Ocala, FL – Saturday wrapped up Spring Quarter Horse competition at World Equestrian Center – Ocala. The final day of A Sudden Impulse featured a strong lineup of classes, including the $10,000 NSBA Maturity Open & Limited Open Hunter Under Saddle, $10,000 NSBA Maturity Open & Limited Open Western Pleasure, $10,000 NSBA Non-Pro 3-Year-Old Open & Limited Non-Pro Western Pleasure, and the $500 NSBA Open English Versatility and $500 NSBA Non-Pro English Versatility.
Keith Miller closed out two successful weeks at the Orange Blossom Classic and A Sudden Impulse with a win in the $10,000 NSBA Maturity Open Hunter Under Saddle. On the final day of competition, Miller guided Im Willy Good Today, owned by Madeleine Bayless, to the top of a 14-horse field to earn the champion ribbon.
“‘Drake’, we call him—-he’s just a great animal. He trots and canters really well, and the judges really like him,” Miller spoke of the 2016 gelding by Good I Will Be x A Walk In The Sky. “We’ll just keep showing him, and we’ll probably show him later in the year at the NSBA World Show, the Congress, and the World Show”
In the Limited division, Rebecca Spellman rode Best Bea Goodtime (Good Better Best x Bea Sweet Blaze), a 2021 gelding owned by Allison Ann Rassinoux to the win.
$10,000 NSBA Maturity Open Hunter Under Saddle Top Three Results
1 Im Willy Good Today, Keith Miller, Madeleine Bayless
2 Code Thirty, Sara Simons, Cynthia Rasmussen
3 Jus Be Good, Farley Mclendon, Amanda Nicole Smith
Waffle House, a 2020 mare owned by the Glover Galyean Partnership LLC, has found great success during A Sudden Impulse, taking top honors earlier in the week with her young rider, Gracelyn Galyean. On Saturday, Waffle House (The Born Legacy x Bestseatnthehouse) emerged victorious once again, this time with Aaron Moses in the saddle for the $10,000 NSBA Maturity Open Western Pleasure. Moses and the mare bested a field of 16 horse-and-rider combinations to claim the winning title and round out the circuit.
“She’s a beautiful horse. She’s very correct in her gaits, jogging and loping. She looks with her ears, has a really good expression, good topline,” Moses shared about what makes Waffle House stand out in the show pen. “She’s a great horse, great mare—I’m very grateful to get to show her.”
Waffle House’s owner, Gracelyn Galyean, shares the same sentiments about the mare and noted that her calm demeanor is one of her best qualities. “I love this horse so much. She’s probably my favorite, and I just love to ride her.”
Mark Katafiasz rode Renee Norleen’s WellThereYouGo (Certainly A Vision x Miss Good N Red Dee) to claim the Limited title in the NSBA Maturity Limited Open Western Pleasure.
$10,000 NSBA Maturity Open & Ltd Open Western Pleasure Top Three Results:
1 Waffle House, Aaron Moses, Glover Galyean Partnership LLC
2 Certainly Persistent, Jay Starnes, Richard and Betty Jo Carr
3 Start Ur Engines, Rusty Green, Yvonne Robeson
The $10,000 NSBA Non-Pro 3-Year-Old Open & Limited Non-Pro Western Pleasure served as the final class of A Sudden Impulse. Raymond Arnona rode Vincent Arnona’s The Wild Wild West to victory, topping a competitive field of 12 entries.
The 2022 mare, by Makin Me Willy Wild x Hilfiger Im Krymsun, is still a relatively new partner for Arnona. “We bought her last July. Rusty and Katy Green found her and I bought her then,” he shared. “The first time I showed her was at Congress and we got Reserve Champion. She’s really a quiet horse and just amazing. She makes me look good!”
Angela Wade piloted her 2022 mare, Lady Mamalade (The Lopin Machine x My Mama Said So), to the Limited win in the NSBA 3-Year-Old Limited Non-Pro Western Pleasure.
$10,000 NSBA Non-Pro 3-Year-Old Open Western Pleasure Top Three Results:
1 The Wild Wild West, Raymond Arnona, Vincent Arnona
2 Lady Mamalade, Angela Wade, Angela Wade
3 Guitars N Cadillacz, Deanna Willis, Deanna Willis
Indoor Arena 1 set the stage for the Open and Non-Pro English Versatility classes, a growing event designed to showcase the adaptability and skill of horse and rider. Inspired by western trail classes, English Versatility challenges competitors to complete a pattern featuring maneuvers like turns on the forehand, small jumps or ground rails, leg yields, and lead changes. The emphasis is on smooth, forward movement with light rein contact and a natural head carriage. Open to horses aged three and older, the class offers divisions for open, amateur, youth, and walk-trot riders.
In the $500 Open English Versatility, Caroline French-Campbell of San Miguel, California and her own Mr Goody Too Shoes captured the win. The 2019 gelding by Too Sleepy To Zip x Sky’s Lady In Blue, earned a combined score of 232 to finish 7.5 points ahead of the field.
$500 NSBA Open English Versatility Top Three Results:
1 Mr Goody Too Shoes, Caroline French-Campbell, Caroline French-Campbell
2 Backyard Bob, Lainie Deboer, Lori Bucholz
3 Hez Dressed Best, Kenzie Bracken, Laura Bracken
Kenzie Bracken aboard Hoos Sophisticated (Sophistication Only x Shez Dressed Hot) captured the win in the $500 Non-Pro English Versatility, earning a combined score of 233. The 2017 stallion, owned by Laura Bracken, delivered a smooth and grateful performance in the newly added class.
$500 NSBA Non-Pro English Versatility Top Three Results:
1 Hoos Sophisticated, Kenzie Bracken, Laura Bracken
2 Mr Goody Too Shoes, Caroline French-Campbell, Caroline French-Campbell
3 C Ya Later Allocator, Mollie Crayton, Mollie Crayton