A number of added money NSBA events were held at the 2023 Madness at the World Equestrian Center in Wilmington, Ohio, on Friday, and some familiar faces stood in the winner's circle.
Saying Their Names In The Novice Horse Western Pleasure Slot Class
Highlighting the evening was the SOQHA Three Year Old and Older Novice Horse Western Pleasure Slot class, which saw 17 horses compete for the biggest purses of the day. Announcer Kathy Avolt was saying their names once again when Saay My Name and Aaron Moses, showing for owners Wes and Lindy Ashlock, stood at the front of the line and earned the $15,000 first place prize.
“Chevy has just gotten stronger and more solid in the time that we’ve had her,” noted Aaron of the mare by Machine Made. The duo debuted last month in the Virginia Maiden and won that class and have never looked back. “This was one of the best times she’s ever shown for me. I could put her wherever I wanted and she just stayed with me. She’s just so consistent and she never takes a wrong step. She’s the same every time you do something with her.”
The complete list of money earners in the class included:
Champions – Saay My Name, Aaron Moses for Wes and Lindy Ashlock, $15,000
Reserve champions - Top Gunn, Rusty Green for Neiberger and Green, $7,000
Third – Scoota Little Closer, Jay Starnes for Jay and Kristy Starnes, $5,000
Fourth - VS Bettin On Jacks, Kenny Lakins for Mr. and Mrs. William Wilkes, $3,500
Fifth – Suddens Made Mann, Cody Parrish for Richard and Melinda Baumann, $3,000
Sixth - Jeanie In A Bottle, RJ King for HS Equine Ventures, $2,500
Seventh - Purljam, Shannon Curl-Holbin for Barbara Crawford, $2,000
Eighth - A Scenic Payday, Mike Hachtel for Megan East, $1,500
In the Limited division of the class, Shannon Curl-Holbin rode Purljam to the Limited award for owner Barbara Crawford, earning $1,000. They were ninth overall in the class. The reserve award went to Shez Perfect, shown by Theresa Wills for Karrie Bradac, earning $500.
$5,000 Limited Horse Western Pleasure
Purljam and Shannon Curl-Holbin had a busy evening on Friday. They went from tying to win the $5,000 Limited Horse Western Pleasure in the R & L Arena to quickly resetting for the Novice Horse Slot class. Tied with Booted From The Bar and Ashley Lakins, who showed for Hannah Hedman, each received $1,307.69
“Purl is by Machine Made and out of Show Gurl, who is an Only In The Moonlite mare,” Shannon said. “Show Gurl was with Gil Galyean and Denton DeBuhr and Adam Mathes showed her. She was a pretty great show horse. I think she got the best of both her parents, and she’s one of my favorite show horses.
“You can do anything with her. She’s very easy. She shows exactly like she rides, and every step is the same. I’ve never needed to school her. I’ve had her since she was two, and she just needed to grow a little bit. I’ve actually started her in Western Riding and she’s going to be fun.
“Barbara bought her as an investment, and so she is for sale, but I hope we get to keep her in the barn.”
Like Shannon, Ashley Lakins showed a horse she considers pretty green. “We had her in the barn for another customer, and they decided not to show, so we thought she would make a great Amateur and Maturity horse for Hannah Hedman. She’s seven years old but she hasn’t been shown a whole lot and is pretty green." Booted From The Bar is by The Best Martini and out of Sleepinwithmybootson.
“Ariel is just as good as it gets. She loves the attention and she loves treats. She has the best disposition. She has a lot of eye appeal, she’s very consistent, and she shows with a lot of expression.”
Ashley commented on the phenomenon of the Limited classes and their impact on the industry. ““I love having these Limited classes for horses like this that haven’t been show much, and for those horses that something just take longer to develop, sometimes through no fault of their own,” she said. “It allows them to be a star later in life, and we can take our time helping them develop.”
$10,000 Limited Horse Western Pleasure Futurity
You couldn’t get a more even class in the $10,000 Limited Horse Western Pleasure Maturity than a three-way tie for the win. By way of the tiebreaker judge, Dun Made For Mousin and Casey Willis earned the NSBA bronze for owner Tammy Conroy, but the money for the top three places was split evenly with Thats How U Holiday and Jay Starnes and Prime Tyme and Aaron Moses, with each receiving $951.
$2,500 Limited Horse/Limited Rider Western Pleasure
For Lexie Frencl, her horse Made For Naturdays is the ugly duckling who grew into a great horse. “Clay has had Natty since he was a yearling, and that’s also about when we started dating,” Lexie said. “I always called him the ugly duckling because he was so gangly back then, but he grew into himself and now he’s a handsome guy.
“This is just my third time to get to show him. We won the Three Year Old Non-Pro Western Pleasure at the Virginia Maiden and had also shown at Georgia On My Mind.
“He knows when it’s time to show. He finds a new year and just shows. He’s a really fun horse to be around and really good to show. I’d love to be able to add Showmanship and some All Around classes, but as the fiancé of a horse trainer, you don’t always get those opportunities.”
Three Year Old Non-Pro Hunter Under Saddle
In the only English futurity class of the day, Cheyenne Nelson piloted her gelding Heart Stopperr to win the $1,000 Added NSBA Three Year Old Non-Pro Hunter Under Saddle. “My fiancé Adam Winter and I got Preston as a yearling,” Cheyenne said. “He’s been really good. I showed him at the Congress and the NSBA World Show as a two year old, and we won both of our classes there.
“Preston is my perfect angel. He was with me and listened to me the whole time today. He has a lot of self-carriage and a really good expression. He’s always happy, and I think the judges can see that. We started showing him in the three year old classes at Venice and we were second there. We plan to show at the Big A, NSBA World Show and the Congress.”
Senior Trail Futurity
While Showmanship, Hunt Seat Equitation, Hunter Under Saddle and futurity classes were taking place in other pens, the Roberts Arena saw a full day of Trail classes, including the finals of the Senior Trail Futurity. Scores for the previous Trail day were added to scores from Friday’s go to determine the champions. Some Hot Potential, shown by Jennifer Paul for Emma Brown, was the champion in the futurity, earning $1,350 for the first place finish.
Just A Touch More, shown by Tyler Schultz for Grace Layne Ranch LLC, took the reserve spot in the Senior Trail Futurity, earning $864.
The Madness continues through Sunday, May 14. To view complete show results, please visit the Horse Show Tracker app or go to anequineproduction.com.
