Exhibitors had opportunities to compete in the show arenas at the Built Ford Tough Livestock Complex at Expo Square in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in the NSBA Show Your Colors NSBA, AQHA and APHA show beginning August 7, but the main event, the NSBA World Championship Show, kicked off its first classes of the year with the Markel Insurance Working Hunter Derby in historic fashion.

Ryan Painter showed Allocate In Green to win the 2025 Markel Insurance Working Hunter Derby for owners Gary and Darcy Stricker. It was a historic win for Ryan, who has now won the class five times, more than any other exhibitor in the 11 years the class has been held. He previously took the top spot with Kamanyawannadance in 2015 and 2017, and with Tabloid Famous in 2022 and My Next Edition in 2023. 

Today’s champion, ten year old gelding Allocate In Green, is by Allocate Your Assets and out of Pocket Full Of Green (Green With Invy) and bred by Cynthia Roth. “He was a Hunter Under Saddle horse before I got him,” Ryan said of 'Sy.' “I caught rode him at the Quarter Horse Congress two years ago, and he came home with me after that, so he’s only been doing fence classes for about three years.

“He jumps beautifully. He jumps with such classic form and he’s great with his front end. He uses his neck, he has a lot of expression and he’s just beautiful across the ground. He has that hunter type.”

On winning the historic fifth world championship in the Derby, Ryan said: “The Derbies are my favorite. There are only a handful of them held every year, like the one here and a couple held at the World Equestrian Center in Ocala. It’s always special when you get to do them. It’s fun.”

It was an emotional win for owner Darcy Stricker. “I bought Sy as a two year old to have as a Hunter Under Saddle horse for myself,” Darcy said. “Mya Childers was showing him at the Sun Circuit in Arizona when he was about seven years old, and he got stung by a bee, and Mya was thrown and broke her leg. All I could think about was ‘what am I going to do with this horse now?’ Mya is the one who told me that he needed to jump. He’s my once in a lifetime horse.”

“I don’t hold it against him because he’s a very good horse, there was just nowhere to go when he got stung, so we went into the fence,” Mya added. “He’s a very brave creature, and he doesn’t spook at anything. He’s the kindest horse. He trusts Ryan, and he loves this class. He gets braver and smarter each time they show.”

Two Round Format

“The Markel Insurance Working Hunter Derby is a special class,” noted course designer David Warner. “The number of entries indicates that everyone wants to be in it. It’s a higher-level class that gives the exhibitors and horses more of a challenge.

“The course is a more natural-built course with items you would see in a hunter field. There are two course designs for the two rounds. The classic round is a pretty straight forward course, but it does have a couple of challenges. It has a couple of bending lines and two in and outs.”

After walking the course, last year’s champion, Robert Stucky, noted “the course has two two-strides in the course, which can be challenging for the younger horses who don’t have much experience with them yet. A few of the jumps are more vertical and not as wide, so with the brush and foliage in front of them, you have to really make sure your horse is balanced and keep them rounded up so that they can go over the jumps cleanly. The course flows really well, and it’s really inviting to those with younger horses, but at the same time there are elements that can challenge the more experienced horses and riders.”

David walked through the Handy round course. “The second or handy round is a little more challenging,” he said. “It is a tighter track, and has a gallop to a single oxer. I gave the exhibitors more options to challenge the seasoned horses, or jump an easier round for their green horses.”
 
The Built Ford Tough arena provides some unique challenges for course design. “The Ford Arena is a big arena, and allows for some longer lines,” David said. “I think there is one ten-stride line in this course. With the NSBA’s awards stage in the middle of the arena, it is a different type of design, but we’re able to design around it.”
David explained Derby’s format. “This class has a two-round format and starts with a classic round,” he explained. “The course jumps are set at three feet high, with three optional jumps that are set at three feet, three inches high. Exhibitors and horses receive a base score, plus one bonus point for each higher option they jump,” he said.

The top 15 scorers from the first round return for a handy hunter round. Both first and handy round scores are added together to determine the class winner.

“During the handy round, like in the first round, exhibitors receive a base score, plus they can earn one bonus point for each of the three higher options they jump. However, in the handy round, they can also receive up to ten bonus points for level of handiness. For example, if they have a very smooth go while taking the harder, tighter track, they can earn more handy points. 
“There are four judges for the Markel Insurance Working Hunter Derby, who judge in two panels of two judges. Each panel discusses the scores and collaborates, so that two judge’s scores for each horse are announced,” David explained.

An Exhibitor Favorite

“It’s supposed to mimic being out in the hunt field and it’s meant to enlighten the hunt field,” explained Sandra Vaughn. “This is a very hard arena to set and David Warner does a great job creating the course. The jumps are not formidable, and the course is inviting to all levels. They enjoy it, and it’s been really well attended.”

“There’s just more to the course, and it’s a little different,” observed Ryan Painter. “The jumps are a little brighter, there are more bending lines and two-strides. Since they call out the scores, I think the crowd can get into it a little more and it gets more exciting. I love that it offers something that our Youth and Amateur riders can compete in too, so it makes for a really nice class. It’s fun!”

“I love that it gives the hunters another class to compete in, and something a little different,” said Chuck Briggs. “This class gives the horses and riders a little more of a challenge.”

The Working Hunter Derby was added to the NSBA World Championship Show in 2014. The All-Breed class is open to any horse registered with NSBA. To view complete show results, please visit nsba.com.

Photos courtesy of Cody Parmenter Photography.

About NSBA

Established in 1983, National Snaffle Bit Association has expanded from its roots in the Western Pleasure discipline to recognize various disciplines and eight 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 eight 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.
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