The National Snaffle Bit Association recently announced its class of 2024 Hall Of Fame Inductees as well as the recipient of its prestigious Jack Benson Award.
2024 Hall Of Fame inductees include:
- Bill and Cindy Cosentino
- Sky Blue Walker
- Hot Lopin Louise
- Dark Jasmine
2024 Jack Benson Award recipient is:
- Corbett Michael Welsh Ryan, Wauconda, Illinois
Bill and Cindy Cosentino – Hall Of Fame, Individual Category
Bill and Cindy Cosentino of Omaha, Nebraska have a long history of involvement with NSBA and the horse industry. The couple competes with their registered Quarter Horses and have won world and reserve world championships, but they have also been active in association work. They started with the Nebraska Quarter Horse Association, with Bill helping at NQHA shows and Cindy serving as youth advisor. Bill joined the NSBA board of directors in 2011 and served as president in 2017. He led NSBA’s efforts to bring the association’s magazine, The Way To Go, in-house and also promoted the development of Youth 13 & Under and Color classes at the NSBA World Championship Show. He also was instrumental in reviewing and negotiating health insurance coverage for the NSBA staff.
Cindy served as NSBA Youth Advisor for several years. She brought new life to the program, recruiting and encouraging youth participation in NSBA. She also developed additional conference calls, activities, tasks and opportunities for interaction among the youth board members. Cindy promoted the development of the NSBA Youth Team Tournament and volleyball tournament as ways youth could further socialize at the NSBA World Championship Show. The couple were awarded NSBA’s Jack Benson award in 2020.
Sky Blue Walker – Hall Of Fame, Breeding Horse
Hall of Fame Stallion honoree Sky Blue Walker was a 1985 gray AQHA stallion by Cloud Walker and out of Strawberry Pigeon. Owned by Rhonda Replogle, Sky Blue Walker earned 188 AQHA points in Open Hunter Under Saddle, Western Pleasure, Trail, Pleasure Driving, Hunter Hack, Working Hunter Under Saddle, Jumping and Barrel Racing. He also earned the AQHA Open Versatility Award in 1994.
Sky Blue Walker became a recognizable sire, with offspring that have earned 15 AQHA Amateur and Open World Championships, 71 AQHA Open, Amateur and Youth Superior awards, four Open, five Amateur and three youth Halter Register of Merit awards. Sky Blue Walker’s offspring have earned $199,792 in NSBA earnings, $209,086 in NSBA Incentive Fund earnings and $97,484 in AQHA World Championship Show earnings. Among his most recognizable offspring are A ChanceOfBlueSkies, Magnificent Blue Sky, Skys Blue Boy, Skys Blue Moon, Walkable and You Know Im Right.
Hot Lopin Louise – Hall Of Fame, Breeding Horse
Hot Lopin Louise, the 2024 Hall of Fame Breeding Mare honoree, was a 2002 AQHA mare by Blazin Hot and out of Born Lopin. Jackie and Cathy Starnes bought Hot Lopin Louise from the Schroeder Ranch when the mare was a late two year old. Fondly called Louise, the mare was trained by Jay Starnes and was named the 2005 NSBA Horse Of The Year. Louise would earn multiple All American Quarter Horse Congress championships as well as 180 AQHA and 73,75 NSBA performance points in Western Pleasure. She earned $53,422 in NSBA earnings.
As a broodmare, Louise had 12 foals with nine who went on to earn 1,478 NSBA points and 362 NSBA points, as well as $161,439 in NSBA earnings and $276,555 in AQHA earnings. Her foals have earned 17 Register Of Merit awards as well as four AQHA Superior awards. Among the most notable offspring of Hot Lopin Louise are Hot Lopin Goodbar, earner of $37,654 in NSBA earnings, Pleasure Kruze, earner of 65.5 AQHA Amateur points and 81.5 Level 1 Open AQHA points, Shes A Lopin Machine, earner of $28,183 in NSBA earnings and more than 845 AQHA points, and AQHA stallion The Lopin Machine, who was named a Quarter Horse Congress Masters Western Pleasure Futurity champion and earned more than $62,36 in NSBA earnings.
Dark Jasmine – Hall Of Fame, Show Horse
The 2024 Hall Of Fame Show Horse is Dark Jasmine, a 2006 AQHA mare by Just Wait Until Dark and out of An Old Gold Invester. ‘Jasmine’ showed from 2008 to 2015, accumulating Reichert Celebration, Tom Powers, Little Futurity and Southern Belle Breeders futurity championships as well as six Quarter Horse Congress championships and reserve championships and an AQHA world championship in Junior Western Pleasure. Jasmine is owned by Susan Ostrander and was shown extensively by Susan’s daughter, Brianna Tamulewicz who showed her to a AQHYA world championship in 2011. Dark Jasmine earned $50,440.50 in NSBA lifetime Western Pleasure earnings in Open and Non-Pro divisions.
Jack Benson Award – Corbett Ryan
Corbett Ryan, Wauconda, Illinois, has been named the recipient of NSBA’s presitigious Jack Benson Award. Named after the late NSBA member Jack Benson, the award is presented to an individual who unselfishly gives of his or her time to promote NSBA and its mission, and create greater interest in the pleasure horse industry. The award has been presented annually since 1989.
Corbett Ryan was instrumental in the development of NSBA’s Equestrians With Disabilities division. Born with cerebral palsy, Corbett had been an equestrian since he was two years old, but found that he did not fit the qualifications for Special Olympics, which are designed for individuals with cognitive disabilities, or Paralympics, which do not allow spotters to accompany riders. He joined with therapeutic riding center Partners For Progress and NSBA’s executive team to develop rules and guidelines for Equestrians With Disabilities classes, which debuted at the 2010 NSBA World Championship Show. In addition to his encouragement in developing EWD classes, Corbett has helped the classes continue as a corporate sponsor for events at the NSBA World Championship Show and the All American Quarter Horse Congress. Corbett graduated magna cum laude from the University of Notre Dame with a degree in American studies. Corbett has represented the United States at the United Nations delegation for persons with disabilities in Vienna, Austria, and has used his knowledge of inclusion in the classroom and workplace to speak publicly about inclusion issues.
The 2024 NSBA Hall Of Fame and Jack Benson award recipients will be recognized during the NSBA Honors banquet on Sunday, August 11, during the NSBA Breeders Championship Futurity and World Championship Show, being held August 8-18 at the Built Ford Tough Livestock Complex in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
ABOUT THE NSBA
Established in 1983, the National Snaffle Bit Association has expanded from its roots in the Western Pleasure discipline to recognize various disciplines and eight breed associations in competition. NSBA’s mission is to grow the show horse community through various equine programs and events where every activity benefits horses, breeders, owners and exhibitors alike.
The National Snaffle Bit Association has more than 20,000 active members and more than 44,000 registered horses across its eight alliance breed organizations. NSBA members earn more than $13.5 million in monetary awards at NSBA-sanctioned horse shows annually, and the association sanctions nearly 600 horse show events and close to 200,000 horse show entries each year.
To learn more about the NSBA, please visit nsba.com. National Snaffle Bit Association, Inc. – 120 Mesa St., Weatherford, TX 76086 - Phone: (847)-623-6722
