Riley Schaffhauser wins Small Fry Ranch Riding.

A Silver Lining For Riley Schaffhauser In Small Fry Ranch Riding

The Quarter Horse Congress Ranch events wrapped up over the weekend with a focus on youth and Open classes that saw some new faces and some perennial winners.

The day before seven-year-old Riley Schaffhauser was scheduled to compete in the Small Fry Ranch Riding, her horse was rushed to colic surgery at The Ohio State University’s Galbreath Veterinary Hospital and did not survive.

“He died on the surgery table,” explained Riley’s mother, Jeanna. “It’s been a rough 24 hours.”

As a result, it was a bittersweet moment when Riley won the class on her sister Becca’s horse, Name Brand, earning a score of 230.5, besting her nearest competitor by two points

“When I first saw the pattern, the turn made me a little nervous,” Riley admitted. “I really liked our extended trot.”

Despite showing a horse she hadn’t ridden often, Riley proved to be a quick study. “I’ve got to show at a few other places, but not with him,” Riley said. “We call him Frog. He was really good and did what I asked him to do.”

Riley comes from a family of Reining and Ranch Riding competitors. Her father, Sam Schaffhauser, operates Schaffhauser Performance Horses. She also borrowed Got Twisted In Vegas, owned by Madison Rafacz, to win the Short Stirrup NRHA Reining at the 2025 Quarter Horse Congress as well.

Ava and Cuda Win Youth Level 1 Ranch Riding

Ava Jersin traded in riding lessons for Ranch competition, and now she’s a Quarter Horse Congress Champion with her horse Shyne On Me. The team bested the field with a score of 238, taking home both the AQHA and NSBA Champion awards.

“I started working with ‘Cuda’ three years ago in the Ranch classes and I hadn’t shown at the Quarter Horse Congress before this year,” Ava said. 

Although she shows in all the Ranch events, she admitted that Ranch Riding is her favorite. “In the class today, I really liked our poles and our back. He felt very responsive and he felt like he was there the whole time and I liked all of our transitions, too,” she said. 

When asked how she felt about being a first-time Congress champion, Ava's answer was simple: “It’s exciting!”

Emotional Win For Jessica and Benny

Ten-year-old Jessica Husler showed Chics Dig Jersey Nic to win the Youth 13 & Under Ranch Riding class, marking an emotional victory. “It feels amazing,” Jessica said through happy tears.

She was happy to share the win with her horse. “His name is Benny and I’ve been showing him for about three years. He’s not scared of anything,” she said. “In our class today, I really liked our lead changes.”

Elizabeth is not a stranger to the Congress winner’s circle. “I won the Small Fry Ranch Riding a couple of years ago with Benny and I was second with my other horse,” she said. Elizabeth also shows in Level 1 Ranch events.

Madison Rafacz Continues To Dominate

Madison Rafacz couldn’t finish any better than first and second in the Youth Ranch Riding, which saw 78 entries take the course. She showed her gelding Whizenboonsmal to the championship and her mare, Got Twisted In Vegas to reserve. 

“We did this last year too,” Madison said. “It never gets old. They’re both great horses and they were both great for me. They make it easy.”

Madison Rafacz couldn’t finish any better than first and second in the Youth Ranch Riding, which saw 78 entries take the course. She showed her gelding Whizenboonsmal to the championship and her mare, Got Twisted In Vegas to reserve. 

Madison enjoyed the pattern drawn for her class. “I like the fluidity of the pattern,” she said. “It’s not super complex but it gave us the opportunity to show with a greater degree of difficulty and set some scores apart. I tried to up the degree of difficulty in the places I could and make it pretty everywhere else, and make it flow.”

Madison also took home the first two National Youth Activity Team Tournament championships of the 2025 Quarter Horse Congress, winning the NYATT Youth Ranch Riding with her mare, Got Twisted In Vegas, and the NYATT Reining, with Stop Like Voodoo. Madison represented the Florida Quarter Horse Youth Association, putting the FQHYA team in the lead as the contest gets underway. The NYATT classes are sponsored by NSBA’s Smart Points.

Kennedy And Bailey Close Out Ranch Events With A Win

Kennedy Beltz and her horse PS Remington saved their best class for last when they won the Youth Ranch Trail on the final day of Ranch class competition.

“I’ve had him four years now and he was my very first Ranch horse,” she explained. “I used to do the All Around classes with APHA. When I moved into the Ranch classes and AQHA events, I was still in Walk Trot, so Bailey was my first loping horse. He had never done the Ranch classes before and had been a Reiner. We really learned everything together.”

The class was a larger one with nearly 80 horses shows before the winners were decided. “I think one of the things I loved most about our pattern is how much he stayed with me,” she said. “He asked every time whether to slow down or speed up and was so patient, and he just waited on me. He’s really good about when I get nervous and quick, he gets slow. So he’s very good about waiting and being patient with me even when I’m being quick with him. He’s a very smart horse and that is his saving grace in the Trail. He’s a brave boy.”

Diesel Trucks To The Win In Level 1 Ranch Trail

With 100 horses drawn in the Level 1 Open Ranch Trail, the competition was fierce but SS Wrecking Ball and Elizabeth Yoder stood at the top of the scores after the dust settled. The duo earned a 240 and the AQHA and NSBA Congress champion titles.

Elizabeth and the stallion are coming off a spectacular show at the Championship Show in Ocala, Florida, where they won the $50,000 Added Senior Ranch Riding, as well as the Level 1/Green Ranch Riding, Ranch Rail and Ranch Trail. “We’ve placed second here twice and missed it by one point each time,” Elizabeth said. “I was very excited to get the win, especially with so many nice horses in the Level 1 this year. This is the toughest year I’ve ever seen for Level 1 classes.”

Elizabeth was pleased with her go aboard Diesel. “The whole pattern, he was just with me the whole time,” she said. “If I had to pick one maneuver, I was really happy with my lope spots, and my slow serpentine, he steered really well for me. My side pass, gate and back through was really snappy. 

“The Coliseum can be a little tricky because your transitions come up very fast. There is a lot of tight steering, and you don’t have a lot of time to find your spot once you’re in your new transition, so you have to be very synched up with your horse and trust that they’re going to be with you.”

Elizabeth had some strong genetics on her side with her show string in the class. “I had three in the top ten and two in the top five, and there all by SG Frozen Enterprise,” she said. “My SG boys pulled through for me, they all did really well!”

Bridesmaid No More: Kristy Smith and Chic Freeze

Kristy Smith might be the equivalent of the actress ‘Susan Lucci’ of the Ranch World. “I’ve been second probably at least 20 times here, and this is my 28th Congress,” she said. “I’ve been coming here since I was seven and started showing when I was little. 

“I’ve trained numerous Congress winners, and my family has owned numerous Congress champions, but this is personally the first time it’s actually happened. This win means a lot to me. I’m really still in shock.

Kristy showed Chic Freeze to win the Open Junior Ranch Trail on the final day of Ranch competition. “He’s by SG Frozen Enterprise and out of a Wimpys Little Step mare, and he is five years old,” she explained. “My mom and I bought him as a two year old from Dany Tremblay. I just saw a lot of potential in this horse. He was in the top five a couple of times last year here and at the AQHA World Show. He’s just been a great horse for me.

Kristy explained what makes Chic Freeze special. “He’s really in tune to me and is a really super-focused horse and when you get on the obstacles he just wants to try really hard at each one. He got hurt as a three year old and there were a few months where all I could do was walk and trot, so I spent a lot of time walking. This horse has an unbelievable extended walk.”

She explained her strategy going into the class against a large field of 43 exhibitors. “The pattern today was sort of simple so I really tried to overshow my steering, my downward transitions to the walk to really show that extended walk he has,” she explained.

“It all came together. I don’t think people realize how much things have to line up and go your way for it to actually really happen. I wouldn’t want to win it on any other horse but him. I’ve done all the Ranch training on him since he was two. He’s a really special horse, he’s got a great personality. He really loves his job, loves going to horse shows and his ears are always up. He just have 1,000 percent try.”

The 2025 All American Quarter Horse Congress continues through Sunday, October 26. To view complete show results, the live video feed in various arenas or the upcoming schedule, please visit  or the Horse Show Tracker app.

About NSBA

Established in 1983, National Snaffle Bit Association has expanded from its roots in the Western Pleasure discipline to recognize various disciplines and eight breed associations in competition. NSBA’s mission is to grow the show horse community through various equine programs and events where every activity benefits horses, breeders, owners and exhibitors alike.

National Snaffle Bit Association has more than 20,000 active members and more than 44,000 registered horses across its eight alliance breed organizations. NSBA members earn more than $13.5 million in monetary awards at NSBA-sanctioned horse shows annually, and the association sanctions nearly 600 horse show events and close to 200,000 horse show entries each year.

To learn more about NSBA, please visit nsba.com.