NSBA Ranch Performance Horse Of The Year: Xtra Wimpys Catalyst

NSBA Ranch Horse Of The Year Xtra Wimpys Catalyst is tall, dark and handsome, so it should come as no surprise that his barn name is ‘Zorro.’ The 11 year old black stallion, by Wimpys Little Step and out of Im Not Blonde (Catalyst Too), came into Erika Collins Sterling’s life in late 2024.

“I bought Zorro from Kent Ray Taylor at the AQHA World Show, and three weeks later he was in Ocala showing with Matt Gouthro at the Gold and Gulf Coast circuits,” Erika said. “Zorro had been showing in Reining with Trevor Dare, Craig Schmersal and Kent Ray before we got him.

“I liked the way he moved, and thought he would make a nice Ranch horse – and he has. He really wasn’t for sale. I had known Kent Ray from showing the All Around together years ago, and I knew he was torn about selling him. Since then, he’s become our biggest cheerleader.”

Learning New Things

Erika laughs when she remembers the former Reiner’s first trip into the Ranch Trail pen. “He laid down this flawless pattern until the very last obstacle, which was a trot over four poles. He approached them and slowed to a stop and just looked at the poles like ‘what are these things doing in my arena?’

“His ears were forward, and you could tell he was so worried about them, but he went and stepped over them when asked. He’s just gotten better and better every time we showed him. When we added Trail, he just naturally took to it, too. He’s always so expressive and so consistent.”

Erika teamed up with trainers Matt and Beth Gouthro to train and show Zorro. “Matt has done such a great job with him, and he and Beth have a really good program,” Erika said. “They have a great group of clients, too, and we have a lot of fun in the barn and at shows.”

“We took him home from the AQHA World Show in November, and three weeks later we were showing him in Ocala,” noted Matt Gouthro.
“He’s such an incredibly smart animal. I don’t know that I’ve ever ridden another horse that is so intelligent, and so willing. I think he’d be good at whatever he did because has so much try and so much heart. He’s a pretty special individual.”

“He’s such an incredibly smart animal. I don’t know that I’ve ever ridden another horse that is so intelligent, and so willing. I think he’d be good at whatever he did because has so much try and so much heart. He’s a pretty special individual.”

Like Erika, Matt has been impressed with how Zorro learned Ranch Trail. “It took him a little while to get really confident in the Ranch Trail, but once he did he got really good at it,” he said. “He very seldom hits a log because he knows exactly where all four feet are at all times – he’s very careful.”

Zorro wasn’t the only one learning new things. Erika just started showing in Ranch events herself in 2024. “I showed the All Around for about 20 years, into the 2000’s, mostly around Oklahoma. I was pretty successful at the state level,” she said. “My family started to have some health issues in 2013, and I was starting to get burned out, so I stepped away from showing for about ten years.”

After helping a friend at the show pen for a few years, Erika found her passion return. “My friend was getting into Ranch events, so she encouraged me to take the plunge. I bought my mare, Princess Ice, in 2024, and Zorro shortly after.

“Now I’m obsessed with the Ranch classes. I love the forward movement and the variety and constant change in the patterns. I think it helps the horses keep their minds engaged and be happy at their jobs, too.”

“Zorro was Erika’s second horse to really show the Ranch classes with, and it was really just her second year showing in it last year,” Matt added. “Erika’s mare is also very talented, but Zorro was the horse to take her to that next level last year. It worked out very well.”

Personality Plus

Erika has complete trust in her black stallion. “He’s the perfect gentleman. He doesn’t talk to the mares and he doesn’t bat an eye at anything,” she said. “He’s very smart – horses shouldn’t be that smart.

“He appreciates knowing the pattern ahead of time because he likes to know where his lead change will be and where the elements are located, and I like to lay out the pattern ahead of time to get my spots too, so we work well together that way. He’s so much fun to show and be around. Every time I’m on him, I have a smile on my face.”

She also noted that Zorro is a big snacker. “He loves sour gummy bears, fruit, and basically any food that people eat,” she said. “He’s the snack master, and everyone around him knows it.”

Zorro’s big, flowing mane is his signature. “That hair is so dreamy, but it does take some work,” laughed Erika. “He’s like a Barbie horse.”

A Year To Remember

In a year filled with many highs, Erika has a hard time picking out one special moment. “I set some pretty lofty goals for 2025, and I ticked off every item on that list,” she said. “We won a world or national championship at every major show we went to. Last year was just epic, and I don’t think I can ever top it! It seemed like everything fell in place like dominos.”

Matt and Erika each earned NSBA reserve world championships in Senior Ranch Riding and Amateur Ranch Rail, while Matt and the black stallion won the Open Working Western Rail Stakes and the Open Ranch Trail Stakes at the Quarter Horse Congress. Beth Gouthro added an AQHA reserve world championship in Level 2 Senior Ranch Riding and Erika piloted the stallion to win an AQHA world championship in All Age Non-Pro Ranch Rail to cap off the year. Zorro won 688 points and $41,849.48 in NSBA earnings in 2025.

2026 has begun with Zorro in the breeding shed and he also began his show season at the March To Virginia circuit, while Erika is working on her next set of goals. “This year, I’m working to up my skill set as an Amateur, and thrive with the big fish in the pond,” she said.

Press release courtesy of NSBA:  Ranch Performance Horse Of The Year: Xtra Wimpys Catalyst – National Snaffle Bit Association