For Shannon Quinlan Hill, the 2025 All-American Quarter Horse Congress is one she won’t be forgetting anytime soon. In a whirlwind of a week, Hill went from hospital bed to the winner’s lineup at Congress racking up top placings in ranch classes with two standout stallions and an incredible support team behind her.
From Surgery to the Show Pen
Hill’s Congress campaign didn’t start as smoothly as she hoped. Just days before the show started, she was sidelined by severe stomach pains. The culprit: an appendix that had to come out.
“Tuesday, I got some stomach pains,” Hill explained. “By Wednesday night I was in surgery getting my appendix removed. We moved into Congress on Thursday, and my first class was on Sunday.”
For many riders, that would have spelled the end of their Congress plans. For Hill, it was just a detour. With her team keeping her horses tuned up, she made it to the show pen and turned the experience into a triumph.
“My team’s had my horses ready, I get on in the tent and off in the tent, and we’ve had a lot of really, really valued professionals help us this week,” she said.
Above all, Hill credits her horses, Everybodystalkinatme and Daytona Five Hundred, for carrying her through.
“Really just showing was going to be a blessing given how the Congress started, but at this point, I am just speechless. The two stud have been amazing, Brad has had them prepared perfectly, and the rest of our team has done such a good job getting me through.”
— Shannon Quinlan Hill
Can’t Stop Talking About Everybodystalkinatme
The 2020 grey stallion Everybodystalkinatme, fondly known as ‘Biggie,’ has established himself as a force to be reckoned with in the ranch arena as he’s racked up top places in stacked open classes.
Last year, Biggie (Wimpys Little Step x This Chics Gettin It) had finished reserve in the Congress 4- & 5-Year-Old Open Ranch Riding Stakes and came back to Columbus, Ohio, looking for the top spot. Against a tough field, the duo captured the Congress Championship and a check for $8,618.80 for owners Jannee and Dominic Pugliani.
“I knew he’d be ready if I could just pilot him and be half involved,” Hill praised the stallion’s ability to adapt and handle the pressure. “He really took over and got on autopilot and filled in a lot of blanks and took care of me in a lot of places, and he showed excellent.”
Biggie didn’t stop there. He also topped the Open Ranch Riding Stakes class to earn $7,040, claimed reserve in Junior Ranch Riding for $350, finished third in Junior Working Western Rail for $250, and took fifth in the Open Ranch Trail Stakes for $1,812.
These titles join an already impressive résumé including AQHA Reserve World Championships in Ranch Rail, NSBA Reserve World Championships, previous Congress Reserve Championships, and numerous other accolades. With his 2025 Congress paychecks, Biggie’s lifetime earnings now exceed $74,000.
Daytona Five Hundred’s $9K Futurity
In the 3-Year-Old Open Ranch Riding Futurity, Hill demonstrated why she excels working with young horses as she and Daytona Five Hundred (Shiners Voodoo Dr x Okie Starbella) picked up the championship title and $9,736.91 check for owner Debbie Kuffer.
“That horse has been absolutely amazing all year,” Hill said. “We picked him as a 2-year-old in November, and he’s been everything we could have hoped for.”
The Congress championship adds to Daytona Five Hundred’s growing list of futurity titles and pushes his lifetime earnings past $20,000.
Balancing Reining Roots with Ranch Riding’s Rise
Hill launched her professional career in the reining pen, where both she and her husband, Brad, are NRHA judges. While reining remains part of their program, much of their attention has shifted to ranch riding, one of the fastest-growing disciplines in the industry.
Together, they operate Hill Performance Horses in Sharpsville, Pennsylvania, where they’ve accumulated more than $250,000 in combined lifetime earnings across reining and ranch riding.
“The classes are huge,” Hill said of ranch riding’s surge in popularity. “The horses are getting better and better all the time. The nice thing is there’s a level and a class for everybody, and the horses get to show a lot, they stay fresh, and they all seem to really like their jobs.”
Results:
4- & 5-Year-Old Open Ranch Riding Stakes
| Place | Money Earned | Horse Name | Rider Name | Owner Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $8,618.80 | Everybodystalkinatme | Shannon Quinlan Hill – Sharpsville, PA | Jannee and Dominic Pugliani |
| 2 | $6,205.54 | Sweet Little Outlaw | John Roberts – Woodlawn, VA | Patsy N Watson |
| 3 | $4,481.78 | Ss Walk The Line | Jordan Martin – Princeton, KY | Jordan Martin |
| 4 | $3,447.52 | Bet Boon Gone Blue | Bud Lyon – Whitesboro, TX | Carol A Dewrell |
| 5 | $2,930.39 | Nic The Whiz | Bud Lyon – Whitesboro, TX | Monte Freeman |
Open Ranch Riding Stakes
| Place | Money Earned | Horse Name | Rider Name | Owner Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $7,040.00 | Everybodystalkinatme | Shannon Quinlan Hill – Sharpsville, PA | Jannee and Dominic Pugliani |
| 2 | $5,068.80 | Sumac Gunnabeflashy | Bud Lyon – Whitesboro, TX | Leslie Vagneur Lange |
| 3 | $3,660.80 | Whizenboonsmal | Bud Lyon – Whitesboro, TX | Madison Hayden Rafacz |
| 4 | $2,816.00 | Ss Walk The Line | Jordan Martin – Princeton, KY | Jordan Martin |
| 5 | $2,393.60 | SS Wrecking Ball | Elizabeth A Yoder – Mt. Victory, OH | Alexius Dorsey |
Junior Ranch Riding
| Place | Money Earned | Horse Name | Rider Name | Owner Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $400.00 | SS Pity Tha Fool | Jimmy Daurio – Loveland, CO | Clara Tracy |
| 2 | $350.00 | Everybodystalkinatme | Shannon Quinlan Hill – Sharpsville, PA | Jannee and Dominic Pugliani |
| 3 | $250.00 | Bet Boon Gone Blue | Bud Lyon – Whitesboro, TX | Carol A Dewrell |
| 4 | $150.00 | Nic The Whiz | Bud Lyon – Whitesboro, TX | Monte Freeman |
| 5 | $100.00 | Ss Walk The Line | Jordan Martin – Princeton, KY | Jordan Martin |
Open Ranch Trail Stakes
| Place | Money Earned | Horse Name | Rider Name | Owner Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $5,329.40 | Xtra Wimpys Catalyst | Matt Gouthro – Staunton, VA | Erika Collins Sterling |
| 2 | $3,837.17 | SS Wrecking Ball | Elizabeth A Yoder – Mt. Victory, OH | Alexius Dorsey |
| 3 | $2,771.29 | SS Pity Tha Fool | Jimmy Daurio – Loveland, CO | Clara Tracy |
| 4 | $2,131.76 | Cowpuncher Cadillac | Jimmy Daurio – Loveland, CO | Jimmy Daurio |
| 5 | $1,812.00 | Everybodystalkinatme | Shannon Quinlan Hill – Sharpsville, PA | Jannee and Dominic Pugliani |
Junior Working Western Rail
| Place | Money Earned | Horse Name | Rider Name | Owner Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $400.00 | SS Pity Tha Fool | Jimmy Daurio – Loveland, CO | Clara Tracy |
| 2 | $350.00 | Bet Boon Gone Blue | Bud Lyon – Whitesboro, TX | Carol A Dewrell |
| 3 | $250.00 | Everybodystalkinatme | Shannon Quinlan Hill – Sharpsville, PA | Jannee and Dominic Pugliani |
| 4 | $150.00 | Charlie Danials | Kevin Raber – Jackson, OH | Janet Behling |
| 5 | $100.00 | Runningoutofboonlite | Steve Meadows – Staunton, VA | Kathryne Kristine Zachrich |
3-Year-Old Open Ranch Riding Futurity
| Place | Money Earned | Horse Name | Rider Name | Owner Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $9,736.91 | Daytona Five Hundred | Shannon Quinlan Hill – Sharpsville, PA | Debbie Kuffer |
| 2 | $5,926.82 | Americas Lady Liberty | John A Irish – Eagle Point, OR | John A or Maria R Irish |
| 3 | $4,445.11 | The Soldier | Steve Meadows – Staunton, VA | Michelle Higdon-Rector |
| 4 | $3,810.10 | CBK Lyle Loves It | Bud Lyon – Whitesboro, TX | Kalyn Sanders |
| 5 | $3,386.75 | Some Of It | Nicholas R Nelson – Salesville, OH | Jaime R Nelson |
—H&R—
