Guide to the Action

Annually, cow horse continues to grow in show entries, memberships and horses sold bound for the performance arena. The National Reined Cow Horse Association recognizes that while the thrill of competing in reined cow horse is only one of the factors that pushes growth, it is also the heart and camaraderie of its members. With riders from other areas of the industry opting to join cow horse, it is clear that NRCHA is on an upward swing, and no evidence is more concrete than the increase in added money at NRCHA premier events. Additionally, this year NRCHA announced a special event to bring cow horse to the richest one-day rodeo in the world.

Following a highly successful year where membership and participation in reined cow horse increased exponentially, the NRCHA Board of Directors voted to increase 2022 premier event payouts and offer more finals event berths for competitors at the end of the previous year.

After seeing exponential increases in the premier events for the 2022 show season, now all eyes turn to the $200,000 purse now available for the Open Champion at the NRCHA Snaffle Bit Futurity® .

The near-record high entries in the NRCHA Snaffle Bit Futurity, presented by Metallic Cat, proved that the reined cow horse industry is still on an upward swing. In 2022, the NRCHA Board has committed to increasing the purse for the Open champion from $125,000 to $200,000, with the increase to 30 finalists plus ties implemented at the 2021 event still in place. In 2022, the bottomg placing Open horse and rider finalists are now guaranteed $10,000 in the limited age event.

The Board has also emphasized the importance of NRCHA’s Non Pro riders, and in 2022 the Non Pro Futurity champion will earn $40,000 with the bottom placing finalists earning at least $2,000; the Level 1 Non Pro Futurity will pay at least $7,500 and the Non Pro Boxing Futurity (formerly the Non Pro Limited) will pay at least $7,500 to the winner.

“In no other Western discipline futurity does a horse have to prepare to compete in three different events. The Board felt the Snaffle Bit Futurity prize should grow to honor the challenge,” said Corey Cushing, NRCHA president. “But the Futurity is only the start for our horses. Three sponsors—BDB Breeders, Hashtags and Western Bloodstock—support the World’s Greatest Horseman winner’s purse, and Nancy Crawford and Holy Cow Performance Horses have provided ongoing support for the Bridle Spectaculars. By increasing our commitment to the World’s Greatest Horseman purse, the Board wanted to make it clear that NRCHA’s support of the bridle horse is unwavering.”

With the increased payout, the stakes are even higher on Finals weekend. We will see you in the seats at the historic Will Rogers Coliseum in Fort Worth, Texas! For tickets and event information, visit nrcha.com.

It’s show time! Nowhere in the world of equestrian sport will you find more spine-tingling action than in the reined cow horse arena. The finely tuned equine athletes will dazzle you with their athleticism, cow sense, courage and finesse.

The 3-year-old horses in the National Reined Cow Horse Association Snaffle Bit Futurity® are judged in herd work, rein work and cow work. Contestants in the ancillary horse show classes—hackamore, two-rein and bridle—are judged in rein work and cow work only.

In this event, one horse and rider enters a group of cattle, separates a single animal, and then prevents it from returning to the herd. The horse should step into the herd willingly and quietly, sorting out one cow without disturbing the rest. There is a 2 ½-minute time limit for each run, and two or three cattle are worked during that time.

Judges are impressed by horses that display exceptional courage while holding a difficult cow, work on a loose rein with a bright, alert expres-

In the Snaffle Bit Futurity® herd work preliminaries, Call Me A Cool Cat, ridden by Phillip Ralls for Neiberger Performance Horses LLC, marked the high score of 220. sion, maintain proper position on the cow and spend the majority of the time limit holding a cow out front.

Judges also will deduct for losing a cow, failure to control the cow, insufficient working time, low degree of difficulty or lack of eye appeal.

The rein work is the only phase of cow horse competition that does not involve a cow. Sometimes described as the equestrian equivalent of figure skating, horse and rider perform a pattern with specific maneuvers: loping fast and slow circles, performing flying lead changes, spinning in each direction, sliding stops and backing up. In the reined work, judges look for a horse that is willingly guided with little or no apparent resistance. Points are deducted for disobedience or deviation from the pattern, while credit is earned if the maneuvers are performed with extra speed and finesse in a manner that is pleasing to watch.

The cow work, also called the fence work, is the final, adrenaline-fueled stage of reined cow horse competition. Fortunes can rise and fall in a split second during this fast-paced event, and the outcome of the Snaffle Bit Futurity is not certain until the fence work is complete. The key to a good score is maintaining control of the cow at all times.

After horse and rider enter the arena, a single cow is pushed through the gate at the opposite end. The horse must first “box” the cow, or hold it at the end of the arena, maintaining control and staying in proper working position. Next, when the rider decides the time is right, he allows the cow to run down the long side of the arena and turns it on the wall. This first turn must take place after the center marker, but before the first penalty marker near the corner. Horse and rider must turn the cow a second time in the other direction, and may make additional turns on the fence before taking the cow into the open arena and maneuvering it in a 360-degree circle each way.

The most controlled cow work, with the highest degree of difficulty and the best form, scores the highest.

Five judges are scoring the action at the Snaffle Bit Futurity. They all have the NRCHA’s highest 3A judge’s credential. Judge’s monitor for the 2022 Snaffle Bit Futurity is NRCHA Director of Judges, Bill Enk, who will be officiating along with Bobby Ingersoll, Chris Benedict, Bozo Rogers, Jaime Beamer and Les Timmons. The judge’s monitor for the Hackamore Classic is Bobby Lewis, and the judges are Smoky Pritchett, Ian Chisholm, Lyn Anderson, Garth Gardiner and Bobby Hunt.

Judging the horse show classes are Smoky Pritchett and Ian Chisholm.

In the five-judge system, the high and low scores are thrown out, and the remaining three scores are added up to achieve the final score. For example, if a horse receives a score of 219, it averaged a 73 from each judge.

All events are scored using a plus and minus system for each maneuver. If a rider incurs penalty points, they are deducted from the overall score.

A score of 70 is considered average. Each contestant begins with a 70 as soon as they enter the arena. Each maneuver receives a plus, a zero or a minus from the judge. A plus indicates an above-average performance, zero means it was done correctly, and minus means a below-average maneuver.

Anything above 70 means horse and rider earned credit during the run, while a score below 70 means something went wrong; either the maneuver quality was poor or penalties were assessed.

PRIMO MORALES

The 2021 Open Two Rein Champion Justin Wright and Scooter Kat make a sliding stop look easy in the rein work.

PRIMO MORALES

In a perfect example of a cow work that marks high, Stylish Rebel Boy, ridden by Ryan Gallentine for owner Amber Haglin, tied in last year’s preliminary fence work with a 222.