Leo Barbera

The National Snaffle Bit Association is saddened to report that founding member and NSBA’s first president Leo Barbera, of Southern Pines, North Carolina, has passed away. 

Leo, along with Walter Hughes, Jerry Stanford and Jack Benson, had a vision to create an association promoting kinder, gentler training methods, a goal of longevity in show horses and a set of uniform rules by which to judge them. As NSBA president, Leo led the association through its formative years, laying the foundation for its growth to come.

Leo Barbera shares a laugh with Susan Johns and Dianne Eppers

Leo Barbera shared a laugh with Susan Johns and Dianne Eppers at the 2018 NSBA Honors Banquet.

Leo had been, at many times, at the right place at the right time in the horse industry, however it was his appreciation of good horses and the knowledge of how to bring out the best in both people and horses that led him to join several friends in creating the National Snaffle Bit Association.  

From the time he was recruited from the garage of his boss, Harry Polen, to show and train horses in Ohio, Leo earned the trust of both the horses in his care and the people who surrounded him. The gregarious cowboy never met a stranger. It then came as no surprise that Leo was able to persuade a number of horsemen to pull together to donate the start-up funds for the creation of NSBA in exchange for becoming charter members of the group.

In his professional life, Leo founded American Augers in 1970. Leo built the company from the ground up, securing many patents along the way to propel the industry forward in both innovation and safety, including the development of the first rack-and-pinion HDD rig in the United States. Leo served on the original Trenchless Technology Center Industry Advisory Board at Louisiana Tech University, which established in 1991, and in 1997 was honored as the Trenchless Technology Person of the Year.

NSBA renamed its President’s Award the Leo Barbera President’s Award in 2018.

NSBA shares its condolences with Leo’s entire family.

Photo credits to Rachel Reilly Photography.

About NSBA

Established in 1983, National Snaffle Bit Association has expanded from its roots in the Western Pleasure discipline to recognize various disciplines and ten breed associations in competition. NSBA’s mission is to grow the show horse community through various equine programs and events where every activity benefits horses, breeders, owners and exhibitors alike.

National Snaffle Bit Association has more than 20,000 active members and more than 44,000 registered horses across its ten alliance breed organizations. NSBA members earn more than $13.5 million in monetary awards at NSBA-sanctioned horse shows annually, and the association sanctions nearly 600 horse show events and close to 200,000 horse show entries each year.

To learn more about NSBA, please visit nsba.com.