riding ability judged on; Zutz chose games, where she rode her game horse Lacey.
The 13 candidates for WSCA royalty were busy during the entire Championship Show. They worked shifts to help the show run smoothly, handed out awards, and competed in classes.
“We were up at 5 a.m. and didn’t get to bed until midnight or 1 a.m. every day. It was a lot,” Ashley said. “It wasn’t until Sunday that we found out how we did.”
By finishing in the top two, Zutz received several perks, with the best being a trip to Las Vegas for the National Finals Rodeo from Dec. 7 through 12.
As a member of the court, Ashley will participate in the Winter Carnival, be a bellringer at the Mall of America, appear at Special Olympics, work in a booth at the Horse Expo next spring, assist at the Royalty Show at JRD Ranch in Arlington, help at the Royalty Clinic for a new group of queen candidates, and, of course, help at next year’s Championship Show where the 2022 royalty will be named.
“Basically, I’m an ambassador for WSCA,” Zutz said. “It’s fun to meet new people and talk about horses—which I can do easily!”
The Western Saddle Clubs Association, Inc., officially organized in 1955 with 21 clubs, now includes more than 230 clubs with over 12,000 individual members. The mission statement of the organization was to promote “the western-type horse” as well as to provide a safe and enjoyable experience to all participants of equestrian activities, to promote good horsemanship and sportsmanship skills and practices, and to promote the use of horses for personal and family enjoyment and competition.
Zutz’s mother, Jennifer Zutz, bought Ashley her first horse when she was in first grade. Ashley began showing horses the next year when she started with 4-H shows. She competed in both pleasure and game classes but concentrated on pleasure for many of her 4-H years, then did games her last few years. She competed in the State 4-H Horse Show seven years, winning a few classes and generally finishing in the top ten in her classes. She also took part in the 4-H Horse Judging Contest and placed sixth one year.
Ashley has been showing in WSCA shows since 2005, showing first at the Fox Hollow Show at Le Sueur, then branching out to circuit shows, and attaining overall high point intermediate one year. She showed English Pleasure, English Equitation, Western Pleasure, and Western Horsemanship — and also did trail in 4-H shows.
For many years, Ashley boarded her horses at her grandparents, Ivan and Janine Enter’s farm site, north of Nicollet. After completing three years in animal science with an equine science minor at South Dakota State University — where she was a teaching assistant for the introduction to horse riding class — Zutz was offered a teaching position at Willow Wood Stables at Mankato and moved her horses there.
In the spring of 2018, Zutz had the opportunity to lease a stable just north of Mankato and has taught lessons and boarded horses there as Twisted Z Performance Horses, LLC ever since. She has 30 students, does summer camps, boards 16 horses, and breeds Quarter Horses and Paints. She gets help with stable work from her boyfriend of seven years, Nathan Attenberger of Kasota.
Ashley is also a 4-H horse show judge and coaches the Nicollet County 4-H horse judging team. In addition, she works full time hours at Tractor Supply in Mankato — where she buys many of her horse supplies.
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