Show management had already expanded the Fall Championship to include a second circuit in response to the pent-up demand of exhibitors who sat home for months in COVID lockdowns. Once the Congress and its coveted futurities were cancelled, AzQHA CEO Doug Huls worked creatively to adjust the schedule to add a full slate of NSBA Futurities with generous added money. Sponsors enthusiastically jumped in, ensuring the shows will be a highlight of the year.

“I want to make it a practice of buying young horses and turning them into something. I thought he had something special, but since we haven’t been able to show in a while, we haven’t gotten the chance to show people what he can do. But today he proved it.”

The 12-14 and the 15-18 youth divisions will run throughout the horse show with their classes being held on the same days as the amateur and select divisions for those classes. For example: The Youth, Amateur, and Select Horsemanship classes will all run on the days listing Horsemanship. L1 Youth, L1 Amateur, and L1 Select classes for Western Pleasure and Horsemanship will follow the Equitation classes.

The 4-year-old, double-registered gelding the Preston family fondly calls “Tulsa” has history here at the NSBA World Show. “He’s super special to us, because he looks just like our older gelding who passed away, Brokers Lucky Kid,” Mackenzie says. “We bought Tulsa off a picture in the NSBA sale and online bid for him.”

Our newly crowned crop of World Champions ran the gamut from Trail and Horsemanship to Hunter Under Saddle, Western Pleasure, and Longe Line. There is never a shortage of classes to compete in at the NSBA World Show and competitors are taking full advantage of the numerous divisions and categories in which to show their horses.