Sarah Bullock, of Greensboro, North Carolina, will always remember her first show experience at the Quarter Horse Congress and perhaps not for the normal reasons you might expect. Sarah competed in Level 1 Amateur Ranch events all week with a broken leg on her horse, Rumor Mill. The gray gelding is known as ‘Goose.’

“We were at a show in Williamston about a month ago, and we were in a rail class,” she explained. “He just tripped on the front end and it felt like I just got pushed from the back and we went down. I fell on my right side, and I had this searing pain in my leg and I saw that Goose fell to his left and my leg was still under him bent at 180 degrees. 

“When I went to the ER, and they thought it was just a bad sprain or a small fracture maybe, and not a big deal, so I sent my Congress entries in. The very next day, I went to the doctor and found out I had broken the small bone in my leg. The doctor wanted to put me in a cast, but I told him that he would have to take it off three weeks later so that I could show, so they put me in a walking boot with crutches and told me absolutely no walking and no weight bearing. 

“Hopefully my doctor won’t find out that I’ve been walking around at the Congress and showing my horse. I take the walking boot off and put on a boot that is about two or three sizes bigger than I normally wear to show.”

Sarah wasn’t going to give up on her opportunity to compete at the Congress. “Honestly, this is my first time ever at the Congress,” she said. “I had the chance to come, and I felt that I had a horse that was doing great, and I thought why not? I’m so glad I did come. It was so worth it.”

Sarah showed in Level 1 Amateur Ranch Riding and Level 1 Ranch Trail, and found showing challenging given her limitations. However, she had some success, placing 21st out of 86 entries in Level 1 Ranch Riding. She found Trail a bit more challenging, but still competed. 

“It’s like I know I have my leg there but I can’t always get to it, and even when I put on my chaps, I can tell that my muscles are different than they were before I got hurt,” she said. “But Goose was so good. My trainers, Jeremy and Rebekah May, have been helping get him schooled and warmed up, and going through the patterns before I get on to go in the ring.”

Sarah first learned about Ranch classes just a short number of years ago. “I was on the Western Horsemanship team at the University of Tennessee, and I saw the Ranch classes there and fell in love with them. I’m actually a USEF Hunter, and I’ve done that since I was about eight years old,” she said. “In college is where I sort of decided to branch out. I still have my Hunter horses.”

The patterns in the various Ranch classes attracted her. “I love Equitation with the Hunters on the flat, but I also like that Ranch is on the flat with a whole bunch of different things,” she said. “I also think it is good for Goose, because it keeps his mind on to the next thing and the different maneuvers and tasks. I also use completely different muscles between English and Western, and I like that too. The only disadvantage is not having both reins!”

What makes her success even more impressive is that she and her horse have only been together a short time. “I’ve had Goose a little less than a year, and this is our fourth show together,” Sarah explained. “I’m from North Carolina, so we compete at NCQHA, SCQHA and Virginia QHA shows around home.”

Sarah looks forward to experiencing her second Congress a bit healthier in 2027. However, she was headed back to Greensboro to return to work on Friday. “I’m a clinical laboratory technologist, and I have to be at work at 6:00 tomorrow morning – I have a six hour drive home,” she said.

We wish Sarah safe travels home and hope she heals well.

Non Pros and Open Riders Shine In Thursday’s Congress Ranch Classes

Both Open and Non Pro exhibitors had a chance to shine on Thursday in the Ranch pen at the All American Quarter Horse Congress, and one Amateur exhibitor showed grit and determination to continue to show through adversity.

Familiar Faces

Jimmy Daurio returned to the top of the class with Cowpuncher Cadillac to win the Open Working Western Rail Stakes on Thursday. Between Jimmy and his partner and co-owner David Renier, the team has won three classes at this year’s Congress. In addition to the Open Working Western Rail Stakes, Jimmy and ‘Blue’ had won the Limited division of the Open Ranch Riding Stakes, while David won Amateur Select Ranch Trail, second in the Non Pro Ranch Trail Stakes and the Non Pro Working Western Rail Stakes, and sixth in the Non Pro Ranch Riding Stakes. The trio’s Stakes earnings at the 2026 Congress totals more than $19,700. 

In the Stakes classes, two familiar horse and rider combinations continued their winning ways. In the Senior Trail Trail, Bud Lyon showed Sumac Gunnabeflashy to his fifth Congress championship. The duo had already won Senior Ranch Riding, the Open Ranch Riding Sweepstakes, the Open Ranch Trail Stakes and Senior Working Western Rail. They were also second in the Open Working Western Rail Stakes, pushing their Stakes earnings at the 2026 Congress to more than $15,000.

Non-Pros Shine In Thursday’s Ranch Trail

New winners emerged in the Non-Pro Trail Stakes and Level 1 Amateur Ranch Trail classes. Sara Rose Jons showed her long-time partner Inferno Joe to win the Non Pro Ranch Trail Stakes, earning $5,592.60. It was Sara Rose’s first Congress Stakes championships.

“It’s really exciting to win the Stakes,” Sara Rose said. “I’ve worked really hard to get here and couldn’t have done it without this horse. He has helped me so much with the Trail. He knows how to do it so well and he’s teaching me at the same time. I couldn’t ask for a better partner to do it with.”

Sara Rose and eight year old ‘Buddy Joe’ have been show partners for four years. “We’ve been together almost five years,” she said. “I’m not great with the distance to the poles sometimes, and he’s always there to help me out if I need it. I’m very thankful for that. Today, my trot serpentines all the way through the side-pass I thought was really good. I asked him to go and he was like, ‘yes ma’am, I’ve got you.’”

In Level 1 Amateur Ranch Trail, Olivia Stoudmire piloted Iceforthechics to the win. “I’ve been doing Ranch classes probably six or seven years now – not really that long at all,” she said. “Today, I was happy that we had a clean pattern. I went into it and wanted to go out with a good pattern.

“I’ve had ‘Chic’ since 2022,” she said. “I just love his personality. He’s very sweet and is a very good boy. My trainers are Elizabeth and Melvin Yoder, and my parents and my family are also very supportive. I especially enjoy getting to show horses with my cousin.”

This was a first Congress championship for Olivia, who was a reserve champion in the NYATT Ranch Riding in 2025. “It feels unreal,” she said. “I wasn’t expecting it but it’s pretty cool.” 

The All American Quarter Horse Congress continues through October 25. To view complete show results, please visit quarterhorsecongress.com or view the Horse Show Tracker app.

About NSBA

Established in 1983, National Snaffle Bit Association has expanded from its roots in the Western Pleasure discipline to recognize various disciplines and ten breed associations in competition. NSBA’s mission is to grow the show horse community through various equine programs and events where every activity benefits horses, breeders, owners and exhibitors alike.

National Snaffle Bit Association has more than 20,000 active members and more than 44,000 registered horses across its ten alliance breed organizations. NSBA members earn more than $13.5 million in monetary awards at NSBA-sanctioned horse shows annually, and the association sanctions nearly 600 horse show events and close to 200,000 horse show entries each year.

To learn more about NSBA, please visit nsba.com.