So Long Sunday As The NSBA World Championship Show Ends

By Connie Lechleitner, NSBA

The sun set on the 2023 NSBA World Championship Show and Breeders Championship Futurity on Sunday, August 20 after crowning the show’s final champions throughout the day. The association celebrated its 40th anniversary throughout the ten-day event.

The 2023 NSBA World Show saw more than 9,200 entries by show’s end, and provided an economic impact to the city of Tulsa of $15,660,000.

 

Seeing Double

Gil Galyean and Aaron Moses could almost see double in their two entries in the Breeders Championship Futurity Three Year Old Open Western Pleasure, Queen Ov Hearts and Saay My Name. The two horses were twin embryos bred by Marianne Harrington, and raised at H & P Ranch. Both are by Machine Made and out of HP Only The Best.

However it was Gil’s entry, Queen Ov Hearts, who took that futurity championship in the class. “Darren Putnam and Jay Southern started these colts and did a really nice job starting them,” Gil said. “Candice Hall and Cory Seebach bought this mare at the 2022 Madness.

“We call her LuLu. She is a sweet mare, and she has a great top line, trots square and just has this sweepy movement when she lopes. She won the Two Year Old Western Pleasure at the 2022 AQHA World Show. We will show her this fall at the Congress and AQHA World Show, and Candice shows here in the Limited Non-Pro.

Jan Shepherd Pittman Is Back In The Saddle

Just prior Jan Shepherd Pittman and her horse Good Miss Lazy’s class, Jan had a bit of a wardrobe malfunction. “My zipper broke, and the staff at the back gate fixed me up with a safety pin to hold my jeans together,” laughed Jan.

The safety pin proved to be a good luck charm when Jan and her mare were named the unanimous champions in the Maturity $10,000 Limited Horse Non-Pro Western Pleasure. “I showed her last year and we were bronze champions,” Jan said.

“I haven’t had her all that long and last year’s NSBA World Show was my first time to show her, but I’m back in the saddle. I’ve only shown her three or four times. She gave me her heart. Everything I asked, she did.”

Good Miss Lazy, who is known as Georgia, is a seven year old mare by Lazy Loper and out of Good Miss Sunny. “We had been looking for a horse for a while,” Jan said. “This mare happened to be in the barn and was being trained for Western Riding, and Bret Parrish told me that he thought she would work for my next horse. I’ve been with Bret and Candy  for 20 years, and so I trusted their judgement, and here we are!

“She’s one of the kindest mares I’ve ever ridden. And Bret had shown her mother. We’ve already got a baby coming with Fiire N Ice next year, and we can’t wait, but we will continue to show in Amateur Select and Non-Pro Maturity classes.”

From Preemie To Premium

Jessa Lynch Sutton’s horse, Heartbreaka, had a rough start to life, but she’s overcome a challenging start to be named an NSBA Color BCF champion, and a sale graduate who earned a portion of the NSBA Markel Insurance Breeders Championship Futurity Yearling Sale graduate money. The duo won the Color Breeders Championship Futurity Two Year Old Non-Pro Western Pleasure.

“We call her Bea, and we raised her,” Tessa said. “She’s by Heartstoppin, and she was born about a month premature. We had to do a lot of doctoring with her and we realized that she’s so good minded and quiet.

“As a show horse, she’s really consistent and for being just two years old, she’s a powerhouse. This was my first time to show her, Erin Leiurance showed her earlier this week. She was great and so much fun to show. We will be taking her to the Congress because she’s eligible for the sale class there too. Then hopefully we can show in the three year old classes next year. She’s the only filly out of that mare, who has had ten colts and just this one filly, so we hope to get to keep her.”

A Comeback For Rocco

Elizabeth Baker piloted Al Be Good To Go to win the Maturity Limited Open Hunter Under Saddle showing for Richard Cognetti, and the win was especially sweet for Elizabeth, who had to wait for her show partner’s comeback.

“I showed him in the three year old classes last year, and I showed him at the Premier, and he fell going down the hill. I’ve had to wait to get him back for 14 months. The vets told me that we’d never get him back, but I never gave up on him.

“He hadn’t had an English saddle on all that time, and this is the first time I’ve got to show him since he got hurt. He’s like a big dog, so he’s been easy to work with. He’s just a show horse. He puts up his ears and just shows. He’s very correct – he has a great top line and canters the same both ways and trots great.”

The four year old gelding is by Good Better Best and out of an Allocate Your Assets mare.

Fancy Being The Last Pleasure Champion

Brett Sanders save the best for last when she and her horse All Fancy Like, won the final class of the 2023 NSBA World Championship Show.

Brett just bought her horse a month ago, but she’s already realizing she made a great choice when the pair won the Breeders Championship Futurity Two Year Old Limited Non-Pro Hunter Under Saddle futurity championship as well as the Two Year Old Limited Non-Pro Hunter Under Saddle world title.

“Mark Zeitler had started him, and Katie Cochran has been training him since we got him,” Brett said. “I’ve shown with Katie for years growing up, so we’ve known each other a long time.

“I was drawn to him because he is so striking and beautiful, and eye catching. He’s very good minded. He took care of me out there when I should have been taking care of him. I loved that I could trust him to do his job.”

The two year old APHA stallion by All Time Fancy and out of a These Irons Are Hot mare has a date at the 2023 Congress, where he will show in the Congress futurity classes. “I’m planning to show him as a three year old next year, and then we’ll talk about standing him,” Brett said.

To view complete show results from the 2023 NSBA World Championship Show and Breeders Championship Futurity, please visit nsba.com.