Five Minutes With... Leanne Bartlett

Leanne Bartlett and Whiz With Style (photo: Francene Neuendorf)

Showing Quirran lea Smokin Honey, owned by Megan and Graham Savill, in Led Trail at the 2010 Paint Nationals (Photo: Agile Photography)

Leanne riding Suthern Docs Dreamcat at 2007 Qld Appaloosa Championships, where they won the Junior Horse Trail and owner Jo Johnson, placed second in the Amateur Junior Horse Trail with Leanne's expert coaching! (Photo: Marg Oakden)

Leanne and Whiz With Style competing at Q11 in the reining (Photo: Ken Anderson)

Huntering Pretty Sensational, owned by Joy and Steve Conn, at the 2010 Paint Nationals (Photo: Agile Photography)

Leanne with her awards at the AQHA High Point Awards Night

Winning Supreme Halter Exhibit at the Appaloosa Nationals with Born to Impress - a horse that Leanne owned, bred and trained.

Showing Breakin' Hearts at the 2001 Appaloosa Nationals - a mare that Leanne also owned, bred and trained  (Photo: Margaret Quinlivan).

Leanne Bartlett has been involved with horses her whole life, she started out showing Appaloosas as a youth and has progressed from there to achieve success across all the western performance events.

Based at Canungra in South East Qld, Leanne has trained and competed successfully with Appaloosas, Paints and Quarter Horses at State and National level in all western events, as well as coaching riders and conducting clinics. Leanne is an AQHA judge, International-Worldwide NRHA judge and HSAA judge, panelist and chairman. 

In recent years Leanne has been focusing on reining, however, she has kept showing clients' horses at western performance events, so she decided to show her reining mare, Whiz With Style (Whizzel A Melody Imp x Winderadeen With Style), in several classes including halter, hunter in hand, western riding and of course reining, with surprising results.  This has turned out to be one of Leanne's most successful show seasons ever!

Leanne is always cheerful and heaps of fun - a great one for the stories from past shows - but is also very helpful to people starting out in western or anyone who needs a hand.  I think Leanne was there when I did my very first hunter class at an Ag show (too many years ago) and helped out by clarifying how the class was judged and what I had to do! She's also always been a great help to me and others with trail classes, when she's not scaring us with stories of the horror trail patterns from days gone by (featuring goats, green cow hides, quacking ducks and dry ice)!

After the recent AQHA High Point Awards night, where Leanne fairly swept the board, I thought it was about time Horsezone spent Five Minutes With... Leanne Bartlett!

 

Leanne, how did you first become involved with horses?

My Dad (legendary western horseman Bert Purcell) was a horse trainer so I started riding from a very young age.

Tell us about your first pony?

Timmy, my white shetland, I loved him but he kept throwing me off, he would turn quickly or hump and off I'd fall!

Have you always been involved with western horses?

Dad trained Appaloosas and did western riding when I was really young.  I started doing hacking and then went on to doing western too.

What's the best thing about western events and horses?

I love the temperament of the horses and the level of skill required to achieve high level results in the different events.

Do you have a favourite event?

I love all the events but my favourites are halter, trail, western riding and reining.

You've been called the 'Trail Queen' because you love trail and are very good at it - tell us a bit about why you enjoy it and how the class has changed over the years?

I enjoy the training and showing of the trail class, it's changed from years ago where we now have lots of lope overs and jog poles, so the training is more about controlling every foot fall, where as in the 'olden days', for example, they used to put a chicken in a cardboard box and you had to pick it up and carry it from drum to drum but the only problem was the chicken would scratch around in the box and some people would nearly get thrown off when their horse spooked at the chook. Or we had to dally up a rope (wrap it around the saddle horn) tied to a large tree branch and tow it to a certain point and I mean tow it, as it was heavy! It seems the trail years ago was more for the very quiet horses and today is for horses and riders that are skilled in manoeuvring without hitting anything.

What's been the biggest change in western events since you've been competing? 
The horses are specialising so much more now - there's halter horses, ridden horses (hunter and pleasure) and then there's horses for reining and other horses for cutting.  The numbers have dropped off but the quality has increased. In years gone by you might have had 20 horses in a class but only three were any good.  Whereas now you might get say 12 in a class but most of them are good quality. The drop in numbers is also probably due to the fact the specialised horses, which you need to win, are more expensive to purchase - you can't just pull your old mate out of the paddock, who you get the cows in with, and expect to do well at a show.

Is there a horse event you'd like to try?

I've been very fortunate over the years because I've had the opportunity to try most horse sports - everything from hacking, dressage and jumping to rodeo events.  Although I saw top dressage horse Fishermans Friend perform at the QSEC Opening and I was impressed with him - he made me think fondly of dressage - and looked like he'd be fun to ride!

With so many horses in your life, has there been a favourite?

I have ridden too many to name. I've been very, very lucky over the many years I've been showing because I've ridden lots of very successful and special horses.

 

Horse you'd love to own?

A great horse in any field would be awesome to ride.

You attended the AQHA High Point Awards Presentation last Saturday night - tell us a bit about your achievements this past show season with the wonderful Whiz With Style?

We've had a fantastic show season! I decided to show Style in various western performance events, as well as reining and she was a natural.  It just goes to show that reiners can have good legs and correct conformation that can do well in halter.  Good conformation should prevail wherever you are!   The Awards Night was such a fun night, it was great to frock up, get out of the boots and jeans for a while and catch up with friends.  I knew we had won some awards, however, it was a wonderful surprise when we also won High Point All Round Quarter Horse of Australia!

To understand just what a fantastic year Leanne and Whiz With Style have had, following is a list of their major achievements for the 2010/11 show season:

• AQHA Register of Merit in Halter, Hunter in Hand, General Performance, Western Riding and Reining.

• AQHA Superior Award in Halter.

• Australian Quarter Horse Champion Award.

• High Point Rookie Pro for Reining Australia.

• High Point Southern Cross Series – Rookie Pro.

• Pacific Coast Co-Champion Limited Open.

• Pacific CoastChampion Rookie Pro.

• Slide N Spin Champion Rookie Pro.

• Qld Reining State Champion Rookie Pro.

• Qld Quarter Horse State Champion Western Riding (For the second consecutive year).

• Reining Australia Championships Reserve Champion Rookie Pro.

• Plus many High Points for the local Reining and Quarter Horse clubs.

 

AQHA End Of Year Awards:

• High Point Reining Horse of Australia

• High Point Western Riding of Australia

• Equal High Point Performance Horse Of Queensland

• Runner Up High Point Overall Performance Horse Of Australia

• Runner Up High Point Hunter in Hand of Australia

• Runner Up High Point Novice Horse Open Reining

• Fourth High Point Halter Mare of Australia

• Eighth High Point Overall Halter Horse of Australia

• HIGH POINT ALL ROUND QUARTER HORSE OF AUSTRALIA

 

What advice would you give to up and coming competitors hoping to succeed in the western world?

Never give up, no one is perfect, you can never learn enough, always keep trying to improve.

 

What item in your grooming box can't you live without?

Mavericks Magic for the mane and tail.

 

Big dogs or little dogs?

I love all dogs, big and small, but I have a German Shephard and I like Cattle Dogs and Labradors the most.

If you were stranded on a deserted island (with food, water and shelter) what three things would you want with you?

Mobile phone, smokes, rum and coke - just the essentials! (she says with a big laugh!!)

Shout out to supporters?

Thank you Southern Cross Saddlery - Give Kevin or Wayne a call - also a big thank you to DRB Trailers', Damien Bennett for sponsorship.

 

Thanks so much for your time Leanne!  We look forward to seeing you and Style having another big year and I look forward to catching up again and hearing more trail horror stories!

 

Story:  Jo Johnson/Horsezone