AQHA mare Snap It Send It, owned by Kent Ray Taylor of Mesa, Arizona, has been named the National Snaffle Bit Association’s 2020 Horse of the Year. The beautiful gray mare was recognized during the NSBA Honors Banquet, which took place on Sunday at the NSBA World Show.
“I could not be more excited or honored for Bailee to be earning this award,” Kent Ray Taylor told us. “I am extremely blessed to have owned great horses throughout my career, but Bailee is truly a unicorn – sweet, kind, smart, talented, beautiful, and with as royal of a pedigree as they come.”
Kent Ray says he is truly grateful for NSBA and the organization it has become. Taylor loves his KRT family and credits his team and trainer Blake Weis for doing an incredible job. ”I have an amazing team behind me and I owe it all to them. “Mirko and Lisa are the absolute best. Dr. Sherry Johnson of Equine Sports Medicine – words can’t express how much I love her. Aaron Moses has been amazing to work with and has delivered one hundred percent of the time. I love and appreciate you all very much. I can’t wait to have some more fun.”
The talented 2016 gray mare known as Bailee is by leading AQHA stallion VS Code Red and out of the two-time AQHA Superhorse Snap Krackle Pop. She was bred by Twylla Brown and raised at Twin Acres Ranch with Blake and Kendra Weis.
Kent Ray purchased Bailee in March of 2019 and combined forces with Aaron Moses and Blake Weis to further the mare’s success, earning numerous titles in Green, Novice Horse, Open, and Non-Pro Western Pleasure. Blake also showed Bailee to win the Three Year Old Versatility Challenge at the AQHA World Show in 2019.
As a four-year-old in 2020, Bailee and Blake continued to develop their All-Around skills, and won multiple Open All-Around Horse awards showing in Performance Halter Mares, Trail, Western Riding, and Western Pleasure. Kent Ray also successfully showed Bailee in Western Pleasure events.
Even with a limited show schedule due to COVID-19 restrictions, Bailee earned nearly $15,000 in NSBA earnings throughout the year, including winning the Four and Five Year Old Open Trail at the Arizona Fall Championship Show and a reserve championship in the Breeders Championship Futurity Four to Six-Year-Old Trail at the NSBA World Championship Show. Blake and Bailee capped off their 2020 show season by earning an AQHA championship in Level 1 Western Riding at the 2020 AQHA World Championship Show. Bailee has earned $57,356.80 in NSBA lifetime earnings.
Congratulations to Bailee, Kent Ray, and everyone involved with this talented mare on winning this prestigious award.
CLICK HERE to see Kent Ray and Snap It Send It in this month’s issue of GoMag.