Just a few days ago I returned from a fantastic trip to the NSBA World Show, which wrapped up a long but exciting three weeks on the road attending horse shows. A similar theme to many of my adventures over the past year, this was my first ever trip to Tulsa! The NSBA World Show reminded me a bit of Congress as it was a flurry of activity with at least three pens running concurrently each day. I spent most of my time in the Ford Arena, which, as you likely already know, is the arena with the award platform in the center of the show ring. I felt very privileged to be able to sit in the center of the pen and take in the competition. It is truly the best seat in the house. It was really interesting to take in the class from the perspective of the judges. One highlight from the arena was watching the Ranch Rail class. At times it felt a bit crowded watching that class, however the skill and composure of the horses and their riders navigating the arena was something to behold.
The NSBA World Show brings in some of the top horses and competitors from across all breeds. As such, there were some unique divisions which were cool like the specific classes for colored horses as well as a first-year green trail class for horses showing in trail for the first time this year. The level that those horses displayed was truly incredible considering they were first time trail horses - the course started with a pin wheel lope over, a challenging maneuver for any level. The overall talent on display of both horse and rider across the show was incredible. A funny anecdote from the show was having to adjust how I hold trophies due to the height of the NSBA trophy. It is taller than other trophies I have held before, so I was holding it in front of my face unintentionally for some of the photo I quickly learned to adjust but it was something funny to laugh about for the first part of the show.
I had the honor of participating in the Heroes on Horses presentation honoring men and women who have served and their involvement in horses. It is always humbling and inspiring to carry the flag and be a part of this event. The joy that these horsepeople feel in riding and spending time with their horses is inspiring. I look forward to watching this event and taking part of it again in just a few short weeks at the All American Quarter Horse Congress.
Another great event I had the pleasure of watching was the Cinch Invitational Horsemanship Challenge. The atmosphere in the arena that night was unlike anything I had witnessed before. The music was at a party level and the crowd was loud as they cheered on some of the best horsemanship riders in the country navigate a very challenging pattern which featured two counter canters. The way the horses and riders kept their composure given the environment was definitely something to aspire to.
Perhaps the highlight of the horse show was the coming together of the horse community for a blood drive in support of Brady Martin. It was inspiring to see everyone come together and show their support to a member of the horse community. I was proud to roll up my sleeve in support of the cause and I encourage everyone to give blood if they are able. It is a really easy way to give back to your community, blood banks across the United States and Canada are always in low supply. By giving blood, you could save a life! In this case, the Oklahoma Blood Bank gave $10 dollars to the Way to Battle Foundation in support of Brady for each person who donated. To learn more about Brady, his story and how you can support him you can check out his Way to Battle Facebook page.
Overall, the NSBA World Show was a blast, I had a great time in Tulsa and was excited to check out another show in person that I hadn’t had the opportunity to attend before. The show was marked by some great events, vendors, people and of course horses. I can’t thank the NSBA enough for their hospitality throughout the show. It was truly a great experience. This marked my last travel event for my time as Congress Queen. It is hard to believe almost a whole year has passed since I started this journey. It has been the role of a lifetime. I have one more event to attend before returning to Congress in October. I will be attending the Ontario Quarter Horse Association Summer Finale, I am so excited to be representing Congress at a show in my home province in a couple days.
