Photo submitted to Times Observer Hailie Cass and Skip A Superjet.

Hailie Cass, a senior at the Tidioute Community Charter School, recently competed at the 2017 All-American Quarter Horse Congress in Columbus, Ohio.

Quarter Horse Congress is the world’s largest breed show. Congress has 23,500 entries and over 650,000 people come to the event. The show brings in roughly 285 million dollars annually. Hailie was super excited to be a part of this event. The sheer magnitude of this event was enough to make her stop and say, “Wow, I am competing at the Congress.” This is a goal she had set for herself three years ago when she bought Skip.

Hailie and Skip came home from Congress with four medals and Hailie was all smiles to have accomplished her goal. They won reserve champion in the NSBA Youth Novice Working Hunter Over Fences and 5th in the AQHA Youth Novice Working Hunter Over Fences. They earned a 6th in the NSBA Youth Novice Hunter Hack and a 12th in the AQHA Youth Novice Hunter Hack, earning a Reverse Champion, Top 5, Top 10 and Top 15 award.

This was her first time showing at this event and the biggest show she had ever competed at. Her horse Skip A Superjet also known as “Skip” started his career as a camp horse at Miracle Mountain Ranch in Spring Creek, Pa., where he taught kids how to ride. Hailie fell in love with Skip at a jumping camp. They started their show career in 4-H and open shows two years ago and then moved into AQHA shows.

Skip and Hailie have had great success in the past two years and have loved the time they have had together. Skip was named “Horse of the Year” this past year and Hailie won the Hunter division at the Erie Hunt Club. They won the Youth All-American Hunter Division in May in Columbus, Ohio, and last October they were named Reserve Champion at the 4-H state competition in Harrisburg in Low working hunter over fences. They also qualified for the AQHA Youth Worlds in Equitation on the flat. This year they have qualified in four events for 4-H states in Harrisburg.