When Laura Spell captured the championship in the Breeders’ Trust 3-Year-Old Hunter Under Saddle Stakes with JB Laww And Order at the 2026 APHA World Championship Show, the smile that stretched across her face extended beyond the win itself. The $8,100 payday she earned on June 22 pushed Laura over the threshold for the National Snaffle Bit Association’s Quarter Million Dollar Club.
JB Laww And Order is a 2023 bay solid gelding by Outlaw Enterprise (QH) and out of Breathless In April. Laura and Wade Spell purchased “Wyatt” as a long weanling; client Teri Nichols of Wright City, Missouri, now owns the gelding.
“He’s just a good citizen,” Laura said. “He’s just a lot of fun.”
Laura has been a supporter of the APHA Breeders’ Trust Pleasure Stakes program since its inception, and she credits the opportunity to earn substantial cash in its World Show classes with helping her earn the NSBA Quarter Million Dollar milestone.
“We’ve tried to put a horse in it every year,” Laura said. “We’ve been lucky to be in the Top Five almost every year, and we’ve won a bunch of money. It’s been awesome and has helped a lot.”
Painted Pathway
Laura, who grew up in Hastings, Minnesota, is a lifelong competitor, first showing as a non-pro through her Youth and collegiate years. Aspiring to a career training horses, Laura became a professional after marrying Wade Spell in 2013 and joined him in building Spell Show Horses, based in St. Louis, Missouri.
Though she shows across breeds, a number of Paints helped Laura amass more than $250,000 in career earnings. They include:
Justa Crazy Impulse
All About The Goods
Goose Got Me Loose
LX Just Call Me Fancy
Its All In The Timing
All Time Vandal
Only On Company Time
Shesgotdaddyissues
All Together Now
EPRgreat Expectations
JB Laww And Order
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About APHA
The American Paint Horse Association is the world’s second-largest international equine breed association. Since it was founded in 1962, APHA has registered more than a million horses in 59 nations and territories. APHA promotes, preserves and provides meaningful experiences with Paint Horses. Learn more at apha.com.