Colorful Winners Named Wednesday at Color Breed Congress

It was a colorful day for champions at the Color Breed Congress at the Built Ford Tough Complex at Expo Square in Tulsa, Oklahoma on Wednesday, and NSBA exhibitors were an active part of the competition.

“We’re expecting to have about 3,500 entries total during the show,” said Darrell Bilke, executive vice president and chief operating officer of the Pinto Horse Association, host of the Color Breed Congress. “As of right now, we’ve had 366 NSBA entries go through the arena.” The Way To Go visited with some of Wednesday’s winners.

Wednesday was Hunter Under Saddle Day at the Color Breed Congress, and several NSBA exhibitors earned NSBA bronze trophies in their respective color breed classes. Among the winners were Sandy Bledsoe and Lil Yellow Hotrod (shown below), who won the NSBA bronze in the PHBA Amateur Hunter Under Saddle and second place PHBA exhibitor.

“She’s a dream,” said Bledsoe of her four-year-old palomino mare, whom she calls Millie. “She’s just fantastic. She loves to show.” By Skips Black Rodder and out of the late LDG Lil Sissy Cee, Millie is special to Bledsoe.

“We just put her mother down not long ago,” she said. “She did her momma proud.”

In the PHBA combined Junior and Senior Open Hunter Under Saddle, Ima Yellow Sky and Sharon Wellman took the NSBA bronze and the PHBA title. “This was one of my best rides I’ve ever had on her,” Wellman said. “We’ve really been working hard at it.”

The five-year-old mare, known as Sophie, is by Skys Blue Walker and is owned by Katherine West. “Katherine used to ride with the late Guy Stoops,” Wellman said. “She’s a special lady, but now she has MS, and she’s never got to see me show Sophie. So I make it a point to always pick up all of the awards we win and be sure to send them to Katherine. This horse keeps her going.”

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