Local reaches pinnacle of her sport
By Eliav Appelbaum eliav@theacorn.com

Ashley Dunbar

Ashley Dunbar, only 19 years old, can now say she's won not one, but two world championships.

The Simi Valley resident took first place in the Senior Trail and Junior Trail finals on Nov. 14 at the American Quarter Horse Association's World Championship Show in Oklahoma City.

The 2006 graduate of Monte Vista School thus became only the second woman ever to win two open events at the AQHA World Show, a 16-day event that draws the world's best American Quarter Horses.

"It was exciting and surprising," said Dunbar, who began riding and learning how to show horses when she was just 3 years old.

Trail riding is just one of many events at the AQHA World Show. In trail riding, the horse and rider must follow a path while avoiding different obstacles on the ground. Traveling by three gaits- a walk, a jog and a lope- the horse must gracefully move through the course. Essentially, the rider and horse are judged on style.

To qualify for the world championship, Dunbar had to earn points at events around the country. The quarter horse trainer traveled to shows in Oregon, Ohio, Arizona and throughout California just to earn the right to compete.

In the Senior Trail finals, Dunbar scored 238.5 points, riding to victory RL Tune Up, a 9-year-old gelding owned by Rancho Brillando Inc. of Moorpark.

The quarter horse scoring system is based upon five judges' tallies. The highest and lowest scores are thrown out, and the remaining three grades are combined for a total.

During the Junior Trail, which includes all horses 5 years old and younger, Dunbar and mare Smokin Sensational notched 224.5 points in the final for the title. Smokin Sensational is owned by Brian and Angela Moore of Camarillo.

"She rode so smart," Brenda Dunbar said of her daughter. "I walked the course with her before and told her all the places to hit. She was just right on. She hit every spot soft and easy."

Carol Gibbons of Thousand Oaks, who took seventh place in the amateur trail for quarter horses, traveled to Oklahoma with the Dunbars.

For the past five years, Ashley Dunbar has worked at her mother's business, Dunbar Performance Horses, on Lapeyre Court at Tierra Rejada Ranch in Moorpark.

According to Brenda Dunbar, her daughter had only one career path- and it involved horses.

"She didn't have a choice," she said with a laugh.

In the world of quarter horse showing, the season lasts 11 months. Ashley Dunbar has December off before jumping into the fray again at the beginning of the year.

"It's nice to be home in December," she said. "You get used to traveling all the time. By the time the month's over, you're ready to go back on the road."

In January, she will compete at the Westworld Fairgrounds in Scottsdale, Ariz.

Considering her daughter's most recent success, Brenda Dunbar said the sky is the limit for her.

"She has a lot of natural ability, but it takes a lot of work," Brenda Dunbar said. "It's a big mental challenge, not letting nerves get to you. She still has nerves and a temper because she's young."