Tuesday, April 26 brought top-tier horse show action to World Equestrian Center – Ocala. Today’s featured classes highlighted the $2,000 NSBA 3-Year-Old Open Trail, $2,500 NSBA 4/5-Year-Old Non-Pro Trail, $2,000 NSBA 3-Year-Old Open Hunter Under Saddle, $5,000 NSBA Maturity $10,000 Ltd Non-Pro Western Pleasure and $7,500 NSBA Green Trail Sweepstakes.
The Grand Arena was filled with cheering spectators for this evening’s $7,500 NSBA Green Trail Sweepstakes. Sixteen entries all vied to win the competitive class which featured an intricate course designed by Tim Kimura. However, none could stop Sara Simons and Whiskey MadeMeFrisky (Machine Made x Onlythebestchocolate), who delivered an astonishing performance. The pair from Pilot Point, Texas showed grace and mindfulness as they cruised through the pattern with ease, leaving all ground poles left un-ticked.
As Simons and the 2015 bay gelding strutted out of the pen with their purple neck ribbon proudly hung and the NSBA bronze in tote, we stopped to chat about her winning performance. “This horse is a natural – This is only his second time showing trail! It’s totally his favorite thing. He guides around so nicely, especially for a green horse. He is a fancy mover, lopes very nice, and handles everything in stride.”
$7,500 NSBA Green Trail Sweepstakes Top Three Results:
1. Sara Simons, Whiskey MadeMeFrisky, Andrea Stubblefield
2. Nick Mayabb, KM Some Like It Best, Janice Warford
3. Charlie Cole, My Dad Is The Best, Bonnie Sheren
Nick Mayabb and Janice Warford’s KM Some Like It Best (RL Best of Sudden x Always Invite Molly) walked away with the top prize in this morning’s $2,000 NSBA 3-Year-Old Open Trail.
$2,000 NSBA 3-Year-Old Open Trail Top Three Results:
1. Nick Mayabb, KM Some Like It Best, Janice Warford
2. Carly Veldman Parks, Come On Over, Rebecca Figueroa
3. Nick Mayabb, Better To Bea Winner, Dawg Performance Horses LLC
Gillian Grace Chant and her own SleepinInTheStands (RL Best Of Sudden x One Hot Drama Mama) bested a field of twenty-one in the $2,500 NSBA 4/5 Year-Old Non-Pro Trail. She and the 2017 gelding elegantly navigated the trail course taking home an NSBA bronze trophy and stunning purple neck ribbon.
$2,500 NSBA 4/5 Year-Old Non-Pro Trail Top Three Results:
1. Gillian Grace Chant, SleepinInTheStands, Gillian Grace Chant
2. Jeffrey Johns, Nothin But Nett, Susan K Johns
3. Mallory Vroegh, Cool Made Machine, Shannon Walker
Beth Case piloted Michelle and Sheila Bauer’s Give Me A Good Alibi (Give Me The Goods x Al Be Your Alibi) in the Grand Arena to win today’s $2,000 NSBA 3-Year-Old Open Hunter Under Saddle.
Ringside, we caught up with Case of Highpoint Performance Horses in Pilot Point, TX. “Our ride today was so good! He’s a fun horse to show – a client of mine bought him as a yearling and I’ve had him ever since then. He actually won here last fall during the Maiden HUS at the Championship show. His owner has plans to show him in the Non-Pro events this year and I will show him in the futurity classes.”
$2,000 NSBA 3-Year-Old Open Hunter Under Saddle Top Three Results:
1. Beth Case, Give Me A Good Alibi, Michelle and Sheila Bauer
2. Elizabeth Baker, Al Good To Go, Richard and Elise Cognetti
3. Keith Miller, Prettiest Of All, Meaghan DePalma
Call Her Daddy (VS Flatline x HP Goody Gumdrops), owned and shown by Katie Shepherd, claimed victory in this afternoon’s $5,000 NSBA Maturity $10,000 Ltd Non-Pro Western Pleasure. “Susie, also known as Call Her Daddy, is the perfect horse for me because she is on the lazier side… She’s a great listener and I know she will never get away from me in a class! I love showing her and I have plans on taking her in Trail and Western Riding next year.”, mentioned Katie when asked about her stunning ride.
$5,000 NSBA Maturity $10,000 Ltd Non-Pro Western Pleasure Top Three Results:
1. Katie Shepherd, Call Her Daddy, Katie Shepherd
2. Tanya Relander, Extremely Lazy, Steve and Tanya Relander
3. Kerk Sanders, FlatLinesSweetKatieB, Tommie and Jennifer Sanders
A Sudden Impulse Hunter Derbies
A Sudden Impulse NSBA Show & Futurity competition showcased two hunter derbies in the WEC Stadium. It was a battle of the breeds in the two derbies with a variety of horses showing off their elegant jumping styles and handiness. Doug Russell created the open tracks that allowed entries to show off their horse’s brilliance.
The $2,000 NSBA Open Hunter Derby took place on Friday, April 22 with 20 stunning horse-and-rider combinations vying for the top prize, but it was Ryan Painter and Hana Thomas’s My Next Edition (The Next Detail x My Frist Kiss) that earned the highest overall score from the judges.
Painter and the seven-year-old Appendix Quarter Horse gelding navigated a smooth first round, earning the class’s highest first round score was a 90.
Painter enjoyed the first round course, “The course rode really well. We don’t get many opportunities to ride in an arena like this with such amazing jumps at quarter horse shows. Doug built a course that wasn’t overwhelming, but it was technical enough to have the good horses rise to the top.”
Painter was very proud of My Next Edition, “He hasn’t done much. We bought him out of a pasture about a year and half ago. His owner has been great, letting us develop and bring him along. He started showing last year but had off for quite some time. I am very proud of how he went today,” stated Painter.
Painter and My Next Edition were the last pair to return for the handy course, delivering tidy turns while keeping a consistent pace to earn a score of 87, for an overall score of 177 for the win
Top Three $2,000 Open Hunter Derby Results:
1. Ryan L Painter, My Next Edition, Hana Thomas
2. Megan E Miller, And Then They Danced, Megan E Miller
3. Maggie Britt, Minute Maximus, Maggie Britt
Fourteen gorgeous hunters took to the WEC Stadium on Sunday evening to try their hand at Doug Russell’s winding tracks in the $2,000 Non Pro Hunter Derby, but it was Amy Quintana and her own So Priceless (Truly Priceless x Soever Artful) that snagged the win taking home the grand prize.
Quintana and the large seven-year-old Quarter Horse gelding produced a seamless first round to earn the class’s highest first round score of 88.
Quintana spoke about So Priceless, “He is my comeback horse. I rode as a kid, but when I was 30, I got married and had kids so I gave up the horses. About a year and half ago, I called my trainer asking for a lesson and four lessons later I wanted to buy a horse. My trainer, Alfred Hewitt found him for me at The Big A.”
Quintana and So Priceless returned for the handy, navigating a smooth round while jumping all four high options to earn another high score of 92, for an overall score of 180 for the win.
Top Three $2,000 Non Pro Hunter Derby Results:
1. Amy Quintana, So Priceless, Amy Quintana
2. Kellee E Hartman, Enjoyable, Kellee E Hartman
3. Elle Bassion, Just Call Willy, Evey Bassion
Photos courtesy of Shane Rux Photography.
Videos available at ClipMyHorse.TV.