Paige showed Ima Savvy Investment, a gelding she has owned for about three years. “His barn name is Runner,” she said. “We show in the Amateur All Around, in the Showmanship, Horsemanship and Equitation. The pattern classes are Runner’s favorite.

“We got four patterns ahead of time, but honestly, I didn’t even look at them until we got through the prelims and knew we had made it to the finals. Right before our ten-minute warm up, they let us know which pattern we would ride.

“I said I hope it’s any pattern but Pattern #4, and it was pattern #4. I just knew that we had some weak spots that I needed to tune up on during the warm up. The pattern had a lot of extended left lope, and he just stays a little more shaped up on the right lead, so it requires me to help him just a little bit more.  He was really good for me. I wasn’t sure how he would do with all the music and the cheering, but we just tuned it out.”

The "cold" pattern read was not new to Paige, who is an alumni of the University of Georgia. “I was on the equestrian team all four years at Georgia,” Paige said. “This is similar to the NCEA competition in that you have a warm up, but the difference is that you don’t know the horse you are riding and you go against the person with the same horse. Here, we have our own horse, a horse that we know, so there is a little bit of an advantage.”

In addition to the $3,000 Paige won in the class, her trainer, Sara Simons, also earned a $1,000 bonus as the trainer of the winning exhibitor. “Sara always tells me to trust myself because I tend to second-guess myself, and she gives me the confidence I need,” Paige said. “She also helps me with last minute body prep, with things like pull my shoulders back.”

When asked about her experience competing in the CINCH Horsemanship Invitational, Paige noted: “It was so fun! I had the best team and the best cheerleaders. It took me back to my college years, and it was so great to participate after watching it for several years. It’s amazing, and I’m so proud of my horse because he was so good. As you can tell he fits me perfectly.”

When she’s not showing horses, Paige is an airline pilot with American Airlines, and is based in Dallas/Fort Worth. She also teaches flight simulation. “I don’t get too many days off, so I have to plan for a few horse shows about every other month,” she said. “We go to the Sun Circuit, the NSBA World, the Congress and the AQHA World Show.”

Taking reserve champion honors was Katie Jo Jones showing Im Extremely Schmancy. She earned $2,500 and her trainer, Robin Frid, won a Trainer Bonus of $750.

Rounding out the top ten in the class were:
Bronze champions: Itzonly Make Believe, Alexandra Rippeon, $1,500
Fourth: If Im Honest, Evie Doles, $1,250
Fifth: Firstoneinlastoneout, Patricia Bogosh, $1,000
Sixth: Ima Lazy Cowboy, Ella Petak, $350
Seventh: Hez Rainey Made, Eleanor Ott, $350
Eighth: Hez Simly Western, Apirl Gentry, $350
Ninth: Always Lopin Sober, Katie Grossnickle, $350
Tenth: Made Just For U, Kenidee Thomas, $300

Vivienne King and One Hot Sports Mode, who placed 11th,l earned the Novice Rider Bonus of $1,000 and the AQHA Alliance Bonus of $100, for a total of $1,100, while her trainer, Brad Jewett, earned a $500 Trainer Bonus for coaching the top Novice rider.

The NSBA World Championship Show and Breeders Championship Futurity continues through Sunday, August 18. To view the complete show schedule, complete show results or view the live video feed during show hours, please visit www.nsba.com.