Ocala, FL – The second-to-last day of A Sudden Impulse at World Equestrian Center – Ocala featured some of the most anticipated classes of the show. Headlining the day were the $30,000 NSBA Open Trail Challenge, $25,000 NSBA 3-Year-Old & Over Limited Horse Open & Limited Open Hunter Under Saddle, $10,000 NSBA Senior Ranch Riding, $10,000 NSBA Junior Ranch Riding, $10,000 NSBA Junior Trail, $10,000 NSBA 3-Year-Old Non-Pro & Limited Non-Pro Hunter Under Saddle, $10,000 NSBA Maturity Non-Pro & Limited Non-Pro Hunter Under Saddle, $5,000 NSBA Amateur Trail and $5,000 NSBA Select Trail.
The $30,000 Open Trail Challenge was the marquee event of A Sudden Impulse. Held under the lights in the WEC Grand Arena, the top 15 horse-and-rider combinations from the week’s Junior and Senior NSBA Trail classes returned to compete one final time. Thirty entries earned a spot in the Open Trail Challenge, but it was Anthony Montes who dominated the class, taking home first place with Victoria Coombs’ 2016 mare KM Best Dressed (RL Best Of Sudden x Hot Little Mama) and second aboard Natalie Hudson’s 2008 gelding Hot Ovations (Ovations Only x Blazing Hot Dixie).
Tim Kimura delivered yet another intricate pattern featuring over 90 poles, with assistance from Garry McAlister and the WEC crew. The arena was transformed into a winding course that put both precision and partnership to the test.
It was quite a long day for Montes, but after he felt the energy in the WEC Grand Arena, he was reenergized. “My last horse that I rode today was my 24th horse of the day. To get motivated for this class, Bruce [Vickery] gave me a pep talk and really helped me get pumped, but honestly, the energy I felt from everyone and the atmosphere of the venue helped me get even more motivated. I just went in and gave it my all.”
KM Best Dressed and Hot Ovations have been partners with Montes for several years now. “I’ve had Hot Ovations for, I think, three years, and when I first got him, I instantly felt a connection,” he expressed. “I’ve also owned KM Best Dressed for about three years. Both horses just fit me—I know them inside and out and exactly what they need.”
Montes is grateful to WEC – Ocala for putting on events like the $30,000 NSBA Open Trail Challenge and the $100,000 NSBA Open Trail Challenge from The Championship Show 2024, where he earned second place. “It’s pretty magical. We don’t get to show at a venue like this, and I appreciate everything everyone does here at World Equestrian Center to support us and promote our industry. The money they put up—we don’t get that anywhere else. It’s pretty amazing.”
Third place honors went to Chad Evans and Lauren Stopperich’s Showin My Ace, a 2013 gelding by Lazy Loper x Potential Advantage.
$30,000 NSBA Open Trail Challenge Top Three Results
1 KM Best Dressed, Anthony Montes, Victoria Coombs
2 Hot Ovations, Anthony Montes, Natalie Hudson
3 Showin My Ace, Chad Evans, Lauren Stopperich
Beth Case brought home the top prize in the $25,000 NSBA 3-Year-Old & Over Limited Horse Open Hunter Under Saddle, riding Michelle and Sheila Bauer’s HeresTalkinToYouKid (Extremely Hot Chips x Talk About Lazy). Case and the 2022 gelding “Bogey” topped a field of 16 entries, and Case was thrilled with the results. “He did everything I asked, he was quiet and soft. He was just really good.”
“We just got him in December from Blair [Townsend] and RJ [King]. He was broke a little more western style, so I didn’t have to do a whole lot — just send him forward and lift him up. He likes it, I think. It’s a little more work than he wants to do; he wants to go slow, but he’s good at it,” Case shared about how the young horse has developed since coming into her program.
This success comes after coaching the horse’s owner, Michelle Bauer, to the win in the Non-Pro class earlier in the day on another of Bauer’s young horses, Couture in Chrome, marking a great day of competition for both riders.
Mallori Bordic secured the Limited title, riding Jamie Oakley’s That Certain Sumthin, a 2021 stallion by Certainly A Vision x Fabulicity.
$25,000 NSBA 3-Year-Old & Over Limited Horse Open Hunter Under Saddle Top Three Results
1 HeresTalkinToYouKid, Beth Case, Michelle and Sheila Bauer
2 What Is The Matter, Katy Jo Zuidema, Marcie McClenon
3 A Top Gun, Sara Simons, Stephanie Mohindra
Bud Lyon and Bet Boon Gone Blue (Bet Hesa Boon x Shes Gone Dark) continued to impress during their second week at WEC, once again claiming top honors in the $10,000 NSBA Junior Ranch Riding. The talented four-year-old gelding, owned by Carol Dewrell, continues to build an impressive résumé.
“He was trained by John Roberts,” Lyon shared. “We were fortunate enough to be able to purchase him for Miss Carol Dewrell—we got him after the World Show last year, and he’s been a joy to have in the barn. He’s got a big personality on the ground, but when he’s under saddle, he’s all business!”
Lyon added, “We’re just gonna take it one horse show at a time. We certainly have the major events in the fall on our mind, and we hope to be back at WEC in September for The Championship Show. We want him to have a long and successful career, so we’re gonna be selective about when, where, and how often we show him. As long as he keeps telling us he’s happy and healthy, we’re gonna keep going!”
$10,000 NSBA Junior Ranch Riding Top Three Results:
1 Bet Boon Gone Blue, Bud Lyon, Carol Dewrell
2 Daytona Five Hundred, Shannon Quinlan Hill, Debbie Kuffer
3 Paranormal Activity, Logan Pluhar, Four Star Quarter Horses
Bud Lyon dominated the $10,000 NSBA Senior Ranch Riding, rounding out an impressive day of showing.
Lyon and Whizenboonsmal (Peptoleap x She Whiz A Star), owned by Madison Hayden Rafacz, took top honors. The 2021 gelding, also known as “Peter The Great,” is no stranger to the spotlight. “He’s been around for a long time. He had a really successful career in the reining and now in the ranch events,” Lyon shared. “He’s been a World Champion many times over. He’s just such a good horse.” Lyon noted, “Madison (Whizenboonsmal’s owner) is a heck of a hand, so she keeps him tuned up, and that makes my job easy because I can just hop on and go show.”
Lyon also secured second place aboard Alpha Black, a horse who is quickly expanding his successes in the ranch discipline. “He’s been a soldier the last two weeks, and when you’re showing against the senior horses, you never really know,” Lyon continued. “He’s outperformed our expectations for him.”
$10,000 NSBA Senior Ranch Riding Top Three Results
1 Whizenboonsmal, Bud Lyon, Madison Hayden Rafacz
2 Alpha Black, Bud Lyon, Circle Y Ranch
3 Lets Double Down, Clayton Jerrell, Wendy McConnell
The $10,000 NSBA 3-Year-Old Non Pro & Limited Non-Pro Hunter Under Saddle kicked off competition in the WEC Grand Arena on Friday morning. Michelle Bauer bested the field of nine entries with Couture In Chrome (When In Chrome x Blue Couture), a 2022 gelding owned by Michelle and Sheila Bauer.
“Taco” made his showpen debut earlier this year under trainer Beth Case, and now Bauer is getting her chance on the rail. “He’s really come into his own this year and gotten stronger. I showed him in the Amateurs the other day, so this is my second time showing him. He was a lot of fun. He was really quiet and didn’t care about much. We had a great day—I’m really happy,” Bauer shared.
Making the day even sweeter, Bauer’s mother was ringside cheering the pair on. “This is the first time she’s ever been [to WEC – Ocala], and I was just like, ‘Oh my gosh, you’re going to love this place! It’s perfect for you.’ I’m happy that I was able to win with her here to see it.”
The Limited championship was awarded to Jennifer Leavengood and Daisy Raken’s With You Al Be Best, a 2022 mare by Good Better Best x Withoutyoualbeblue.
$10,000 NSBA 3-Year-Old Non Pro & Limited Non-Pro Hunter Under Saddle Top Three Results
1 Couture In Chrome, Michelle Bauer, Michelle and Sheila Bauer
2 Al Right All Right, Rebekah Kazakevicius, Cindy Kazakevicius
3 Built Just Right, Sandra Morgan, Sandra Morgan
In the $10,000 NSBA Maturity Non-Pro & Limited Non-Pro Hunter Under Saddle, 14 horse-and-rider combinations took to the rail in the WEC Grand Arena in hopes of impressing the judges. The top prize was awarded to Susan Renee Phillips on Corrival Ranch LLC’s Ma Donna, a 2021 mare by Allocate Your Assets x Truly Graceful.
“Today, she was solid with her head and neck, and she had a lot of rhythm. She’s just wonderful to trot — it’s just such a floaty trot,” Phillips reflected on what made the pair stand out. “She is a treat to have at the horse show and is just a good girl. She’s very personable and a fun mare to show.”
Moving forward, Phillips has her sights set on championship shows this fall. “We’re going to take this summer easy, and then we are going to campaign for Congress and the World Show because we got qualified this weekend!”
Cheyenne Augsburger claimed the top Limited spot with her own 2018 gelding The Irons Hot (One Hot Chocolate x Duplicated Irons).
$10,000 NSBA Maturity Non-Pro & Hunter Under Saddle Top Three Results
1 Ma Donna, Susan Renee Phillips, Corrival Ranch LLC
2 The Irons Hot, Cheyenne Augsburger, Cheyenne Augsburger
3 Always GoodToBe Best, Sandra Morgan, Sandra Morgan
Twenty-six horse-and-rider pairs competed early Friday morning in the $10,000 Junior Trail, held in UF Health Indoor Arena 2. The class served as the final qualifying opportunity for the evening’s spotlight event, the $30,000 NSBA Open Trail Challenge. Nick Mayabb and the 2020 gelding Straight Line Breeze (VS Flatline x Only A Breeze), owned by Nancy G Chapman Ttee Ngc Trust, secured the top spot with a score of 245, setting themselves up strong going into the challenge.
$10,000 NSBA Junior Trail Top Three Results:
1 Straight Line Breeze, Nick Mayabb, Nancy G ChapmanTtee Ngc Trust
2 Whiskey Made Me, Anthony Montes, Lauren Graves
3 Dark Ladie, Blake Weis, Mary Alice Nielson
Jeffrey Johns topped a field of 16 in the $5,000 NSBA Amateur Trail, riding Susan Johns’ Nothin But Nett to victory. Aboard the 2017 stallion by Machine Made x KM Hot Number, Johns earned a standout score of 248—finishing with a 10.5-point lead.
$5,000 NSBA Amateur Trail Top Three Results:
1 Nothin But Nett, Jeffrey Johns, Susan Johns
2 Gimme Ur Best Stuff, Jana Leigh Simons, Jana Leigh Simons
3 Dark Ladie, Alysia Nielson, Mary Alice Nielson
$5,000 NSBA Amateur Select Trail
Susan Johns of Scottsdale, Arizona, claimed top honors in the $5,000 NSBA Amateur Select Trail aboard her own KM Flat Out The Best (VS Flatline x KM Best To Be Slow). The 2015 mare delivered a standout performance, earning a combined score of 240 to secure the win.
$5,000 NSBA Amateur Select Trail Top Three Results:
1 KM Flat Out The Best, Susan Johns, Susan Johns
2 A Good OHK Krymsun, Ann Roberts, Ann Roberts
3 IB Real Lazy, Katherine Tobin, Katherine Tobin