Bradley Ost Rides Nothin But Nett to Historic $100,000 Win in $142,000 NSBA All-Age Open Trail Finals

18 APR 26 Ocala, FL

A man in a red shirt and black hat rides a dark horse with a decorative saddle through a flower-filled arena during an equestrian event.

Ocala, FL – The highly anticipated $142,000 NSBA All-Age Open Trail Finals brought together some of the nation’s top competitors, all vying for the first-ever $100,000 winner’s payout in trail history. The top 20 combinations from Thursday’s prelims returned to the WEC Grand Arena on Friday night with their sights set on the top prize. When the final results were announced, the crowd erupted as Bradley Ost rode Susan Johns’ Nothin But Nett to victory. With the milestone win, Ost also secured his place in the NSBA Quarter Million Dollar Club following the night’s earnings.

A group of people pose around a person on horseback at an arena, holding awards, plaques, and an oversized check, with flowers and decorations in the foreground.
Bradley Ost & Nothin But Nett accept their awards presented by Michael Tidwell, President of NSBA, Stephanie Lynn, Executive Director of NSBA, and Greg Wheat of World Equestrian Center. Photo by Shane Rux Photography.

Pattern designer Tim Kimura, along with builder Garry McAllister and the WEC crew, delivered a technical track featuring 120 poles paired with a mix of intricate and eye-catching obstacles.

Looking ahead to the finals, Bradley anticipated a demanding test. “You plan on it being pretty hard with a lot of things out there, and it being really high. It was challenging, but that’s how it should be when you’re going for a big prize. Jim and Deanna [Searles] have been great this week, at grounding me and reminding me that things happen. We plan for it, we do our homework, but at the end of the day, there are sometimes things you can’t control and that is the mentality we came into this with. We had a plan, and went in knowing he was prepared and ready to go. We went out and we had fun.”

A man in a red shirt and black hat celebrates on horseback with a large purple ribbon, surrounded by cheering people at an outdoor event.
Bradley Ost & Nothin But Nett. Photo by Shane Rux Photography.

Nothin But Nett rose to the occasion, and Bradley credits the gelding’s exceptional foundation. “He comes from greatness,” he said of the 2017 stallion by Machine Made x KM Hot Number. “What an incredible animal. He comes from greatness. The people who bred him are great, he had great trainers, he got put in the right program from the very beginning. Jim and Deanna [Searles] and the Johns family found him through Katie and Rusty Green and purchased him. He was successful in the Pleasure and then went on to do everything he’s done thus far. I feel like I’m just a fraction of the piece of the puzzle that got to ride him tonight. They did all the hard work. Everyone involved with him did a wonderful job and me getting to be the last piece of the puzzle has been awesome.”

The pair secured the win with a score of 253, finishing 6.5 points ahead of second place. Reflecting on the moment, Bradley shared, “It’s wild, absolutely wild. Years ago, there wasn’t money in the trail, so just having the opportunity to go for something like this is unexplainably exciting. To be here and actually get it done is even more exciting. It’s insane.”

A man in a red shirt and black hat rides a dark horse with a decorative saddle through a flower-filled arena during an equestrian event.
Bradley Ost & Nothin But Nett. Photo by Shane Rux Photography.

When speaking about World Equestrian Center – Ocala, he emphasized the impact of the facility on both horse and rider. “As for the World Equestrian Center, honestly, everything. I have said this from the moment I came here the first time, the size of the stalls and the footing, the horses are comfortable and happy. I think that makes a world of difference, along with everything else.”

He also credited the team behind the win. “I feel so spoiled by my team. Everyone plays a role in getting him ready. The team is incredible, and I have truly never felt so spoiled in my life.”

A rider in a red shirt and black hat guides a brown horse through an arena decorated with flowers and colored poles, with spectators seated in the background.
Blake Weis & Made For Naturdays. Photo by Shane Rux Photography.

Blake Weis secured both second and third place honors in the prestigious class, scoring a 246.5 aboard Mary Alice Nielson’s 2020 gelding, Made For Naturdays (Machine Made x KM Little Bit Of Me), and a 243 with Megan Gieringer’s 2018 gelding, Hes N Like Flynn (RL Best Of Sudden x Shes A Lopin Machine).

A rider in a red shirt and black hat guides a brown horse through an indoor equestrian event, with spectators seated in the background.
Blake Weis & Hes N Like Flynn. Photo by Shane Rux Photography.

$142,000 NSBA All-Age Open Trail Finals Top Three Results

1 Nothin But Nett, Bradley Ost, Susan Johns
2 Made For Naturdays, Blake Weis, Mary Alice Nielson
3 Hes N Like Flynn, Blake Weis, Megan Gieringer

Lauren Elizabeth Martin claimed the $2,000 Limited Rider Bonus with Cynthia Rasmussen’s 2012 gelding, No Question Im Lazy (Lazy Loper x My Invested Machine). 

A Sudden Impulse continues through Saturday, April 18. Spectators are welcome to enjoy competition throughout the week. 

Learn more about the Orange Blossom Classic & A Sudden Impulse here.

Photos courtesy of Shane Rux Photography.

Make sure to visit the WEC Blog and follow us on social media @worldequestriancenter for full coverage on all feature classes.