Farley Barbera and Hot Jazzin Zippo proved that they’re a tough act to beat when they won their third straight showmanship world championship September 1 at the Bayer Select World Championship Show.
“It’s very hard to believe, it’s very exciting,” Farley said.
After studying the pattern, the Southern Pines, North Carolina, exhibitor said she was surprised by how much running competitors would have to do.
“There was a lot of trotting for us old folk!” she said. “But I liked the pattern. It wasn’t too tricky, but there was enough degree of difficulty that you could show your horse.”
And show “Jazz” she did.
“He’s just a wonderful horse,” she said. “I’ve had him since he was 3 and he just keeps getting better and better with age.”
Farley said she found the sorrel gelding when she was really supposed to be shopping for a horse for her daughter.
“We just sort of stumbled upon him,” she said. “He wasn’t big enough for her, she wanted something she could do in the all-around and hunter under saddle and stuff, but I liked him so much I bought him.”
Farley and Jazz were reserve world champions in showmanship at the inaugural Bayer Select World in 2003. They repeated that achievement in 2004 before claiming their first world champion buckle in 2005, and have stayed on top ever since.
“The first (world championship) is always special,” she said. “It’s just unbelievable to me that I could win three in a row.”
