NSBA WORLD SHOW IN TULSA

Text Corrine S. Borton Photos Cody Parmenter & Caroline Saylors

You would never have known it by watching her win Amateur Trail, one of the largest classes at this year’s National Snaffle Bit Association (NSBA) World Championship Show and Breeders Championship Futurity, but Samantha Foust was once scared of the class.

Riding Cool Cruzen Lady (Hazel) has changed all that for the Escondido, California competitor.

Foust and the 2014 bay roan mare by VS Flatline out of Suddenly A Cool Lady, bested 69 other competitors to claim the World Championship title and a check for $2,612.80.

The Trail numbers were strong at this year’s World Show, held Aug. 11 to 21 in Tulsa, Oklahoma, drawing some of the largest numbers at the show.

A total of $964,900 was awarded in World Show competition and $367,847 was presented in BCF classes plus $85,556 in

Color BCF events. Officials reported that there were a total of 6,703 World Show and BCF entries and 2,530 in the Show Your Colors contest this year.

Faust has been attended since 2015 when she won Novice Amateur Horsemanship with her mom’s horse Call Me Interested.

But she says showing Cool Cruzen Lady is an honor.

“Every time I get to swing a leg over that mare and show her is a blessing,” Faust said. “So I just went out there to have fun and ride my ride.”

Her strategy in the Amateur Trail this year was to be confident.

“I made sure to concentrate on one obstacle at a time,” she explained. “That arena can sometimes be a little scary for Hazel so I made sure to ride the pattern strong and stay connected with her at all times.

Faust said she feels the strongest part of her go was the lopeovers.

“I could lope over poles on her all day,” she admitted. “When I came out of the arena I even told my trainer (Tonya Brown) that I had lost my stride count over a long lope over because she just felt so strong and soft that I was just enjoying the ride.” The biggest challenge in the course was the short transitions.

“The lope off from the gate as well as the transition out of the box to the trots were the hardest parts,” Faust said. “Hazel likes to take her time when picking up her gaits so that can be a little nerve racking when I only have two strides to pick up the lope before an obstacle. However that day she was responsive and picked them up no problem.

In addition to winning the Amateur Trail at the World Show, Faust and Hazel were top five in Amateur Western Pleasure and top 10 in Amateur Western Riding, Hazel also placed in the top 10 of Senior Western Riding with Brown and and her daughter Hailey Brown was Reserve World Champion in the Walk Trot Pleasure with Hazel.

Faust purchased Hazel in late 2018 and instantly became a force in the Trail pen.

In 2019 they won the BCF 4 to 6-Year-Old Non Pro Trail on Hazel in their first World Show together. In 2020 they were Reserve in the BCF 4 to 6-Year-Old Non-Pro Western Riding.

“We did not attend 2021 because I was enjoying being a first time mom,” she said.

Other Trail winners at this year’s show included:

Novice Youth Trail (44 shown): Itzonly Make Believe owned and shown by Alexandra Rippeon, Mt Airy, Maryland, $666.43.

Youth Trail 13 & Under (27 shown): Best Motion Picture, owned by Dana Moody, Munith, Michigan, shown by Dana Moody, $549.58.

Color Youth Trail (14 shown): Just A Touch More, owned by Grace Lane Ranch LLC, Magnolia, Texas, shown by Avery Mortman, $406.35.

Color Junior Trail (17 shown): Hot Lopin Lily/Lope Like Lily, owned by Caroline L. Cavallo, Staunton, Illinois, shown by Blake Weis, $1,145.20.

Youth Trail 14-18 (49 shown): Man Made Machine, owned by Melissa Armstrong, Jackson, Ohio, shown by Grant Mastin, $732.84.

Youth Walk Trot Trail (23 shown): Signature Absolute, owned by Haloranch, Rancho Santa Fe, California, shown by Hailey Brown, $185.90.

Novice Amateur Trail (31 shown): Nothin Compares, owned and shown by Lauren Levy, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, $1,740.

First Year Green Trail (40 shown): Ms ExtremelyHotChips, owned by Mc's Dragon Ranch LLC & Sid Karr, Pilot Point, Texas, shown by Sara Simons, $1,929.70. s

ttt Samantha Foust is pictured on the opposite page guiding Cool Cruzen Lady to a win in the Amateur Trail at the 2022 NSBA World Show. Pictured on the top of the page is Hannah Sisoyev celebrating after winning the Open Working Hunter with Miss American Pie, her owner, Daisy Mendez Pompei and her daughter, Azalea Schroeder. On this page Justin Arrington and RV Is Always Lazy, winners of the 2-Year-Old Open Western Pleasure.