Thursday Morning Winners at 2015 NSBA World Include Galyean, Dempze, Affeldt, and King

By: Brittany Bevis

Western Pleasure futurities and Hunter Under Saddle classes dominate the schedule today at the 2015 NSBA World Championship Show with a few Equitation and Color Horse classes sprinkled in for good measure.

Becky Galyean rode her home-grown mare, Extreme Moonlite, to win the 2-Year-Old Intermediate Non Pro Western Pleasure class. Earlier in the show, they also won the Breeders Championship Futurity version of the class.

“She’s out of a mare that I showed three or four years ago named Golden Moonlite,” Galyean says. “We flushed the mare right before we sold her and got Scarlet.”

“She wants to do her job, and she doesn’t give us too much trouble. We didn’t know about her at first, when we broke her out, but she has turned a corner and become a really good show horse. I won the limited division of the 2-Year-Old Sale Stakes at the Tom Powers Futurity, so she’s been a good show horse for me, so far.”

This team will compete in the 2-Year-Old Limited Open Western Pleasure later this afternoon.

Another win for Team Galyean came when Jenna Dempze rode her new two-year-old, I’m Special N I Know It, aka “Rocket,” to win the 2-Year-Old Open Non Pro Western Pleasure.

“We just got her at the Tom Powers Futurity,” Dempze says. “Jennifer Stein had her.”

We thought Rocket seemed like an unusual choice for a Western Pleasure horse, but Dempze is sticking by the old horseman’s tradition of never changing a barn name. “She’s got a funny name, but we’re superstitious about changing it,” she says. “We kept it, and we like it. It’s growing on us, and we think it’s really fun.”

Later this year, Dempze has plans to show Rocket in the 2-Year-Old Non Pro Western Pleasure at the Quarter Horse Congress. Trainer Gil Galyean will compete in the 2-Year-Old Western Pleasure Stakes at the Congress and likely the Two-Year-Old Western Pleasure at the AQHA World Show. Later this week, Dempze will show Rewind and Repeat in the Non Pro Western Pleasure Maturity and Amateur Western Pleasure, and Gil will hop aboard for the Junior Western Pleasure.

Over in the Hunter Under Saddle arena, Larissa Affeldt was named the World Champion in Novice Amateur Hunter Under Saddle with her horse Huntin My Zipper, aka “Bob.” The Reserve Champion in the class was Taylor Kuehn with Tails N Assets. Third was Margaret Garwood with Hang Him High.

Yesterday, Affeldt and Bob placed sixth overall in Amateur Hunter Under Saddle with an excellent ride. Today, they improved their placings with three firsts and one second on the individual judges’ cards.

“It’s my first neck ribbon!” Affeldt says. “I think I’m more excited about that than the trophy or belt buckle! Bob is amazing. I had a great ride in the Amateur Hunter Under Saddle yesterday, and I was so proud of him. Then, we just duplicated it in here, and it was really fun.”

Affeldt and Bob have been a team since she purchased the gelding at last year’s All American Quarter Horse Congress. This is their first trip to the NSBA World Championship Show. Affeldt describes her gelding as a complete sweetheart who has a “dog’s personality in a horse’s body.”

“He’s the sweetest horse,” she says. “If he’s laying down, and I go in his stall, he literally puts his head in my lap and cuddles. It’s the cutest thing.”

Bob’s trainer, Nancy Alto-Renfro, will be judging at the Congress this year, so he won’t be making the trip. However, Affeldt fully intends to compete at the AQHA World Show in the fall. “We are World Show qualified in Level 2 and Level 3 in Hunter Under Saddle and Level 2 in Equitation and Horsemanship.” Later today, they will compete in Novice Amateur Hunt Seat Equitation. Just yesterday, Renfro and Bob were named the World Champions in a fun, new class called Green Pattern Hunter Under Saddle.

“Bob just started Equitation at the Sun Circuit this year, so he’s very green,” she says. “Yesterday, Nancy took him in the Green Pattern Hunter Under Saddle. It’s like an equitation class that trainers can ride in. It’s judged on the pattern, and they don’t do any rail work. She won it! There was a lead change in the pattern, and he knocked it out of the park.”

“Nancy said now she can say she’s won Equitation at all the World Shows!” Affeldt says. “She’d never won an NSBA Equitation World title before, because they didn’t have an NSBA World Show when she was an amateur.”

Shanda King rode her horse, Angry Birds, to win the Amateur 50 and Over Hunter Under Saddle. This team competes under the guidance of Keith Miller.

“I’ve only had Abe for about two months, and this is only my second horse show with him,” King says. “He;s the coolest horse, a total sweetheart. He has that feel. The first time I tried him, I told Sydney and Keith that he has the feel that I love. He’s so easy.”

King just turned 50, so this is her first year competing in the Select division. Last year, she showed her previous horse, He’s Gota Lota Appeal, to a third place finish in Amateur Hunter Under Saddle. Today’s World Championship marks her first major win, and she’s more than thrilled.

“It’s amazing,” she says. “I’m on cloud nine. It’s a dream come true. I’ve been riding for 30 years and this was my goal. This is what I wanted.”

The Reserve World Champion in the class was Kirsten Farris with Lyles Al Lie. Third place was Margaret Garwood with Hang Him High.

A big congratulations to all of the winners this morning!