Robbie Schroeder acknowledged that the cattle in Stephenville were “pretty tough.” That was an understatement, as rider after rider got knocked out of contention by uncooperative cattle.

But Schroeder and Shine By The Bay were tough enough themselves to end the day as Reserve Champions with a combined score of 860.5. The rider and horse have a long history together, and the World’s Greatest Horseman competition offered Schroeder an irresistible chance to prove their teamwork is still strong.
Shine By The Bay drew second in the herd work, following Topsails Rien Maker and Russell Dilday, who marked a 211. Their run started out with a cow that took the bay stallion from one side
of the arena to the other.

“She never would really look at me,” Schroeder said. “The second cow was a nice cow and the third one, she was pretty wild. I didn’t get her cut as clean in the middle as I would have liked. It was pretty tough getting one to head much. I lost her right after the buzzer.”

After a score of 213, they came back in the reining to mark a solid 216.5.

“My horse was really good in his circles. He came out of lead on my second fast circle, but he stopped really good, turned around good,” Schroeder said. “My last stop, I don’t know if he caught himself or hit a bad spot in the ground, he kind of came out of it.”

Their total score after two events was a 429.5, which was tied for second with Jon Roeser and Diamond J Star. But the roping is where the pair really showed off their talent. Schroeder is quick with a loop, and Shine By The Bay knows his job. In just a few seconds, the pair had caught its steer and the result was the
high score of 227, for a total of 656.5.

“I had a good steer that ran on a little bit and let me leave the box. He’s a bigtime stopper,” Schroeder said of Shine By The Bay.

Going into the fence work, he and the stallion were in the lead by half a point over Dilday and Topsails Rien
Maker. But the cattle again proved to be uncooperative. After a solid boxing, Schroeder pointed his horse down the fence after what turned out to be an obstinate cow.

“He was really good on the end. Then down the fence I had a good first turn, and then it went downhill!” he said with a laugh. “I got a lot of arena time.”

The result was a disappointing score of 204, putting their total at 860.5, but it was strong enough to hold on for the Reserve Championship.

Schroeder, 49, whose lifetime earnings add up to $133,863, has a special place in his heart for Shine By The Bay, who was bred by Eric Storey, Henagar, Ala.

“This is the first horse I took to the Snaffle Bit Futurity,” said Schroeder, who owned the horse with his wife, Joan, from 2000 to 2001, and then in another partnership for about six months.

Schroeder rode Shine By The Bay to the Limited Open Reserve Championship at the 2001 event, and then placed fifth in the Open at the 2001 NRHA Futurity.

The 10-year-old stallion, by Shining Spark out of Metermaid To Order by Doc O’Lena, was then shown at the NRCHA Stallion Stakes by trainer Bob Avila, who filled in while Schroeder took care of other show obligations.
The horse won the event and was purchased there by Rhodes River Ranch, Arlington, Wash. But Schroeder and Avila continued to share the wins on Shine By The Bay.

From there he went on to Oklahoma City, where he was third in Junior Reining with Avila riding. In 2003, with Avila showing in cow horse and reining, and Schroeder at the reins in roping classes, Shine By The Bay was a Superhorse contender at the World Show, and finished second. But the same year, he took home a World Championship in the Junior Working Cow Horse. The next year, he won the World Championship in Senior Working Cow Horse, also with Avila riding.

Shine By The Bay, who has earned $106,797, stood at Rhodes River Ranch until last year. He had been retired
– albeit temporarily – from competition. When the ranch decided to sell him – the horse is now owned by Shine By The Bay Partnership, Elverson, Pa. – one of Schroeder’s customers helped Schroeder “get the deal done where I get to show him,” he said. And the Gainesville, Texas, trainer was thrilled with that deal.

“He’s a great horse,” he said. “When he was a 2- and 3-year-old, he probably taught me as much as any horse. As they say, a good horse often makes a trainer, more than a trainer makes good horses. He’s an outstanding horse.”

The trainer said he was especially pleased that Shine By The Bay returned to fighting form so quickly.

“He’s not been shown for about two years, when Bobby [Avila] showed him at the World,” he said. “I took him to Florida and roped on him and showed him in the cow horse a couple of times. For a big event like this, he came back pretty much like he used to be.

“I was pretty confident. I knew that I had the horse to win it with, if I could just have a little luck.”

Shine By The Bay will stand the 2008 breeding season at Bowman Ranch, Walton, Ky. His oldest foals are 3-year-olds.

Schroeder has numerous top-10 finishes at the AQHA World Championship Show, and also has World Championships and Reserve World Championships to his credit in roping events and Western pleasure. In 1999, he was named AQHA’s Professional Horseman of the Year.

He rode Smokin Chic Olena (PT), a 1994 stallion by Smart Chic Olena out of Smokin Wildfire (PT) by Titans Cool Cat (PT), to the 2001 APHA World Championship in Senior Working Cow Horse. In 2002, he rode Lena Spark, a 1999 stallion by Shining Spark out of Chelsea Lena by Smart Peppy Doc, to win the Limited Open at the NRCHA Snaffle Bit Futurity. Schroeder has shown both those horses in World’s Greatest Horseman competition, but had never made the finals. In 2006, Schroeder rode Cant Skippa Blaze to the AQHA World Championship in Senior Heading. The gelding is owned by the Schroeders’ son, Ryan, and is sired by the family’s stallion, Blazing Hot, and out of Smooth Lil Star by Skipa Star.