Appaloosa News Monthly – March 2022

This was the first time Alison has shown at this big show.  She said that all the attendees were very warm and welcoming.  It may have been a little intimidating doing run downs in the warmup pen with the “Who’s who” of million-dollar NRCHA riders.  It is a fun show, but Alison definitely recommends going with a trainer the first time as there is a lot to learn about the logistics of the show.  A perk of showing there is being able to watch the World’s Greatest Horseman competition live and being part of such a fun horse show.

As for her runs?  Alison was happy with parts of them.  She and Nugget had a few bobbles in their reining run, and she felt that she didn’t ride aggressively enough in her circles and turn around, leaving some points on the table.  She was a bit disappointed because she knows that they can put down higher scores.  She missed the 1K finals by 1.5 points.  In their second run, Alison decided to be more aggressive in her circles and turn arounds but felt just a little out of time in her stops.  Overall, the duo ended up in the 20s out of 90 horse and rider pairs.  She and Nugget definitely held their own and represented the breed well.

Since Nugget is loud colored, he did garner attention and it was all positive.  Alison said she had many people tell her how much they liked her horse and inquire about his breeding.  Alison also said she was so appreciative of her Appaloosa family as she got many messages from the Appaloosa family supporting her and telling her they were watching on the livestream.  That support really meant a lot to her. 

Keep your eye out for these two at Appaloosa and NRCHA shows.  Alison and Nugget are going to continue showing together for hopefully many years to come.  Nugget loves working cows and loves his job.  They make a fantastic pair, and we wish them continued success in the future.