Caroline Schlieker Jumps Into Her First NSBA World Show
Twenty year old Caroline Schlieker, of Mansfield, Texas, had never been to the NSBA World Championship Show before 2026, but she has made the most of it.
Highest Placing Hunter Derby Non-Pro
In her very first NSBA World Show class, Caroline became the highest placing Non-Pro in the NSBA Hunter Derby, earning a $1,000 prize, with her horse, De Opera VDL. They finished fifth overall in the class. “My horse Opera is a Dutch Warmblood. She was bred by VDL Farms, and was raised in the Netherlands,” she said. “She is an ex-FEI horse and did the international grand prixs. She came to me at 14 years old. We did a season together, and she broke her leg. She had an 18 month recovery and we’re just getting back into the swing of things.
“She is a wonderful mare and you wouldn’t know she was a mare unless you looked under her tail. She loves other people and she’s just amazing. She’s always game to go. She will tell you when she’s on and when she’s bored. She’s very well behaved.
Caroline was familiar with the Hunter Derby format. “I love the Hunter Derby, because I love being able to be a Hunter but also being able to show off if your horse is handy, and pick up more points,” she said. “Opera was raised as a Jumper, I converted her to a Hunter, and she likes to do those little tight turns. The jumps in the course were very fun too. My strategy was just to go for broke
“It’s been a great experience. The rings are wonderful, the Hunter Derby course was wonderful and the awards are very nice. We’ve also had amazing competition and great numbers,” she said. “I started with the Show Your Colors classes and ended up with a first and a second so it was a great start. I’ve won two 2’6” Derbies in my life and I compete in the nationals.”
Although she is new to the NSBA World, Caroline is a long-time horsewoman. “I’ve been a Hunter Jumper rider for 15 years, and I ride with Titanium Training Stables and my trainer is Laurel Zauderer. Mostly I show on the USJHA A Circuit around Texas. Mostly I show in the Young Adult 18-35 three foot classes and we do International Derbies. We show quite a bit in Larimer in Colorado in the summer, we’ve been to Las Vegas and we’ve been to the World Equestrian Center. The NSBA World Show was our summer show this year.”
Caroline’s friend Summer Skrabanek suggested that she might like the show. “Summer had grown up showing around this circuit, and she had been to the NSBA World Show three or four times,” Caroline explained. “When she suggested the show, I thought it might be fun to try because it was all indoors and there was air conditioning, so we were in!”
The duo finished with an NSBA world championship in Amateur Equitation Over Fences, third in Amateur Working Hunter and fourth in Amateur Hunter Hack. Caroline and her family are already planning to attend in 2027.
Photos provided by Cody Parmenter Photography.
About NSBA
Established in 1983, National Snaffle Bit Association has expanded from its roots in the Western Pleasure discipline to recognize various disciplines and ten 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.
National Snaffle Bit Association has more than 20,000 active members and more than 44,000 registered horses across its ten 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 NSBA, please visit nsba.com.
