Al Wayz On Your Mind and Katy Jo Zuidema.

Al Wayz On Your Mind collected his third win at the National Snaffle Bit Association’s World Championship Show and Breeders Championship Futurity this week in Tulsa, Oklahoma. This time Katy Jo Zuidema rode the 2014 bay gelding to a win in the 3-Year-Old Novice Horse Hunter Under Saddle to get the competition started in the Ford Truck Arena on Thursday.

“He really does light up in the show pen,” said owner Sarah Nimigan, of Paris, Ontario, Canada. “He is a show horse. Your best ride on him is always in the show pen.”

Earlier in the week Zuidema piloted Al Wayz On Your Mind to a win in the BCF 3-Year-Old Open Hunter Under Saddle and the 3-Year-Old Open Hunter Under Saddle.

Katy Jo and her husband, Tim Zuidema, were vacationing in May when they got word the bay gelding by Allocate Your Assets and out of Your Arts Desire, owned by Sandra Lines, was for sale. They took a detour to Indiantown, Florida, to evaluate him. Since she didn’t have her boots and spurs with her, Katy Jo jumped aboard the 17-hand gelding in yoga pants and loafers for her test ride.

Tim and Katy Jo knew as soon as they set eyes on Al Wayz On Your Mind that they had found something special.

“I’m a sucker for big-bodied bay horses with lots of chrome so they pulled him out of the stall and I was hooked,” Katy Jo said.

Under saddle he was even more impressive.

“We liked him right away,” Katy Jo admitted. “He was a great trotter and loped around just as well. There wasn’t anything not to like and we were pretty sold.

Nimigan had sold both of her horses, Like A Boss and Ill Be Jammin, and the search was on to find her a new show partner. Since it was already May, Sarah had just about given up hope that one would be found in time for the new show season.

“Katy and Tim went to look at him and I took their word,” she said. “I saw a video and purchased him the next day.

The move paid off when in June, Al Wayz On Your Mind, affectionately known as “Willy Nelson,” won both the Novice Horse Open Hunter Under Saddle and the Green Hunter Under Saddle at the Little Futurity in Raleigh, North Carolina, with Katy Jo in the irons and Nimigan rode him to a win in the 3-Year-Old Non-Pro Hunter Under Saddle.

“He is really good to ride and train,” Katy Jo said. “We did not think we were going to be able to show him in Raleigh because we had only had him for a month. I got him prepared and told Sarah we were going to go there and see what happens and then he didn’t just show, he showed really well.”

Al Wayz On Your Mind went on to record a win in the 3-Year-Old Novice Horse Hunter Under Saddle at the Tom Powers Futurity in Michigan and tied to win the 3-Year-Old Open Hunter Under Saddle. Nimigan rode him to a win in the 3-Year-Old Non-Pro Hunter Under Saddle there as well.

At the Big A Circuit in Conyers, Georgia, Willy Nelson earned Circuit or Reserve Circuit Championships in Junior Hunter Under Saddle and Amateur Hunter Under Saddle with Katy Jo and Nimigan.

Julian Harris also rode Willie to a Championship in the Premier Quarter Sires 3-Year-Old Limited Horse Limited Rider Hunter Under Saddle held at the Big A, earning $8,800.

Al Wayz On Your Mind has one more class here at the NSBA World Show. Nimigan will ride him Saturday in the 3-Year-Old Non-Pro Hunter Under Saddle.

Then it’s off to the Quarter Horse Congress where Al Wayz On Your Mind will show in the Open 3-Year-Old Hunter Under Saddle with Katy Jo and the Non-Pro 3-Year-Old Hunter Under Saddle and Amateur Hunter Under Saddle with Sarah.

They will cap off the year with an appearance at the AQHA World Show.

Other Thursday Winners At the World Show

Fresh off their win On Wednesday in the 4 and 5-Year-Old Open Trail, Clint Ainsworth piloted Shes Willy Awesome to a win in the $2500 Limited Horse Limited Rider Western Pleasure.

Clint Ainsworth with Shes Willy Awesome

“She likes to show and she is very fun to show. I had a really good time showing her,” he said. “She is a fantastic jogger.”

The 2013 bay mare by Winnys Willy and out of An Awesome Marquis, took home an additional $1,622.81 for her win in the 24-entry class.

All this success may add to her status as a diva.

“She hates flies, Ainsworth said. “She cannot tolerate them. She will basically throw herself on the ground if a fly lands on her. She is very much a princess.”

Kari Craft’s finished out Gone Viral’s win streak at the World Show by winning both the Open and Intermediate 3-Year-Old Non-Pro Western Pleasure classes, and bringing to four the number of World Show titles earned by the 2014 bay stallion sired by No Doubt Im Lazy and out of Suddenly Style N.

Gone Viral, has been trained and exhibited by Jason English and Jamie Murrow, Madison, Georgia. Earlier in the week Jason piloted him to wins in the Intermediate 3-Year-Old Open Western Pleasure, the Green Western Pleasure and the BCF 3-Year-Old Intermediate Open Western Pleasure.  He and Kari also won the BCF 3-Year-Old Intermediate Western Pleasure.

“He has a very kind demeanor. He is a really good boy,” Murrow said.

Both Murrow and English agree that the best quality about Gone Viral is his personality and his will.

“He loves to show,” English said. “He is a show horse. It doesn’t matter how he warms up that day, once he goes in the show pen, he shows.”

Kari Craft and Gone Viral.

Craft recalled the first time she ever saw Gone Viral.

“I was just like, ‘wow! He gives me chill bumps when I watch him,’” she said.

He’s quite the character.

“Whenever he lopes up to the judges or if he is getting his picture taken he sticks his tongue out,” Craft said. “It’s always hanging out.”

In the BCF 4-6-Year-Old Limited Open Western Pleasure, Lazy Holla Dayz, sired by Lazy Loper and out of Shes On Holiday bested 15 other entries to collect the top prize with Lauren Louw in the saddle.

Owned by Shawn Johnson, Saukville, Wisconsin, Lazy Holla Days earned $1,637.72 for the win.

“I love that mare, so I was excited to show her,” Louw said. “It always makes me a little nervous seeing all the other good horses and riders before the class though.”

But the 2012 bay mare, nicknamed Stella, performed perfectly.

“I was happy with my ride,” Louw said. “I think you’re always really critical of your own ride so I never like to get ahead of myself while waiting for the results. She is just such a great mover, great minded, and has so much self-carriage. There’s not a bad word you could say about her. She’s perfect.”

But when the show day is over Lazy Holla Dayz loves to sleep.

“Stella is the best sleeper you will ever meet in your life,” Louw revealed. “If she’s in her stall she’s lying down. She likes it when you sit on her and scratch her belly! She has so much personality.”

In other Western Pleasure action, Justin Clay Arrington won the BCF Limited Open 2-Year-Old Western Pleasure aboard Won It On My RV, sired by VS Flatline and out of Ill Be Dun Won It, earning $1,875.34 for the win in the 17-entry class. Then Vicky Kent won the BCF 2-Year-Old Non-Pro Western Pleasure with eight entries, collecting an additional $1,312.95.

Sid Karr piloted Hide Your Crazy, sired by Zippos Sensation and out of Shes A Real Pleasure to a win in the nine-entry BCF Color 3-6-Year-Old Non-Pro Western Pleasure, earning $835.52.

In the BCF 2-Year-Old Intermediate Non-Pro Western Pleasure Aubrey Alderman, Kansasville, Wisconsin, teamed with Live N It Up, sired by Red White N Blue and out of Livin Ona Prayer, to capture top prize and collect $1,436.04. In the BCF 2-Year-old Limited Non-Pro Western Pleasure, Becky Crider Durrett rode to victory aboard Why Don’t You Kiss This, sired by Kissin The Girls and out of Certainly A Classic. They earned $1,641.19 for the win in the eight-entry class.

Amy Groefsema and My Dream Remembered.

To wind things up in the Ford truck arena on Thursday, HP The Rusty Fox, sired by Mechanic out of Sheza Pleasure, win the BCF Limited Open 2-Year-Old Open Hunter Under saddle with Angela Fox, Carrollton, Texas, in the irons. The win in the 19-entry class was worth $2,183.97.

Trail competition dominated the day in the Pavilion Arena with Senior Trail drawing the largest Trail numbers in the show with 102 entries. Blake Weiss piloted Snap Krackle Pop to a win in the class, collecting a check for $2,659.95 for owner Twylla Lynn Brown, Perry, Missouri. Snap Krackle Pop is sired by RL Best Of Sudden and out of Brandys Silver Sheik.

Another 30 competed in Color Open Trail with Troy Lehn recording the win aboard Hide Your Crazy for Sid Karr, Pilot Point, Texas. The win was worth $1,774.06.

Thursday competition in the Mustang Arena got under way with Novice Amateur Showmanship drawing 29 entries. Amy Groefsema, Lemoore, California took the top prize with My Dream Remembered, sired by A Dream Remembered and out of Celebrate Chocolate and collected $1,076.25.

Jessica Baird teamed with Cool Lopin Lady, a 2011 brown mare sired by Lazy Loper and out of Cool Movin Lady, to win the 46-entry Amateur Trail and take home $1,350.68.

TheBestBetYet

Attention then turned to Longe Line as Thebestbetyet, sired by Too Sleepy To Zip out of Impulsive Bet bested 15 other entries to win the BCF Non-Pro Hunter Longe Line, the Limited Non-Pro Hunter Longe Line and the Open Hunter Longe Line (run concurrently) with Kevin Griner at the end of the line. The combined earnings in the classes totaled $3,626.57.

Western Riding closed out the day in the Mustang Arena with PF Put It N Park, Sired by Huntin For Chocolate and out of Flashy Fanny Parker winning the Novice Amateur Western Riding with Debra W Craig, Palm Beach Gardens, Florida in the saddle. Craig takes home $1,014.38 for the win in the 27-entry class.

Taylor Brown, Strathmore, California, won the Amateur Western Riding aboard Absolute Best Asset, sired by Absolute Investment and out of No Risk Asset. The win in the 20-entry class was worth $774.80.

For candids from the show click here: https://instrideedition.com/2017/08/nsba-world-championship-show/

For a schedule click here: http://www.nsba.com/New_Images/Forms/World%20Show/2017%20SYC-WS%20Schedule.pdf

For patterns click here: http://www.nsba.com/index.php/world-championship-show-mainmenu-253/patterns.html

For qualifying information click here: http://www.nsba.com/index.php/world-championship-show-mainmenu-253/qualifying/2016-qualifying-important-changes-announced.html

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