Close your eyes for just a moment and imagine Elle Woods from Legally Blonde as a horse. What you will have is Alexis Gooding’s 3-year-old Western Pleasure contender Snazzy Lil Machine (Molly).

Alexis and her husband, Austin, purchased the 2021 sorrel mare by Machine Made out of Lazy Lil Me, last April from her breeders Robin and Zach Dunham, of Lucasville, Ohio, and they have been having a blast getting her ready to show in all the major AQHA shows and futurities this year.

 “She’s as smart as she is beautiful, but definitely doesn’t over think things,” Alexis explained. “She’s always happy to see you, and any attention is good attention as far as she’s concerned. “She’s super low energy and very food motivated. I have never met a friendlier, happier little horse. Every morning when I walk into the barn she leaves her food to come to the front of her stall for a morning pet.

“The world revolves around Molly, and she knows it,” Alexis said. “She’s the type of horse you wake up and look forward to riding.”

Alexis really was not in the market for a 2-year-old last year when her all-around show partner was up for sale. She thought she’d like to have a 3-year-old to show the rest of the year and then move along to other events. She remembers being at a horse show when good friend, Ryan Strunk, texted Austin about a horse “they really needed to take a look at.” He forwarded some videos and both Austin and Alexis really liked what they saw.

“The first clips I saw of her I instantly knew we had to make a road trip and go see her in person,” Austin said. “She had such good rhythm and cadence. She looked like the ideal horse for Alexis.”

For Alexis it was pretty much love at first sight.

“When I first saw Molly, she was the sweetest, friendliest 2-year-old I had ever seen,” she explained. “We joke her ears can’t go anywhere but up because she’s just always happy. She was this cute, round thing with a long flaxen mane. She was everything you look for in a youngster – good minded, pretty, even front and back and willing to please.”

Zach Dunham had already started Molly under saddle but as soon as the purchase was complete Austin got started preparing her for Alexis.

“She really has been super easy through the whole process, she didn’t really go through any bad or tough spots like a lot of horses will,” he explained.

By the end of 2023 Austin felt confident that Molly was ready to start her show career so the young couple set their sights on the Fun In The Sun Futurity held at the Fox Lea Farm Winter Circuit in Venice, Florida in January.

There Alexis and Molly claimed a Reserve Championship in the 3-Year-Old Limited Non-Pro Western Pleasure and Austin placed fourth on her in the 3-Year-Old Open Western Pleasure.

 “She has a presence about her when she jogs in,” Austin said. “She is a very pretty horse and holds her neck just perfect. She catches your eye right away and she’s just easy to show and a pleasure to ride so it’s easy as a showman to present her well.”

The Michigan professional trainer said there’s nothing special he has to do to get Molly shown.

“I try to just stay out of her way the best I can and don’t try to make her something she is not,” he said.

Next up for Molly is The Premier in Lexington, Kentucky where Alexis will show in Non-Pro classes while Austin handles Open events. After that the Back To Berrien futurity in Michigan is on the agenda, followed by the Harbor Classic in Ludington, Michigan.

“She will have a break after that since my dad (Garth Gooding) is judging the National Snaffle Bit Association (NSBA) World Show,” Austin explained. “Then she will go to the MQHA Breeders Futurity and then of course the Quarter Horse Congress.”

It’s been a while since Alexis has had a Western Pleasure contender so she is just trying to enjoy the ride.

“Molly is the most fun horse I have ever owned and I am really excited for all of the 3-year-old events with her this year,” she said. “I have never shown a Western Pleasure horse at the Congress before, so that in itself will be a check off the bucket list.”

Austin is already looking ahead to next year and beyond.

“My long term goals for Alexis would be to get her a NSBA World Show Trophy and a Congress Trophy,” he explained. “She’s had a ton of success showing at both of those shows being in the top 10 in multiple classes but I know her winning at those shows are on the bucket list for me.”

And after that?

“I hope to do some Showmanship and Horsemanship next year,” Alexis said. “She’s already shown promise switching leads so I’m excited to see what we can add in the future.”

Austin has a different view.

“My end goal is to always show for a bit and then sell but I have a feeling unless the exact right person comes along, this one will be sticking around for a bit,” he admitted. “I do know the little we’ve messed around with it she is going to do the other events well, she’s already pretty broke in the Showmanship and the few times we’ve gone over poles she looks pretty special at that too and I know she will have a good look in the bridle for the horsemanship so if I had to guess, we will probably add a couple of those classes next year.”

In addition to Molly, Alexis and Austin own Actin Outta Impulse, a 2022 sorrel gelding by Impulsions out of Invite A Loper.

“We plan to show him in the 2-Year-Old Maiden Hunter Under Saddle at the Congress this year,” she said. “I have done a lot of the riding myself, and it’s been a really fun experience.”

They also own The Best Leadin Lady, a 2018 mare by RL Best Of Sudden out of  The Only Leadin Lady.

“We have had two foals out of her by Machine Made and are really excited to see them grow up,” Alexis said. “The oldest is a yearling and I am counting down the days until I can ride her. Both fillies are mature, well-built and super good minded.”

You know what they say –  Happy wife, happy life. Alexis met Austin at the American Paint Horse Association (APHA) World Championship Show in 2016 and they started dating the following year. She grew up in the California Bay area and got her start riding jumpers before her family dove head first into APHA shows after purchasing Devil Drives a Hotrod (Mick). Ironically, the Goodings had helped the gelding’s former owner with him when he was a 2-year-old.

“I showed Mick my entire youth career,” Alexis explained. “We were third in Horsemanship and Reserve in the Intermediate Youth Western Pleasure at the Paint World. He was the best teacher I could ever imagine and will probably be the only horse Austin will never tell me I have to sell.”

In September of 2022 Austin and Alexis were married and they now live in Hudsonville, Michigan. Alexis is a pediatric ICU nurse at UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital in San Francisco. In the last two years she has specialized in cross training so she can care for patients in the pediatric ICU, pediatric cardiac ICU and the neonatal ICU.

“We live in Hudsonville, Michigan and I travel to San Francisco one week a month to work,” she explained. “My job allows me a ton of flexibility and the ability to spend a lot of my time riding and showing. I love the fast pace and adrenaline rush you get working in such an intense environment, but then getting to decompress the rest of the month. It is a great balance and is a great way to put life into perspective.”

Austin works as a trainer alongside his parents, Garth and Sonessa Gooding, at Bauer Gooding Show Horses in Fennville, Michigan.

“We have a 25-stall barn and typically keep around 20 horses in training, allowing us to do the training ourselves and give each client the necessary attention,” he said. “We train, show and market Western Pleasure, Hunter Under Saddle and all-around contenders. The barn atmosphere is a huge deal to us so it’s important we have a group that gets along, supports and cheers for each other. We are very lucky and thankful for the great group of clients we have right now. Being surrounded by good people makes it that much easier and more fun for everyone to learn and compete at the highest level.”