A great ride is about to come to an end for one Issaquah mother-daughter duo.

Dawn and Ryann Bluhm stepped into the equestrian world together and, in the process, they have reached the pinnacle of the sport, winning a combined 16 world titles on their 8-year-old Appaloosa, “I’m a Chocolate Chip” — better known as Jalapeno.

But in two weeks, when the pair returns to Issaquah from the National Appaloosa and World Championship Appaloosa Youth Show in Jackson, Miss., a long-time summer tradition of hopping in their truck and traveling cross country will fade into the sunset.

“The sad thing is, this will be the last time we go together,” Dawn said.

Ryann, 17, who graduated from Issaquah High School earlier this month, will go to Texas Christian University in the fall to continue her equestrian career on a partial scholarship.

The two admit they’ll be sad when they pull back into their home stables at Redmond’s Capstone Farm for the final time, but they hope to make the best out of their last trip.

Ryann is currently competing in nine classes at the World Youth Show through tomorrow, looking to add on to her six world titles. She is facing competition from all over the world, including Canada, Mexico and Spain. Dawn will participate in the National Appaloosa Show June 30 through July 5. She will get a chance to add on to her 10 world championships in October.

Both riders compete in all-around performance events, meaning they don’t jump. Ryann said it’s sometimes difficult to explain to people what they do.

“Most people think I get on a party pony in my backyard and hop around,” she joked.

In fact, what they do couldn’t be farther from riding around in a circle wearing a party hat.

They compete in a variety of classes, including equitation, pleasure and showmanship — all of which require precise maneuvers, control and subtle cues of the horse.

“You cannot have an elbow out, your chin can’t drop, you can’t have your legs forward,” Dawn said. “You’re up there poised and doing all this stuff on your horse.”

Being able to do all this with efficiency is no easy task — it starts with the horse. And the Bluhms have the perfect match in Jalapeno.

“He’s really well-trained,” Dawn said. “There’s an advantage when there’s good stock, and basically he’s a good horse.”

Success also involves a lot of practice. Dawn, who started riding 10 years ago and has competed for five, is at Capstone Farm every day of the week except Sunday. Ryann works around a busy schedule, but is there as much as possible. Both riders work with trainer Sarah Gant at least once a week.

“To come out here and ride on your own is entirely up to you, but that’s how you get better,” Dawn said.

That hard work has resulted in some great memories for the pair. Ryann, who has been riding since she was 3, said her most memorable moment came just a few years ago when she claimed her first world title. After competing in the Western Pleasure class, she entered the center of the ring to be inspected by the judges. Jalapeno flung his head up in refusal while the judges were looking at him. Ryann thought she lost her chance of placing in the top five with that mistake.

“All the sudden, they called my number for first and it was just tears. It was bad,” she said.

Dawn said her most memorable experience came last October when she won six world titles in Forth Worth, Texas.

“I don’t think that I’ll ever top that again,” she said. “To say that you’ve done that in your career is pretty awesome.”

To check and see if Dawn and Ryann were able to add to their long list of awards, log on to www.appaloosa.com/national-show/national-show.htm.