Allie Ar�s�

California youth off to a strong start as she transitions to AQHA competition with new show partner

Text Corrine S. Borton Photos Cody Parmenter

It’s a brand new year filled with new challenges and new goals for 16-year-old Allie Aronsen, of Atascadero, California.

Although she has built quite the impressive record showing Paints in youth competition over the past several years, Aronsen is starting all over with a new show partner and turning her attention to American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA) shows.

Allie’s family recently purchased No Sneakinuponwilly (Willis), a 2008 bay gelding by Good I Will Be and out of Im Sneakin Up On You and she will be competing in Western Pleasure, Horsemanship, Showmanship and Trail, under the guidance of Arturo Maestas and Jesse Jones of Maestas Show Horses.

With only three rides under her belt, Allie showed Willis to a Reserve Level 1 Youth All-Around Circuit Championship at the Florida Gold Coast, their very first show together. They were Reserve Circuit Champions in Level 1 Youth Trail and were in the top five in Level 1 Youth Showmanship and Horsemanship. They also finished in the top five at the Gulf Coast Circuit in Level 1 Youth Showmanship and Western Pleasure.

“I was beyond happy with my results,” she said, “especially considering it was my very first AQHA show, my first show with Willis and only the third time I’d ever ridden him.”

Aronsen’s favorite class to watch is Horsemanship because it is so technical.

“I admire the individuals who compete in that class as it is very challenging,” she said.

But Allie most enjoys showing in Trail.

“I’ve been blessed to always have had horses that enjoy Trail as much as I do,” she admitted. “It makes it ten times as much fun that way.”

Aronsen got her start in APHA competition showing Obsessive Dreamer, a chestnut Paint gelding, at the national level.

But the one horse that helped her develop her passion for Trail was Specials In The House, a sorrel Paint gelding that she teamed with to earn several National Championships as well as a Reserve Title in Trail at the APHA Youth World

Allie Aronsen is pictured on the opposite page (top) with Specials In The House, the APHA gelding that Allie she teamed with to earn several National titles. Inset (top to bottom) Allie is shown showing her new horse, No Sneakinuponwilly, a 2008 bay AQHA gelding at the Florida Gold and Gulf Coast Circuit. On this page (clockwise from top), Allie is pictured with TooSleepyForDeadlines, a 2016 red roan overo mare she showed in Youth 14-18 APHA classes; with friends at her first AQHA show circuit in Florida; and with Obsessive Dreamer, her first APHA show partner.

Show. To take her into the 14-18 APHA Youth Division, Aronsen teamed with TooSleepyForDeadlines, a 2016 red roan overo mare by VS Flatline out of Too Sleepy For Candy.

Allie says she hasn’t been to enough AQHA shows yet to have a favorite but she loved attending the APHA Western Nationals in Vegas.

“It was one of the biggest APHA shows we attended, other than the World Show,” she explained. “It was so fun to be in Las Vegas and be able to go see the city after we were done showing.”

The daughter of Nick and Tisha Aronsen, Allie got her start riding horses with her mom and grandmother.

“They got me a retired show horse when I was six and I started competing through my local 4-H club,” she explained. “From there I started doing small open shows and progressed to breed shows.”

When she is not riding or at a show, Allie enjoys spending time with friends and stays busy with school work. She completed a homeschooling program for her first two-and-a-half years of high school and just transferred to Mission College Preparatory High School in San Luis Obispo, California.

She is especially proud of the fact that she has maintained a 4.0 grade point average throughout high school, even with all the traveling and competition.

But it remains her strongest passion.

“I show because I love the horses and the determination it takes to achieve your goals,” Allie explained. “I’ve always had a passion for horses and I love to be competitive.”

Allie says her hero is her dad.

“Despite not having a perfect childhood he worked so hard to be able to provide everything for my mom and I,” she said. “He is so dedicated and determined in everything that he does. He makes sure my mom and I have everything we could possibly need in life.”

Youth Profiles are part of InStride Edition’s editorial content. If you know someone who would make a good subject for a youth profile email Corrine Borton, Editor, at: CorrineBorton@InStrideEdition.com.

ASTHMA by Jackie Bellamy-Zions