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Pictured from left are Im Willy Fabulous (aka Fabio), Tami Thurston (MCC’s Director of Equine Technology and trainer of Fabio), and Sandra Morgan (owner of Fabio). Fabio and Thurston won the World Championship Trophy in the 2-Year-Old Open Hunter Under Saddle category during the National Snaffle Bit Association (NSBA) World Championship Show and Breeders Championship Futurity (BCF) held in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Aug. 11-21.
Pictured from left are Im Willy Fabulous (aka Fabio), Tami Thurston (MCC’s Director of Equine Technology and trainer of Fabio), and Sandra Morgan (owner of Fabio). Fabio and Thurston won the World Championship Trophy in the 2-Year-Old Open Hunter Under Saddle category during the National Snaffle Bit Association (NSBA) World Championship Show and Breeders Championship Futurity (BCF) held in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Aug. 11-21.
Martin Community College’s (MCC’s) Director of Equine Technology Tami Thurston was a big winner (once again) at the National Snaffle Bit Association (NSBA) World Championship Show and Breeders Championship Futurity in Tulsa, O.K., Aug. 11-21.
Thurston won two World Championships in the NSBA and BCF 2-Year-Old Open Hunter Under Saddle category while riding Im Willy Fabulous, aka Fabio. (Show horses generally have two names, a registered name for official paperwork, and a barn name for day-to-day interaction.)
Fabio is a 2-year-old, owned by Sandra Morgan of Scottsdale, A.Z. and Langley of British Columbia. Thurston also trained Morgan and Fabio to compete together in non-pro, 2-year-old events. This training paid off for the colt and her owner, garnering them two more world titles during the competition.
Thurston has been Fabio’s trainer over the last six months. He is the sixth horse Thurston has trained for Morgan. Thurston also won this title on another horse owned by Morgan, Willy in the Sky, in 2017.
This is Thurston’s third World Champion win. She was also a Reserve Champion in 2017, and a Reserve Champion a few years prior. Thurston has also placed in several top 10 spots over her career.
Interestingly, Im Willy Fabulous (aka Fabio) is an American Quarter Horse colt created from an egg provided by a dam (mother) named Fabulicity and frozen semen from a deceased sire (father) named Good I Will Be through a process called Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI).
The procedure involved a micro-injection of a single sperm cell into the cytoplasm of a mature oocyte, causing fertilization. The fertilized oocyte was then returned to an incubator for about a week, where it developed into an embryo. Once the embryo became viable, it was placed in a recipient mare, who carried Fabio to term and raised him.
When asked, who is judged more, the rider or the horse, Thurston said, “It just depends on the class. However, the classes I specialize in are mostly judged on the horse’s performance, but that relies heavily on the horse’s response to its training and rider. It is a very symbiotic relationship.”
Thurston added, “This horse really lived up to his name, Im Willy Fabulous, because he is. I got teary-eyed because he went in there and gave his whole heart. It just filled me with pride. And, for a two-year-old to go through all this, it’s asking so much of him, and with every run he just got better. I’ve ridden a lot of nice horses, but I’m telling you this horse is the real deal.”
In the 2-year-old Hunter Under Saddle category, horses are judged on the movement of a long, low frame and must be able to lengthen their strides and cover ground as in traversing hunt country while following hounds. The horse should be obedient, alert, and responsive to their riders. Judges are particularly encouraged to score on manner, movement and attitude as reflected in the horses’ ears, mouth, tail, and way of going. The rider is in an English saddle. Thurston noted there were 15-18 other competitors in the show pen.
“That may not sound like a lot of competition, but two-year-old horses that can perform in such a focused manner, in a large and distracting environment like a two-thousand-plus seat arena, are sort of like child prodigies,” Thurston said. “They are very special and talented horses, which, with the right training can compete at this high level of competition at a very young age.
“To put it in perspective, foals are not saddled and ridden until they are at least two years old. So, for a colt or filly to win major competitions at the age of two means they are very smart, talented, and trainable,” she continued.
“Winning awards at this level, at this age, makes Im Willy Fabulous a very desirable animal on many levels, especially for competition and breeding purposes. My husband Paul and I have made training two-year-olds our specialty.”
Showing horses is a standard part of MCC’s Equine students’ training.
“We encourage all our students to show in some way or another, even if it’s not their main interest. It just makes our students more well-rounded and qualified to work in the equine industry,” Thurston said.
Cameron Van Sickle, a 2016 graduate of MCC’s Equine Technology program and resident of Tarboro, also attended the event. VanSickle was competing with his own training horse and customer, as well as braiding and banding the manes and tails for many of the competing horses. Professional banders and braiders make anywhere from $50 to $200 per horse depending on the design.
Van Sickle banded Im Willy Fabulous for the competition.
Over the course of the two-week competition, NSBA paid out more than $1,500,000 in cash and prizes. The NSBA World Championship Show is recognized by pleasure horse riders, trainers and breeders as the premier event for identifying and rewarding, both excellence and talent in the recreational equine industry.
The ongoing recognition Thurston earns at prestigious events like the NSBA show, reinforces the high quality of education MCC’s equine students receive from their experienced and professional instructors. To learn more about MCC’s equine technology programs, go to https://www.martincc.edu or email Thurston at tt78431@martincc.edu.
Deborah Griffin can be reached via email at dgriffin@apgenc.com.
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