Horsing around is her way of life

Ten is a lucky number for equestrian trainer and rider Chris Hocutt-Senteney.

The Burbank resident in November competed in the amateur competition of the American Quarter Horse Assn.’s World Championship Show in Oklahoma City for the 10th time.

She won top-10 honors with her horse, Bell of the Barn, from 1993 to 2001. And in November, the former Glendale resident won top-10 honors again, but this time it was aboard Bell’s son, Bellieve Hes Blazing.

“We call him Blake,” said Hocutt-Senteney with all the enthusiasm of a proud mom.

It was especially poignant because both horses won their first time out, she said.

“I was absolutely thrilled that a horse I had bred from my mare could be as successful as she was,” she said. “Not only was I the owner and exhibitor, but the breeder — and that was exciting because like any animal, you never know what you’ll get. Few people have bred and trained a horse. It’s unusual.”

Vying in the annual competition are the top riders and horses in the world, said Bill Brewer, executive vice president of the American Quarter Horse Assn.

“The [American Quarter Horse Assn.] World Championship Show is the premier event for [American Quarter Horse Assn.] members, showcasing some of the best riders and American Quarter Horses from around the world,” he said. “It is a great honor to place in the top 10 at this competition.”

Hocutt-Senteney still competes in state events, even at the age of 48, she said. She has had horses since she was 7.

“I begged my dad for a horse,” she said, adding that she talked him into giving her riding lessons.

“He hoped I’d move on to something else, but I never did,” she said.

Her dad bought Hocutt-Senteney her first horse when she was 9 and showed her in 4-H Club events all through her junior- and high-school years.

“I was competing Chiquita against horses with better blood lines and training,” she said. “She was a diamond in the rough that came into her own.”

She continued to work with horses and purchased Bell of the Barn in 1992. She showed her until 2001, and Bell died in 2002.

Competing around the country gave Hocutt-Senteney a chance to meet riders and trainers from all over the country, which later helped her land her job at a horse insurance agency, she said.

“I have a built-in clientele base of people from all over the country, which wouldn’t have happen had I not shown this horse,” she said.

Blake has a good chance of doing as well, if not better than, his mother, she said.

To qualify for the American Quarter Horse Assn.’s November show, he earned the most points in the Pacific Coast Quarter Horse Assn., the state affiliate of the national association.