Twenty-year-old Jonathan Nowacki has his mother to credit as his driving force behind his start in horses. Nowacki’s mother, Sherrie Quiterio, grew up on an Appaloosa breeding farm in Texas. When Jonathan and his sister, Stephanie, were old enough to understand the time commitment involved with owning and showing horses demands Quiterio decided to let them give it a try.

“My mother took us to a facility were you are able to lease a horse on a monthly basis,” Nowacki said. “You were to care for them as if they were your own, cleaning, feeding, bathing, riding, it was a great way to get our feet wet in the horse world.”

In 2008 Nowacki received a call from his trainer who was at a show saying he had found him “the one”. That horse turned out to be RL Sudden Image, a 2002 gelding by A Sudden Impulse and out of Miss Good Asset. Nowacki bought him over the phone and “the rest is history”. Nowacki’s gamble soon paid off and under the guidance of Bruce Vickery the team was named NSBA World Champions in Novice Youth Western Riding in 2010 . Later that year they went on to capture a Congress Championship in Novice Youth Trail 14-18, and a Reserve Championship in Novice Youth Horsemanship 14-18 helping him clench the 2010 Congress All-Around title for Novice Youth 14-18.

“Winning the all-around at the Congress was one of the most amazing moments of my life, Nowacki said. “I will never forget that phone call from my good friend, Danielle Zenga, screaming at me ‘you won the all around’. I had already gone home and had no idea I was even in the running for it.”

Now under the guidance of Andrew and Lori Augsberger of Pinetree Quarter Horses in Loxahatchee, Florida Nowacki, now in his first year as an Amateur competitor, will continue to show RL A Sudden Image in all-around events. This year he will also share the reins with his sister, Stephanie, who will show RL A Sudden Image in Novice Youth all-around events.

“RL A Sudden Image is one of the smartest horses I’ve ever ridden and has so much try, he will give you everything when you need it most,” Nowacki explained. “For example, in trail classes I’m always making mistakes, hitting wrong spots, don’t have the right pace, he somehow just figures it out, he’s always right there. I know he always has my back.”

Nowacki has been an NSBA member since he began showing as a kid, but has gotten more involved with the association since his world show debut in 2010. He said it was an amazing horse show with a great group of people. He is also a big proponent of the association’s leveling programs and new novice classes. Nowacki hopes to continue to improve as a showman and evolve with the industry.

Through out his youth years Nowacki was home schooled through an online schooling program because the time he needed to take off from school to be able to show on a national level would have been too difficult at a public institution. After graduation Nowacki went to work for Nursing Plus, an in-home health care agency, and he hopes to attend nursing school some time in the near future.

When he’s not at a horse show Nowacki enjoys going to the beach and hanging out with friends and family.