Prior to this year’s event, the best David Zimmerman had done at the National Reining Breeders Classic was making the finals of the Limited Open. Now, he lays claim to having made the finals in the Open and Intermediate Open, and to the Championship of the Limited and Level 1 Open divisions. “This is by far the best I’ve ever done,” said Zimmerman, who won the titles on Jacs Lil Spook. “I haven’t soaked it all in. It was unreal to be out there riding in the Open finals with all those other guys. It was really exciting and I couldn’t wait to go in that arena and do it.”

Zimmerman and the Smart Spook stallion, out of Miss Whoa Jac, marked a 225 – winning the two titles by three points. When all the money was counted, Jacs Lil Spooks lifetime earnings had grown by $50,924!

Zimmerman also received two saddles, one sponsored by the NRBC and one from Continental Saddlery, two Gist Silvermiths buckles, NRBC crystal trophies, 50 lbs of Resilience Omega 3, a Whisper Bit from M3 Products, and two complete Tim McQuay The Art of Reining DVDs.

“He ran in and stopped really well, and we got turned as best we could. He’s a really good circler and I trust him so I ran as hard as I could, because I knew he would come back,” he said. “He’s also a really big stopper so I rode as hard as I could in the stops.”

Originally from Kodiak, Alaska, Zimmerman moved south in 1999, working several years for Doug Millholand and then Troy Heikes. “I got a lot of experience with those two guys, and now my wife and I are training out of Purcell, and trying to work our way up.” He added, “This helps! To step up at a show like this one is amazing. It was really fun and exciting to show today.”

Taylor Larson and Dolled Up Gunner and Sean Pulley and Spook Dance tied for the Reserve title of both the Limited and Level 1 Open with scores of 222. Dolled Up Gunner, by Gunner out of Mifs Doll, is owned by Taylor and her husband, Jordan Larson.

Spook Dance, owned by Rosanne Sternberg, is by Smart Spook out of Shining Dancer. Each collected $6,525 for the Limited Open and $919 for the Level 1 Open.