Thursday saw several new world and futurity champions crowned as well as a few familiar faces who added to their 2023 NSBA World Show awards. The day also saw the first Ranch classes of the show.
She’s Cool Like Thaat
Bret Parrish piloted Cool Like Thaat to win the Color Breeders Championship Futurity Three Year Old Open Western Pleasure futurity title for owners Robert and Lisa Thomaier. It was the culmination of a dream for Lisa Thomaier.
She’s the kind of horse I’ve dreamed about for years,” she said. Lisa describes the mare known as Scarlett as her unicorn. She bought Scarlett from Bret and Candy Parrish at three months old.
“She’s a full sibling to Nothing But Nett, Yall Hashtag This and Air Ryde,” Lisa said. “Her dam, KM Hot Number, has produced four AQHA world championships, two reserve championships and earnings of nearly $120,000 in NSBA earnings.”
Cool Like Thaat is by Machine Made.
Buy A Horse, Win A World Title Days Later
Nancy Mowrey had just purchased Sure Am Southern from Capital Quarter Horses LLC a few days into the 2023 NSBA World Championship show, but if their first show together is any indication, they have a very successful future together. The duo won the
“I haven’t shown much Western Pleasure,” Nancy said. “It’s a new event for me – and it’s a lot harder than it looks. Calvin was in RJ King and Blair Townsend’s barn, and it’s been great to get to know him. He really knows them and recognized them when they presented the awards as the class sponsor.”
Despite the pressure to perform as a new show team, Nancy enjoyed the class. “It was a fun class,” she said. “He is just so happy to do his job. I was able to show him off the rail and he just went. This is so exciting, because it’s my first NSBA world championship,” she said.
Sharing Is Caring
In the Breeders Championship Futurity Two Year Old Limited Non-Pro Western Pleasure and Two Year Old Limited Non-Pro Western Pleasure World Show class, the two classes ran concurrently and shared the same world champion team when Hayley Kittler showed Hez So Cool to the win.
“He’s really my mom Kathie’s horse,” laughed Hayley. “She just let me borrow him and she'll be showing him later this week. This is just the second time I’ve ridden him and my first time to show him. My dad (Dean Saul) got him ready for me. He has a great jog, so I was confident going into the class. I was just getting the feel for him the first direction, but by the second way, I was having fun in the class.”
Hez So Cool is by Cool Breeze and out of Good Miss Sunny.
Representing The All Arounders
Sara Simons continued her winning ways with a world championship in the Maturity $10,000 Limited Horse Western Pleasure aboard DW Sudden Invitation. She showed for owner Ali Hays.
“We won the Senior Trail together earlier in the week with a 245 score, and came back for the Western Pleasure today,” Sara said. “It’s just his first year doing the Trail, but he also does Showmanship, Horsemanship and Hunt Seat Equitation with Ali.
He has a pretty big old eye and a beautiful presence. You’re just drawn to him, so when youu’re good, it’s really good. He’s by RL Best Of Sudden, and we got him from Scott Harrelson and he had done some Western Pleasure before we started working on the All Around. He’s seven years old now.”
Riding The (Ranch) Rail
Junior and Senior Ranch Rail classes also took place in the Ford Truck Arena, and Ranch Riders showed up in good numbers to compete.
The Junior Ranch Rail saw two splits and a finals before Jeff Honey and Hollywood Hot Gun were named the world champions. “We raised Gage,” Jeff said. “He trained up from day one. He’s by a stallion named Hollywood Cool Gun. When we were watching the Ranch classes become popular, we decided to get a few mares to cross to breed for Ranch horses and he’s part of our program.”
Jeff enjoyed today’s class. “I thought the speed was really good and everyone showed great. I think it really set the tone for the rest of the classes,” he said. “We like being able to come and show the Ranch classes at the NSBA World Show. Since we started in the pleasure industry, it is one of the places that we can come and visit with all of our friends in other classes. It’s really a nice place to come and show.”
In Senior Ranch Riding, the team of Bud Lyon and Sumac Gunnabe Flashy took the world championship, showing for owner Leslie Vaugner Lange.
“I’ve had this horse for a couple of years, and I’m fortunate that Leslie trusts me with him and that she hasn’t stolen him back from me,” Bud said.
“It would be a sad day if he left my barn because he’s one of my favorites. He’s six years old and by Gunna Trash Ya. He’s a very special individual that doesn’t come around very often, because he makes my job easier and makes me look really good.”
Bud had to shift gears to get his horse shown. “I kept thinking that we were having two splits to the Senior class like they did the Junior, so I showed him a little differently that I would have if I had realized we were a one-go finals,” he laughed. “But it worked out.”
Bud also talked about having the Ranch events at the NSBA World Championship Show. “It’s extremely beneficial to the association and the exhibitors,” he said. “The exhibitors love coming here, and the Ranch events have grown exponentially. I think it was very smart of NSBA to welcome the Ranch community. It’s also a great platform for us to showcase our horses, because we have Ranch horses coming from so many different parts of the industry – from Reining, to Cutting to pleasure – and crossing over. It just shows the versatility of our horses.”
Repeat Champions
Aaron Moses added to his world championship total when he rode When N Where to win the NSBA world championship title in Green Western Pleasure for owners JVM Partnership. They won $1,495.
The Cooki Monster continued her winning ways, earning the world championship title with RJ King in Junior Western Pleasure. Cher previously won both the Breeders Championship Futurity Four To Six Year Old Non-Pro Western Pleasure and the Amateur 50 & Over Western Pleasure with Susan Roberts.
Kent Ray Taylor also added to his and Never Have I Ever’s 2023 World Show awards when they won the Color Amateur Western Pleasure. They had previously won the Color Breeders Championship Futurity Four to Six Year Old Western Pleasure, and RJ King added to their accolades by winning the Breeders Championship Futurity Four To Six Year Old Open Western Pleasure.
In the Three Year Old Non-Pro Hunter Under Saddle, Im Willy Fabulous again looked fabulous, taking the world championship with owner Sandra Morgan in the irons. Sandra and ‘Fabio’ had previously won the Breeders Championship Futurity Non-Pro Three Year Old Hunter Under Saddle earlier in the week.
Another repeat world champion was Sarah Bankord and TWF Only The Roanly, who won the Color Junior Hunter Under Saddle. This team had previously won the Breeders Championship Futurity Three Year Old Non-Pro Hunter Under Saddle earlier in the week, and Sarah also showed SheThinksMyFactorsSexy to win the Color Breeders Championship Futurity Three Year Old Hunter Under Saddle. She leases both horses from Susan DeMeo.
Sandra Morgan and Always Goodtobe Best picked up their second NSBA world championship in Amateur 50 & Over Hunter Under Saddle. They had won the Breeders Championship Futurity Four To Six Yea Old Non-Pro Hunter Under Saddle.
In a tough group of Green Hunter Under Saddle horses, Beth Case showed Hez A Dancin Hubba to the win for owner Chris Lagerblade. The duo earned $1,052.80 for the win.
To view complete show results, see the NSBA World Championship Show and Breeders Championship Futurity schedule or view the live video feed, please visit nsba.com. The NSBA World Championship Show and Breeders Championship Futurity continues through Sunday, August 20.
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