Luke Gingerich and Tinseltowns Whizard 2024 National Western Ram Invitational Freestyle Reining

Here is the video of our routine in the Ram Invitational Freestyle Reining at the National Western Stock Show yesterday.
Chloe truly tried her heart out for me, and we ended up in 6th place, with a score of 222, and a nice paycheck to add to her earnings!
The months of preparation leading up to this have taught me so much, both personally and professionally. This was such a well run show, and I am still humbled and honored to have been invited to be a part of it. Most of the competitors were all relatively local to Denver, but even as we were brand new to this show, we received such a warm welcome and ended up in the top 3 nominations for the People's Choice Award, which was such an honor.
Despite the fact that this was the biggest stage that Chloe has performed on to date, it was the most confident, consistent, and relaxed that she has ever felt while performing, even though I increased the degree of difficulty of some of what I asked of her. She was Unstoppable indeed!
That, to me, was the most rewarding thing, to see the countless hours I have spent developing that confidence in her, come to fruition. The footing was tougher than she was used to showing in, and while she initially lost some confidence with her stops during our rehearsal (since we don't get many bridleless showing opportunities in different types of footing), I was able to adjust and scale them back a bit for her, and was really pleased with how well she adjusted and still tried so hard for me.
Thank you so much to Sarah Casey Kelley for editing my music to fit perfectly with my vision for this routine. LVNJ's version of Unstoppable really spoke to me, as it embodied a lot of what I feel and experience in this industry. Balancing the pressure and expectations from people, with what feels authentic, genuine, and true to my core values, is something I have struggled with and consistently work to balance. The vulnerability and courage that this requires is challenging, but I feel that it is so important.
I am thankful to God for the opportunity to do what I love and share it with other people in my hopes of making an impact on our industry. Showing and performing under pressure does not at all come easily for me, but I think it's important to share what we believe in by living and showing it, not just talking about it. I often long for change in many aspects of the horse industry, but I have learned that the best thing I can do about it is to live out that change to the best of my ability.
Thank you so much to Kaylee Van Winkle for making the two day trek each way with us, constantly being by my side and supporting me through every step of the process leading up to and during this, and believing in me even when I don't always believe in myself.
I am also incredibly thankful to my good friend and mentor Jesse Westfall for flying out to spend the weekend with us and coach me. I know we would not have done as well as we did without your help and support.
A big shout out goes to Rebecca White for the awesome job she did of making my saddle pad and outfitting Chloe and I for our routine!
Thank you to both my mother and Kaylee's parents (shout out to Brian for doing such a great job with the video!), as well as our friends, Wendy Platt Johnson, Andrea White Mears, and Laurie Ferguson, for all flying out from Ohio to be here. Your support meant so much.
As we move into the new year, I am really looking forward to being able to give Chloe some well earned down time. While I am also planning to give her an extended break from reining for the foreseeable future, I do have some other plans and ideas for her this year, that I'm looking forward to!
#performanceliberty #relationshipbasedperformance #freestylereining #bridleless
#cryptoaero #espanasilk #striderightspecialtybodywork #weaverleather #lakotaofohio

[@Idkmwillow]

This is so cool!!! Your videos are so impressive!!

[@JohnaFactsDontCare...]

The flying lead changes steal the show. She's amazing!

[@loribott6119]

I had tears in my eyes with that last spin! I loved how you went into it. You just keep getting flashier! Your relationship and how you both show it in the ring is beautiful. Hope to see you at the QHC in Columbus again this year!

[@rebeccapekarske5788]

You both just keep getting better and better. Well done!