NSBA News: Gettin Western at NSBA World

NSBA News

By: Connie Lechleitner

Wednesday at the NSBA World Championship Show and Breeders Championship Futurity began with NSBA’s unique showcase in Senior Western Riding and ended with the CINCH Horsemanship Invitations finals, and in between the show saw everything from Western Pleasure and Hunter Under Saddle to Trail, Equitation and Longe Line in four arenas on the Built Ford Tough Livestock Complex in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Showing Off Skills In Senior Western Riding

From starting at a lope, to navigating around an awards stage in the middle of the arena to two logs, the Senior Western Riding provides exhibitors and horses with a pattern that is not performed anywhere else but the NSBA World Championship Show.

“Having that lope off to start the pattern, to going from a spot where you lope, stand still, lope off again and stand still, this pattern really lends itself to a more forward horse,” noted Chad Evans. “It’s a very different track than our normal set patterns. Once you start, the horses are listening because they aren’t sure what’s next. And the last change, where you’re going forward into a trot at the end is a hard element to do smoothly. It is a fun pattern.”

“I love the pattern,” noted Anthony Montes, who took the reserve world title with Strawberri Wine. “It’s different, and it allows a horse to show at it’s best in a real length of stride. There are lots of crossovers even over a long time. It can be a challenge to find center sometimes. It’s so different than any other pattern we do, and having to collect back for the pole at the end is also challenging.”

Jason Martin, who won the world championship with Hez Blazin Trouble for Bonnie Sheren,  third with Heza Radical Zip, and eighth with Zippin A Breeze, talked about his winning run. “I probably overpracticed a little bit because he knew where he was going,” he said.

“Sara Simons started him and showed him during his three and four-year-old year, and this is my first year to get to show him. He’s special. He has so much eye appeal, and is honest and so trainable. He also has so much rhythm, and it’s just a pleasure to ride.”

Hunting Championships

Katie Cochran piloted Good Ol Boys Club to win the world title in the Two Year Old Hunter Under Saddle. “We call him Peter, and he’s by Good Better Best and out of Shez Immortal. He’s a full brother to Line Up Behind, and he has such a great dam,” Katie said.

“We bought him in January from the Roberts, and he just came out perfect. We were going to save him for the maiden class, but he was ready, so we started showing him. I really enjoy having a Hunter Under Saddle horse, and doing something a little different than the Western Pleasure.”

Kayla Kohler and All Good took the futurity win in the Breeders Championship Futurity 4-6 Year Old Limited Open Hunter Under Saddle, showing for owner, Meredith Landy. “We bonded at 6:30 this morning,” Kayla laughed. “It was a catch ride for me. He was phenomenal. He has such a soft cadence that I just had to sit up and ride. He let me set back and show him.”

Meredith noted that “Jameson” was a Mother’s Day present. “This is really a bit deal to me to win this,” she said. “I’m so proud of him. This was the most exhilarating of any win.”

Meredith’s day got even better when she returned in the saddle to win the Color Amateur Hunter Under Saddle world championship.

Dawn Baker continued her winning summer aboard Only Ride The Best, by winning the world championship in the Three Year Old Open Hunter Under Saddle, showing for owner, Caroline Cavallo. The trio began their year by winning the Maiden Three Year Old Open Hunter Under Saddle at the A Sudden Impulse Futurity in May.

“He was so fun to show today,” Dawn said. “I think he has gotten stronger since May, and he knows the horse show routine now and understands his job. He loves what he does and he lets you show him.”

Another multiple world champion on Wednesday was Im Willy Good Today, who won the world title in Junior Hunter Under Saddle back-to-back with owner Erin Shapiro Boatwright winning the futurity title in the Breeders Championship Futurity 4-6 Year Old Non-Pro Hunter Under Saddle.

Western Winners

Every horse needs a little girl to love it, and for Made In The Dark, Clara Ashlock is that little girl. “His fulltime job is to be a 13 & Under and Novice Youth horse for Clara, but sometimes she lets me show him,” noted Aaron Moses, who showed ‘Bud’ to win the Color Senior Western Pleasure world title.

“He’s by Machine Made, and he is a full brother to Made By J. We bought him last year for Clara.” Bud is a full double-registered AQHA and APHA horse.

Tali Terlizzi continued her busy World Show week by winning the Breeders Championship Futurity Limited Non-Pro Western Pleasure aboard Pinball Machine. It took two splits and a final to determine the winner, and Tali was feeling the pressure.

“He was pretty good in the first split, and then when we went back in for the finals, we just went for it,” she said. “He was very good. In fact, I scratched the rest of my classes for today to concentrate on Jeffrey.”

Another NSBA World Show class that saw large numbers was the Maturity $10,000 Limited Horse Open Western Pleasure, which saw two splits and a final to determine the winner. Houston Huff showed Battarang to the world championship for owner Jesslyn Bartholomew.

“I’ve had Judi since the beginning, and in fact Harley put the first 30 days on him,” Houston said. “He is four years old and by Batt Man. He’s a real show horse. He’s very fluid and has so much self-carriage that matches both ways. Jessie had picked him out at 45 days old. She’s pretty good at picking out babies.”

The Breeders Championship Futurity Two Year Old Non-Pro Western Pleasure class had a Non-Pro, Intermediate Non-Pro and Limited Non-Pro division, and the classes resulted in two rock star divas and one stallion named Fred named as the futurity champions.

In the Open division, Clay Arrington showed his grandmother’s stallion, RV Not For Hire to another NSBA world title. In the Intermediate division, it was Fine Lookin Lady, shown by Kameron Thorn, who was named the futurity champion in her very first NSBA World Show.

“We’ve only had her about a month,” Kameron said. “We bought her at the Big A. She’s by Zippos Mr Good Bar and we call her Rhianna. This is really just our first show together. We loved her movement and her pedigree, since she’s out of Cool Lookin Moonie.

“I felt like it was a little rocky at the start of the class, but we got settled and it ended up well. It was a lot of fun to show, and it’s so exciting to win this title. We’ll probably keep Rhianna for a while and show in the three year old classes next year.”

NSBA’s own 2021 Youth Scholarship Winner, Lola Knight, earned her BCF futurity win aboard Batterfly Kisses in the Breeders Championship Futurity Two Year Old Limited Non-Pro Western Pleasure. “We’ve been working all year for this moment,” Lola said.

“She’s so naturally talented, super cute with her little ears and her personality is really sweet. We call her J Lo, and she knows she’s the bomb. I plan to hang onto her and show her in the three year old classes next year.”

CINCH Horsemanship Invitational

Wednesday night found 16 finalists going head-to-head in a Horsemanship pattern that they received and had only ten minutes to strategize before entering the show arena to perform, vying for part of the $15,500 purse for the class. Exhibitors who were nationally ranked through one of NSBA’s alliance associations were invited to compete in the preliminary contest that was held the day before the finals. An initial 66 exhibitors began the contest to reach the final 16 exhibitors.

The class champions, Hanna Olaussen and her horse, Wearin Only Moonlite, took on the finals without the benefit of her trainer, Brad Jewett, but Hanna proved cool under pressure.

“I was the first to go in the order, so I wanted to be confident, and I just wanted to push it,” she said. “I’ve had ‘Moonshine’ for four years now, and I just don’t get any nerves with him. He’ll always do everything I ask, so he gave me a lot of confidence.”

Hanna and Moonshine won $3,000 for their efforts and also won Brad Jewett an $1,500 trainer bonus. She did not have much time to savor the victory, however, since she was moving into college at Texas A&M University the next day.

Deanna Green and Beez N The Trap took the reserve award and won $2,000 while Angela Wade and A Soxy Dream were third, earning $1,500. Carey Nowacek and Jest Me N Batt Man were fourth, and a random trainer bonus of $750 was also awarded to her trainer, Brett Clark.