A New Challenge Pays Off for John Briggs in Junior Ranch Riding
John Briggs piloted Wimpys All In Again for owner Lori Allen to win the NSBA world championship in Junior Ranch Riding on Thursday, earning the $1,956.56 first place check.
“We bought him in March after the Sun Circuit, and we just sort of clicked right away,” John said, “He’s such an honest, good boy. He doesn’t overthink things, he just waits for me to ask him, and he’s just a special horse. We took him to the APHA World Championship Show this year, and his owner Lori placed really well with him in Non-Pro. I also won a Ranch Rail class there. We’ve been hauling him some and he’s just doing great.”
The five year old is by Walla Walla Whiz. “He loves doing the Ranch Riding and he loves his job,” John said. “It makes my job easy. I just have to communicate with him. It’s fun!”
Finding A New Challenge
John observed that the Ranch division of competition has continued to grow and decided he wanted to participate. “It seems like every show we go to it is just getting bigger and bigger,” he said.
“I saw the challenge in it. I had been doing the All Around events for a long time, and I wanted to do something different. It was a new challenge for me. I’ve been looking for the right-bred horses to do these classes and I’m just really enjoying it.”
He has enjoyed competing at the NSBA World Championship Show. “The patterns used at the NSBA World Show are different than anything we compete with anywhere else all year,” he said. “For example, here in the Junior Ranch Riding, we get to use this huge Ford Truck Arena to do all of our different maneuvers, and it’s just fun.”
NSBA's First BCF Ranch Class
The NSBA World Championship Show will present its first class that becomes part of its new Ranch Breeders Championship Futurity division when the Three Year Old Open Ranch Riding class debuts on Saturday. “I do have a three year old, but it will be competing in Cow Horse events with my son this weekend and not able to show here,” John said. “But we’re very excited about this new class. I already have a two year old that we’re preparing to bring and show in the BCF Three Year Old Ranch Riding next year.”
In 2027, in addition to its second BCF Three Year Old Ranch Riding class, NSBA will add four year old classes to the division which will include BCF Four Year Old Ranch Riding, BCF Four Year Old Ranch Rail, BCF Four Year Old Non-Pro Ranch Riding and BCF Four Year Old Non-Pro Ranch Rail. In 2028, the Ranch BCF division will host all of the above classes and add BCF Five-Six Year Old Ranch Riding, BCF Five-Six Year Old Ranch Rail, BCF Five-Six Year Old Ranch Trail, BCF Five-Six Year Old Non-Pro Ranch Riding, BCF Five-Six Year Old Non-Pro Ranch Riding, BCF Five-Six Year Old Non-Pro Ranch Rail and BCF Five-Six Year Old Non-Pro Ranch Trail.
NSBA wishes the best of luck to all the exhibitors in the BCF Three Year Old Ranch Riding class on Saturday!
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.
