There is a definite line between Open and Non Pro riders, and the NRCHA divides the groups based on remuneration. 60 Decode Eligibility
Decoding eligibility can be a daunting process. Use these quick tips to ensure you ride in the right division.
68 Sensational Sales
Help your sale horse bring top dollar with these tips from sales-fitting professionals.
78 Get to Know: Shannon Lawlor
A Canadian artist and longtime horsewoman, Shannon Lawlor and her art fit perfectly with the NRCHA.
86 Thoughtful Recognition for Exceptional Accomplishments
Take a walk down memory lane or learn for the first time about special awards honoring NRCHA’s outstanding individuals.
Using her own equine background and her love of reined cow horses, Shannon Lawlor paints from her heart.
NRCHA President’s Letter
Dennis Moreland’s Tack Tips
Judge’s List
Affiliate List
Committee Directory
Approved Events
As Heard On
Million Dollar Club
An Empty Saddle
From the Judge’s Chair
Meet Tyson Benson
Notable Non Pro
In Her Honor
NRCHyA News
2019 NRCHA Stallion Stakes Open Champion Justin Wright riding Scooter Kat (photo by Primo Morales).
CHANGE OF PACE
First, I hope this letter finds everyone safe and healthy. The wellbeing of our family and friends, and cow horse family around the world, has been weighing heavy on my mind the past few months.
I cannot thank everyone enough for the all calls and messages checking on me and my family. We have also been reaching out during these times of quarantine trying to stay in communication with our loved ones. The National Reined Cow Horse Association is more than an association or community; we are a family. And a tight-knit family at that! I am honored to be a part of such a wonderful group of people.
I don’t know about you, but I have been making the best of a difficult situation and am enjoying this change of pace. Staying home has allowed me to spend more time in the saddle, either putting those finishing touches on a proven performance horse or instilling an even stronger foundation in our Futurity prospects. I also believe these times of social distancing will encourage us to cherish the times we do spend together at horse shows.
If you are an equestrian, you are motivated, driven and competitive. Sometimes we get so focused at shows we forget to slow down and enjoy each other’s company. Hopefully, by the time you are reading this letter horse shows are safely starting back up. I, for one, cannot wait to see our horses in action! I think it is safe to say this could be the most competitive and friendly show season yet.
I would like to thank the membership, owners, sponsors and fans for bearing with us during these times of uncertainty. The situation changes daily, region by region. This has made it difficult to solidify plans, both at a national and local level. I applaud my fellow Board of Directors, members and the NRCHA staff for working diligently to make the best decisions possible when examining all aspects of our growing association.
If you know me or read my letter regularly, you know I am a big fan of mental toughness, positivity and perseverance. It is in times like this that we need these values most. Remember, we are not alone in any challenge that comes our way. The cow horse family is the most supportive group of people I know. If you’re in need of help, no matter how large or small the task, your cow horse family is only a phone call away.
Stay safe, stay well and stay away, my friends. This, too, shall pass and we will back together soon.
Volume 25, Number 3
Official Publication of the National Reined Cow Horse Association
Sales Customer Service Manager: Diana Buettner, 817-569-7114
Sales Customer Service
Lindsey Missel, 817-569-7106
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Sincerely, Corey
Cushing
Reined Cow Horse News (ISSN 23803975) is published six times a year by Cowboy Publishing Group. Known office of publication: 2112 Montgomery Street, Fort Worth, TX 76107. All contents are copyright of the National Reined Cow Horse Association. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise, without prior written permission from the NRCHA. Opinions expressed in articles and advertising in Reined Cow Horse News do not necessarily reflect the positions or opinions of the NRCHA or its officers and members. Accuracy of material is the sole responsibility of the authors. Unsolicited materials are submitted at the sender’s risk and the NRCHA accepts no responsibility for them. Please address all submissions to: Reined Cow Horse News, 256 North Hwy 377, Pilot Point, Texas, 76258. Subscription rate is $25 a year. Periodical postage paid at Pilot Point, Texas, 76258 and additional mailing offices. USPS number, 024-906. Postmaster: Send address changes to Reined Cow Horse News, 256 North Hwy 377, Pilot Point, Texas, 76258.
Corey Cushing, NRCHA President
Our boots speak for themselves. – and those who wear them.–
THE OFFICIAL BOOT of the NRCHA.
As Heard on COW HORSE FULL CONTACT
California cow horse trainer and National Reined Cow Horse Association Hall of Fame member Ken Wold joined Cow Horse Full Contact hosts Russell Dilday and Chris Dawson for Episode 12. While discussing the start of the cow horse futurities and the California horse show scene, Wold got into the mental attitude he takes into horse show competition.
“What makes this thing so goofy? You sacrifice, you stay up all night. You come here [to the show] and you lose a cow and it’s all over. It’s not the money. If you’re in it for the money, you’re not going to win. It’s the challenge. You have to want to win and have a competitive spirit to want to do this. …I look at guys and you ask if they are ready to show, and they are setting themselves up not to worry about losing. Everything I’ve ever done, I wanted to be successful. I really believe in mental attitude and mental preparation for anything you do, but especially for this. I will lose my confidence—just like everybody does—but a lot of times if you can prepare yourself and don’t think about the losing part but the winning part, I’m not going to say it is easy but you have a better chance at it… you have to believe in what you’re going to do. You have to set goals.”
—KEN WOLD
Ken Wold competing at the 2020 NRCHA World’s Greatest Horseman, presented by DT Horses and Hashtags.
Lte $485,293
MILLION DOLLAR NEWS
The NRCHA congratulates four on their newest million dollar milestones.
By Bonnie Wheatley & Kate Bradley Byars
The Million Dollar ranks are growing in the National Reined Cow Horse Association. Three sires add to their get’s earnings, and, with his win at the 2019 NRCHA Snaffle Bit Futurity® in the Open and Intermediate Open, Lance Johnston topped $1 million in earnings.
MILLION DOLL AR RIDER
Lance Johnston dreamed about winning the Snaffle Bit Futurity since he was an 8-year-old youngster. In 2019, he piloted Here Comes The Boon (Once In A Blu Boon x Stay Outta My Shorts x Shorty Lena), owned by Rocking BS Ranch, to the Open and Intermediate Open Futurity Champion titles. The wins pushed his lifetime earnings to $1,083,297.43 (as of February 29, 2020) and made good on that childhood dream. The Lindsay, Californiabased trainer earned more than $322,000 last year, between his Futurity wins and National Stock Horse Association Futurity Open and Intermediate Open wins on the same horse. Johnston will be formally inducted into the prestigious Million Dollar Club at the 2020 NRCHA Snaffle Bit Futurity in Fort Worth, Texas.
MILLION DOLL
AR SIRE
Landing at 19th on the NRCHA top sires list is Bet Hesa Cat (High Brow Cat x Bet Yer Blue Boons x Freckles Playboy), siring earners of more than $1.15 million. Bet Hesa Cat is a 2006 red roan stallion owned by the Bet Hesa Cat Syndicate that stands at historic 6666 Ranch in Guthrie, Texas.The stallion has sired NRCHA earners of $1,197,573.90—and counting. Bet Hesa Cat’s top NRCHA money earner is 2017 Open Snaffle Bit Futurity Champion Plain Catty (out of Miss Plain Plain by Just Plain Colonel), ridden by Jake Gorrell for then-owner and breeder Kevin Cantrelle. Plain Catty is now the property of Kalpowar Quarter Horses; the stallion has NRCHA earnings of $186,097.23, and counting. For more information on Bet Hesa Cat and his progeny visit NRCHA Breeder Sponsor 6666ranch.com.
$3 MILLION DOLL AR SIRES
WR THIS CATS SMART
The newest member of the NRCHA’s $3 Million Dollar Sire list is 1999 stallion WR This Cats Smart (High Brow Cat x The Smart Look x Smart Little Lena), owned by Wagonhound Land & Livestock. As of early April, the stallion’s offspring had earned $3,007,460.18 in the NRCHA.
WR This Cats Smart’s NRCHA highest-earning offspring is Shine Smarter (out of Shiney Tari by Shining Spark). The 2012 mare has $167,152.51 in earnings as well as titles like 2017 Hackamore Classic Open Champion, the 2019 National Stock Horse Association’s World’s Richest Stock Horse Reserve Champion, and finalist finishes with both Chris and Sarah Dawson at the NRCHA Celebration of Champions.
ONE TIME PEPTO
In November 2019, One Time Pepto (Peptoboonsmal x One Time Soon x Smart Little Lena) officially sired offspring that accumulated more than $3,250,000 in NRCHA events. Owned by Jeffrey and Sheri Matthews, of Matthews Cutting Horses, One Time Pepto joined the $1 Million Dollar Sire ranks in 2014 and $2 Million Dollar Sire Ranks in 2017.
The highest-money NRCHA earning offspring for One Time Pepto is Hickory Holly Time (out of Hickorys Holly Cee by Docs Hickory) with $228,563.40. The 2010 stallion is owned by DT Horses, LLC and was most recently shown by Kelby Phillips to the 2018 NRCHA World’s Greatest Horseman Champion title, and during his career also earned the 2015 Open Hackamore World Champion and 2014 Open Derby Champion titles.
AN EMPTY SADDLE
On Thursday, April 23, 2020, Jimmie L. Paul passed away at his home in Cave Creek, Arizona. Jimmie was born a horseman on September 10, 1957. He was the son of Jim Paul Sr. and then-wife Betty.
The horseman used his talent to train countless horses in all disciplines of the Western performance horse industry, and he helmed many to world champion titles. Jimmie specialized in reined cow horse, reining and roping, accumulating more than $200,000 in lifetime earnings. Jimmie Paul Training Stables also encompassed coaching several youths and non-professionals over the years.
The name Paul is synonymous with cow horse, especially in the Southwestern United States. Jimmie shared a passion for horses with his entire family. His father, Jim, and step-mother, Dema, are both National Reined Cow Horse Association Hall of Fame members. His brother, Randy, is a top-rated professional, training in Texas, and his son, Lane, continues his father’s love for horses working at DT Horses in Scottsdale, Arizona. Jimmie is also survived by younger brother John, and two other children Lex and Jamie. The talented horseman, craftsman and artist will be greatly missed by the horse industry. Ride in peace, cowboy.
NRCHA & EVENT SPONSORS
FROM THE JUDGE’S CHAIR
Separating high-quality runs requires a judge to reward the details.
With all the forward progress being made in our cow horse industry, it is a continual challenge for judges to separate runs.At the top of the totem pole it ends up being the little things that separate the good from the really good runs. The challenge for the judge is to recognize these qualities and reward them accordingly. Let’s go through how judges reward better patterns with higher scores.
First, look at how the herd work impacts a rider’s composite score. Before the current version of herd work score sheet, judges had only a box for the herd work itself, and there weren’t many credit type cuts being attempted. Credit cuts have some risk involved and if the exhibitor didn’t receive credit for these risks, why attempt it? Now,
credit cuts are rewarded on the score sheets and the cuts themselves have improved dramatically.Cutting clean, staying even on both sides of the cow in the middle half of the arena, and quitting clean are a few of the little things that add up in the herd work.
In the rein work, accuracy, speed and tighter transitions kick off a run. The circles are being performed with more accuracy and better speed transitions. Everything revolves around the center of the circles so the more you attempt to stay close to the exact center when changing leads and making transitions, the more chance there is for credit.Transitions from large fast to small slow should be accomplished within two strides on each side of center for positive credit to be earned
consistently. The farther from the center when making transitions, the less degree of difficulty there is and the less chance of credit.The approach and the stop are all one maneuver. A good stop with a poor approach averages out to a 0 type maneuver.To receive credit for the stop maneuver, there has to be a good, to real good, approach to go with it.For theplus 1 toplus 1.5 type stops, there must be three positive parts: a good approach, a good stop (when the horse goes to the ground, it stays in the ground), and degree of difficulty, i.e. controlled speed. Good, cadenced, level spins go a long way for credit.Sometimes thespins can be slower and receive more credit than faster spinsthat lose some form, due to the eye appeal and correctness. Overly
Giving the cow a little more space where the horse can negotiate the turn and exit at a working advantage goes a long way towards crediting the turns.
KATE
bent, trying for too much speed and moving while turning, are not desirable traits and chances for credit are reduced.
In the cow work, a good run starts leaving the end of the arena after boxing the cow. That is one place where it can either go smoothly by being in the correct position to drive the cow down the fence, or not so good by being out of position and the animal turns before it is lined out.This is not the case of turning before the middle marker, but detracts from transition from the boxing to the fence work.
Attempting the fence turns while being close and parallel with a fast running cow gives the horse a lot to handle. Usually, the entry and the turn are OK, but the disadvantage is in the exit to the turn where controlling the cow is
made more difficult.As Bobby Ingersoll says, “The most important point when working a cow is for the horse to have the advantage or be in control of the cow.” Giving the cow a little more space where the horse can negotiate the turn and exit at a working advantage goes a long way towards crediting the turns as well as controlling the animal.
Switching sides from one circle to the next can be accurate and smooth, or can be point deducting.A horse that refuses to switch sides when the rider asks him to puts the work in a potential penalty situation. Let me explain. Say the first circle was good, the rider asks the horse to switch sides and the horse doesn’t respond to the rider’s wishes, the rider circles the cow some more, then asks the horse to switch sides again, the horse switches.The second circle was
good, so how do we address the temporary refusal to switch? Depending on how far the horse went before he actually switched, a one point working out of position (P) is the first step in explaining what happened. If it goes too far, a one-point P and a minus in eye appeal should cover the situation. The hard part for the judge to evaluate, in this situation, is recognizing the circles weren’t the problem; it was the switch that created the difficulty.
Next time you evaluate your score sheet, take into account how these transitions and details impact the overall score for a composite run.
Until Next Time, Bill Enk NRCHA Director of Judges
MEET TYE BENSON
Up-and-coming trainer Tyson Benson relies on hard work and goal setting to carve his niche in the Western performance horse industry.
By Bonnie Wheatley
It’s a good distance from where Tyson “Tye” Benson started on his road to becoming a National Reined Cow Horse Association professional trainer to where he is now, literally and figuratively. Paved with hard work and perseverance, the road led from growing up in central Utah to training jobs in Colorado and Arizona, and finally to Brock, Texas, where he hung his shingle out for Tyson Benson Performance Horses in 2019.
His journey started far from the horse show world. On the Benson family ranch in Ferron, Utah, Benson’s earliest exposure to horsemanship came by way of his dad Rick Benson, who runs youth horsemanship camps and is active in youth ministry. During his youth, Benson attended clinics put on by several notable horsemen, one of them being Al Dunning and NRCHA Hall of Fame trainer Bobby Ingersoll.
“It was through 4-H, youth shows, growing up around that and my dad, that was the exposure [to horses] I had as a kid,” said Benson. “When I was about 11 or 12, I met Bobby Ingersoll. I went to one of his clinics in Colorado and I just thought he was the best thing
ever. He was really cool to me and took a lot of extra time to visit with me.”
Rick grew up in southern California where talented horsemen, like Ingersoll and Benny Guitron, among others, surrounded him. Rick managed a couple of breeding farms in California before eventually relocating to Utah.
“He didn’t show horses, but he definitely had an appreciation for the cow horses and a lot of knowledge about it,” said Benson.
While the younger Benson had never seen a reined cow horse competition until about a decade ago, his dad had always impressed upon him an appreciation for the three-event tradition rooted in Vaquero-style horsemanship.
“I would say my dad is definitely my first influence and probably one of the biggest; he’s got a lot of knowledge,” said Benson. “The cow horse was always something that he explained to me and talked about even though I hadn’t really ever seen it. He taught me that foundation that he learned from being around it in California, but the first time I really saw it was on RFDTV when they televised the Snaffle Bit Futurity.”
An all-around athlete in high school, Benson played baseball, basketball and football. He had junior college offers to play basketball but instead used his connection to Dunning to step into the horse business.
“Al [Dunning] had OK’ed for me to bring my horse, come down there and stay for a couple of months, just working in trade for room and board,” Benson said. “Al was mostly cutting, but [he’d] help me in the evenings with my horse after everything else got done.”
When his time at Dunning’s had come to an end, Benson was interested in finding a training apprenticeship. That was when he dialed NRCHA Snaffle Bit Futurity® Champion and Million Dollar Rider Corey Cushing’s number.
“I looked Corey up on his website and saw that at that time he was ranked No. 3 on the NRCHA Top Rider’s list, that’s all I knew. My dad and I talked about it, so I cold-called Corey. I ended up being there for nearly six years,” Benson said.
Benson’s initial job was mainly saddling and lunging horses, and as time went on he graduated to differ-
Tyson Benson with his dad Rick.
ent duties. Cushing recalls that Benson naturally fit in both with his program and with his family.
“He was a great employee all around; we still consider him family,” said Cushing. “He is a good, good guy. Around here, with our family and spending so much time together, you really have to fall into place knowing [my] kids are usually here with me, even traveling. The kids are always trying to help, and he was always willing and accepting to the fact that was part of the routine. He enjoyed being around them and was always respectful that is how we do things in this lifestyle we live.”
Not every up-and-comer is eager to learn or figure things out, but Cushing recalled Benson as talented when it came to putting the pieces together on a horse. Eventually, Benson was able to also gain show pen experience.
“By 2013, I got to show a horse that a
friend of my dad’s owned. That horse was Smoke N Starlight,” said Benson. “I showed it at the [National Stock Horse Association] pre-Futurity and went off pattern in the reining, I had no idea what I was doing!”
By the 2015 futurity season, Benson had markedly upped his game. Cushing had Benson show 2012 gelding On The Fence (Smart Boons x Starlight On The Bay x High Brow Cat) owned by Kevin and Sydney Knight. Benson also won the National Stock Horse Association Limited Open Snaffle Bit Futurity.
“I finished reserve in the Level One Limited Open and fourth in the Limited Open Finals at the Snaffle Bit Futurity,” said Benson. “The next year [2016] I made the Open Finals at the Snaffle Bit Futurity. That was the last year for it to be held in Reno.”
Benson’s star continued its rise—he made the goal of being an Open Finalist shortly after his 24th birthday. He fin-
ished the 2016 futurity season with $21,478 in earnings.
With success came added name recognition, and Darren Blanton called Benson to offer him a position as 2-yearold trainer in Texas with Colt Ventures, former home of all-time leading cutting horse sire High Brow Cat.
“Darren was looking for someone with the ability to work with rope horses and cow horses, and he offered me a deal to keep so many of my own outside horses,” Benson recalled. “So in 2017, I decided to take that job.”
Accepting the position meant that Benson would take some time away from the show pen during the transition. As he gained more connections in Texas, Benson helped place several Colt Ventures horses in reined cow horse programs. The timing was perfect considering that the NRCHA Snaffle Bit Futurity had made the move to Fort Worth, Texas, in 2017.
The 2019 season marked another transition for Benson, when he left Colt Ventures to step out on his own as a trainer.
“It’s a big step for sure,” he said. “You never really know if you’re ready, kind of like leaving Corey’s, you just kind of have to consider everything and make the best decisions you can. Moving to Darren’s was good timing. Also, that move gave me the chance to learn to cut better, which is another thing I wanted exposure to and had the best opportunity there.”
These days Benson’s program consists of mainly 2-year-old cutting prospects, rope futurity prospects and reined cow horses. The cow horses consist of half of his clientele, and he feels those horses are the ones he’s best suited to train from start to finish.
“The cutters and rope horses are very good for my business, especially with
With Corey Cushing, far left, and fellow assistant trainer Jake Berry during Benson’s time working for Cushing.
starting them as young prospects,” he added. “But, cow horses are the ones I want to start and go all the way with finishing them.”
Benson’s program is delivering good results for his clients considering the high demand for reined cow horses and popularity of the American Rope Horse Futurity held in conjunction with the Snaffle Bit Futurity. Some horses make the grade in both arenas, like GA Dual R Starlight, a horse Benson shows and roper Clay Logan also competes on.
“He’s qualified for the AQHA World Show in roping and cow horse so he’ll be doing both,” Benson said of the 2016 son of Dual R Smokin and out of Cookie Starlight (by Grays Starlight) that is owned by Shane Boston. “It’s tough to find a horse that has the abil-
ity to do both, but I have a customer’s interested in both.”
Learning from every place he worked and adding to his program has helped Benson develop a solid program. His horses aren’t just reined cow horses, but instead are well rounded in both the cow horse arena and the roping pen. He feels 2020 could be his best futurity season to date, if things go according to plan.
“The futurity horses I have for this year are the ones I’d like to be able to take all the way through to show them in the bridle,” he said. “That would be my goal with this set of horses. I’m really, really excited to have good horses.”
“I’ve been so fortunate to work in places that have been good to gain the connections I have in this industry,” Benson said.
Benson with longtime girlfriend, Morgan Russell, who owns the Branding Iron Boutique in Texas.
COURTESY
TYE BENSON
NOTABLE NON PRO
From the ranch to the show pen, Dave and Kathy Ferguson both bring friendly, positive attitudes to balance their competitive spirits.
Joy emanates from Kathy Ferguson as she talks about her horses, and even over the phone, one can envision her smile. The deep chuckle from her husband, Dave Ferguson, when Kathy states that she is not capable of selling a horse speaks directly to their relationship—a pair of likeminded competitors with differing views on the business side of the horse industry. But when talking to another reined cow horse competitor about Dave or Kathy, the descriptor is the same: They have fun, show hard and root for everyone else.
The two California natives had different upbringings but one common denominator brought them together— the horse. While Kathy was into reined cow horse practically from the start of her horsemanship journey, it took awhile for ranch-raised Dave to join in on the fun. But today, this duo focuses on their time in the show pen, competing in Non Pro classes within the National Reined Cow Horse Association.
BACK IN THE DAY
It wasn’t love at first sight for Kathy Atkinson and Dave Ferguson. In fact, Kathy’s friend was dating Dave when the two met. Their paths kept intersecting, though, and a couple of years later, the two became a couple.
Kathy had nabbed a cowboy, which she had wanted to be since the first time
By Kate Bradley Byars
this suburban-raised young girl had begged her parents for a horse.
“We never had horses. I was raised in the East Bay, in Freemont, California,” Kathy said. “I was the strange one in my family; they thought me a little odd. My dad was a pilot and my mom was a real estate agent. I drove them crazy until they got me a horse when I was 10 years old. We had to board it out and I showed it a little bit. I was almost out of high school when I started to ride reined cow horses.”
Kathy rode “walk, trot, lope” horses, what today would be dubbed a pleasure horse. One day she ventured down the road from her boarding facility to cow horse trainer Don Murphy’s place. It was then her reined cow horse career took off, and she wandered back into Dave’s path.
Raised on his family ranch in Hayward, California, Dave was familiar
with riding, but not horse showing. He roped, and even rode bareback horses in the Professional Rodeo Cowboy’s Association.
“We were never not on horses,” Dave recalled. “All I’ve ever done is run cattle and sheep.”
Dave supplied cattle to trainers like Murphy, and that is where Murphy first recalls meeting him and also meeting Kathy. Murphy helped Kathy get into the California Reined Cow Horse Association, today’s NRCHA.
“My member number is 188,” said Kathy. “We don’t have to tell you our ages because it is obvious when you hear that! I was in the Wild Bunch in 1978 and then showed my first horse at the Snaffle Bit Futurity in 1979, A Boy Named Sue.”
The Wild Bunch, which was a costume class held during the Snaffle Bit Futurity®, entertained the crowd with
Dave and Kathy Ferguson met in a tack store, married and have two children, Jenna and Jared.
reining and cow work. It was indicative of the family environment Kathy enjoyed at events. Just when her interest was growing in showing cow horses, Kathy married Dave. She realized her dream, moving to a ranch in Galt, California, but took a step back from showing.
“For me, the married life was out of a book! I had married a cowboy and I was in hog heaven playing cowgirl,” Kathy said. “I remember having him say to sort steers and heifers, and though I had a couple of years showing cow horse, I couldn’t tell them [the sexes] apart. I was lucky to know when a bull walked down the alley, as opposed to a
cow. To me, it was all fun. To him, I’m sure it wasn’t.”
Soon, she was learning the ranching ropes while raising two children, Jenna and Jared. Dave was running cattle as well as managing sheep that were barged onto islands in the Sacramento River Delta, near Stockton.
While it wasn’t an ideal situation for a newly married couple to be apart when Dave was on cattle-buying trips, the pair made do. Dave says there was no challenge Kathy wouldn’t tackle, including irrigating pastures or moving cattle. Showing horses was not an option, but riding ranch horses was a reality.
An occasional local fair show allowed Kathy, and sometimes Dave, to compete in roping or another class, to exercise their competitive side, but it quickly turned to supporting their kids in youth rodeo. Soon, the two younger riders were the ones needing to be mounted on good rodeo horses.
Jenna and Jared both made the National High School Finals Rodeo in cutting, but neither wanted to continue to compete after college. Dave supported Jared when he pursued professional calf roping, but it turned out that career just wasn’t for his son. When the kids began to settle into their own families and lives, the tides turned and allowed Dave and Kathy to once again focus on their own horse ambitions.
“When they went to college, in all honesty I thought, ‘Oh goodie, it is my turn again,’” recalled Kathy. “When Dave married me, I had a bunch of walk, jog, lope horses. My father said that Dave had to take the horses when we got married. Dave hated horse showing and thought it was silly.”
But at the time, Kathy didn’t know she wouldn’t be going to horse shows alone.
A COW HORSE FOR ALL
In 2010, Dave obtained his own NRCHA member card. Kathy called on her longtime mentor Murphy for help when her husband decided to show a cow horse.
“Kathy has always had the competitive spirit but didn’t have the opportunity for awhile. She was out of the cow horse loop for awhile, living up on ranches,” Murphy said. “She called and I was surprised when she said Dave wanted to do the cow horse thing. He was a cowboy that roped and couldn’t care what lead he was on!”
Murphy invited the Fergusons to a clinic he was conducting with California
An early member of the California Reined Cow Horse Association, Kathy even earned her stripes competing in the 1979 Wild Bunch class.
In the 70s, Dave used to sneak away from the ranch to ride bareback horses in the Professional Rodeo Cowboy’s Association.
cow horse trainers Russell Dilday and Jake Gorrell. Murphy and Gorrell both recall Dave’s good effort at the clinic, but that his and his horse’s skill was not high. Murphy was living in Oklahoma at the time, and Gorrell took on the job of helping Dave learn.
Most riders new to the sport will purchase an older horse that knows the events, but not Dave. Instead, he wanted to compete in the prestigious Snaffle Bit Futurity on a 3-year-old horse. Gorrell helped him get 2008 gelding Cats Bandito (WR This Cats Smart x Dandy Fine Bandit x Malbecs Bandid) to the shows.
“First, Dave is a cowboy. He knows cattle and livestock,” Gorrell said. “He doesn’t like weekend shows. He will show up to practice, but he likes the big shows. Dave runs cattle and is the big guy, so he likes to show with the big guys. He’s showed in the Amateur because he is not a professional trainer, but he doesn’t do anything half-ass. If he’s going to do anything, he is going to go all-out.”
And all-out he has gone; as evidenced by multiple top ten placings at the Futurity and nearly $90,000 in NRCHA earnings. Over his decade-long show career, Dave has ridden with Gorrell and Murphy coaching him, and now rides with Oregon trainer Todd Bergen. Dave made the switch when he purchased a horse from Bergen.
After a couple of years on the sideline, Kathy decided to jump in and secure her own show horse in 2012.
“We had the discussion about him wanting to show and we couldn’t do two horses,” she said. “I liked to shop, so I told [Dave] I would shop for his 2-year-old, and he only wanted to do the Snaffle Bit so I could have them as Derby horses. Well, that plan didn’t work out because he wanted to show the black horse, Cats Bandito, and it wasn’t working for me to show him [when he was older]. And he also had his trainers buying horses, so I didn’t get to shop. For several years, I was the cheerleader. I finally threw the ‘wife fit’ and told Dave that he had promised me a horse, and I took Cats Bandito.”
The gelding was just what Kathy needed to jump back into competition. To date, she still prefers to show a horse that’s older than 3, but she earned the NRCHA Non Pro, Intermediate Non Pro and Novice Non Pro Futurity Champion titles aboard 2013 mare Royal Isabella (One Time Royalty x Oaks Rowdycat x High Brow Cat) in 2016. She currently has approximately $79,000 in lifetime earnings.
Yet, it’s not Dave’s nor Kathy’s horsemanship that gets them noticed by fellow cow horse competitors.
“They are builders; they are always talking about what’s going good,” Gorrell said. “Dave has a positive personality. When you sit down with Dave, you feel better when you get
up. Kathy is the same way, but she is more blunt and tells you how things are. They root for everybody and want to see everybody do the best they can. They are super happy; if you want to sit down and hear someone complain, don’t sit by them.”
And why not appreciate where they are in life and enjoy the ride, agrees Kathy. She admits both are competitive, and while both want to win, there is still a family component to reined cow horse.
FRIENDLY, FOCUSED COMPETITION
The disbelief is evident in Kathy’s voice when she tells of the first horse show where she saw her husband trying on new trainer Bergen’s chaps before going to show. With a solid understanding of the industry, Kathy would never have thought to step over the line at “intimidating” Bergen’s barn. For Dave, the lack of industry awareness when he started helped him find his own way.
“My chaps ripped, so Todd’s dad handed me [Todd’s] chaps,” Dave recalled. “Todd was just sitting there wondering what the hell was going on. I got in Todd’s chaps and bridle and away I went. It was funny. Me and his
In 2016, Kathy earned the NRCHANon Pro, Intermediate Non Pro and Novice Non Pro Futurity Champion titles aboard 2013 mare Royal Isabella (One Time Royalty x Oaks Rowdycat x High Brow Cat).
Dave, pictured on the left, and trainer Todd Bergen work together for Dave to show snaffle bit horses at premier reined cow horse events.
dad were taking care of the horses later and we couldn’t figure out how to put a slinky on, and were fighting with that slinky and my poor horse. Todd looked in, shook his head, and he just walked off. Maybe it was comic relief!”
The positive, can-do attitude both Dave and Kathy have towards riding rubs off on their trainers and fellow competitors.
“They are friendly people and good people,” Murphy said. “Being competitive, they still have a lot of friends and help each other. They’ve always looked at the cow horse business as a place to compete but as a place for family. It’s a big family. They get along with people easily.”
Part of the reason the Ferguson’s get along so easily is that they go with the flow of what works best for each other, and their horses. When Dave began
riding with Bergen, Erin Taormino was working at Bergen’s as an assistant trainer. Taormino and Kathy connected there, and now, she keeps her horses with Taormino, who works out of Lipan, Texas. At events, Dave’s horse stalls with Bergen and Kathy’s horses typically stall with Taormino, the two enjoy attending the premier cow horse events together.
“The key to it isn’t that we stay apart at all, its just what works for the horses,” Kathy explained. “We are here, on the ranch, 24-7. He is fun to show with because, if you ask anybody, there is nobody that enjoys showing more than Dave. He has fun and enjoys it until he leaves. He takes it serious, but doesn’t throw the brushes or kick his chaps off or something.”
Where Kathy holds on to her horses, whether they are the best or just anoth-
er horse to ride, Dave’s plan keeps from adding too many to their pastures. He purchases a prospect to show at the Futurity, and if Kathy doesn’t want it for Derby events, he sells it. It’s a rhythm the couple has settled into and plan to continue.
Dave doesn’t have a Futurity horse for 2020, but don’t worry about the Fergusons sitting out too long.
“If I am going to show, I want to show at the biggest one and know that everyone that can show pretty good is there and I’m against those riders,” Dave said. “I’m not saying the other shows aren’t great with talented people, but I like to go to that one. If I’m going to spend all that money, I want it to be the big horses and the ones you can’t believe how good they are.”
“We don’t take vacations,” Kathy said. “Horses are our lives.”
IN HER HONOR
The team behind Rocking J Ranch Inc. has continued a vision started by the late Barbara Hastings to breed and show the best reined cow horses possible.
By Abigail Boatwright
Check out the draw for just about any major NRCHA competition, and you’ll probably see half a dozen or more horses owned by Rocking J Ranch Inc. on the list. Based in California, at three separate locations, the operation breeds and shows horses at all ages and classes—and wins.
But who is behind this prolific ranch? How did it come to be so successful? The answer lies in the legacy started by a cow horse-loving woman named Barbara Hastings.
BARBARA’S DREAM
Barbara Hastings rode horses for years, and tried many types of equine competition before discovering reined cow horse.
“She fell in love with it,” said Charlie Jonkey, Hasting’s nephew. “She just found the reined cow horse to be the most intriguing.”
Thirteen years ago, Glendale, California, resident Hastings and her longtime partner, purchased property in Santa Clarita, California. Using the “J” from her maiden name, Jonkey, Rocking J Ranch was born in 2010. She wanted to build a string of successful show horses and fulfill her passion to breed and show Quarter Horses for
reined cow horse competition.
Her nephew, Charlie Jonkey, has worked with her and the horses since the beginning. About 10 years ago, she began sending horses to trainers Roy Rich of Temecula, California, and Doug Williamson of Bakersfield, California.
“Barbara and David would always go to Reno every year and buy really good horses out of the sale,” Carol Williamson, Doug Williamson’s wife, said. “Typically she’d buy good 2-yearolds.”
Williamson’s first horse he trained and showed for Hastings was 2006 stallion Moon Me Pepto (Peptoboonsmal x Lenas Sissy Moon x Doc O’Lena). He won nearly $100,000 on the stallion. As a young prospect, 2008 stallion ARC Sparkin Chics (Chic Please x Sailing Spark x Shining Spark), also went to Williamson’s barn. The pair made the Open finals at the 2011 NRCHA Snaffle Bit Futurity®, showing Hastings her vision had merit in the show pen. Since, the stallion amassed NRCHA-official earnings of $156,382.37 (as of April 15, 2020).
Aboard Hastings’ 2009 stallion Short And Smart (Smart Little Lena
x Miss Silver Pistol x Docs Hickory), Williamson won the 2014 Circle Y Ranch Derby, held at the NRCHA Celebration of Champions, when the horse was a 5-year-old.
“They’re all really good horses,” Doug said. “They’ve been great customers.”
Carol recalls when Hastings would travel to shows to watch her horses compete. Whether it was down the road in Paso Robles, California, or in Queen Creek, Arizona, or as far as Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, she was always there to support her team.
“She loved the Snaffle Bit Futurity,” Carol said. “Reno was one of her favorite shows.”
And Hastings took up the reins herself, with Doug guiding her in the boxing pen. Though she wasn’t able to show often, this horse owner turned to competitor as often as she could do so. All too soon, though, Hastings was
Barbara Hastings had a vision to raise and show reined cow horses.
COURTESY OF CHARLIE JONKEY
SEPTEMBER 21 - OCTOBER 4, 2020
Will Rogers Memorial Center | Fort Worth, Texas
Chrome Cash Challenge Classes
WORKING COW HORSE: $10,500 Added NO QUALIFYING REQUIRED!
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• $2,500 added + $1,000 Texas-Bred Incentive*
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* Texas-Bred Incentive will pay out to the top three placing horses foaled in Texas.
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Photo by Larry Williams
in an altogether different ring. She was fighting for her life against cancer.
PICKING UP THE MANTLE
In 2012, Hastings lost her battle with cancer. Her longtime partner, David Kakita, took over ownership of Rocking J Ranch Inc., despite a full-time career outside of the horse world. Nephew Jonkey stepped into managing the daily operations of the ranch. Both wanted to keep the ranch going in Hastings’ honor.
For the last eight years the Rocking J Ranch Inc. team has coordinated to breed, raise and show top quality cow horses, with show horses competing from their respective trainer’s barns and Jonkey managing breeding operations at the original Rocking J site in Santa Clarita. Williamson and Rich remain at the head of the show string, each operating from their respective barns in Bakersfield and Temecula.
“We want to try to produce the best we possibly can, and expand our [bloodlines] if needed to accommodate for that goal,” Jonkey said.
At home base in Santa Clarita, Jonkey oversees approximately four Rocking J Ranch horses at any one time, breeding horses or show horses on downtime, as well as boarders. Jonkey, Williamson and Rich all foal out horses at their locations, depending on if the mares are in training with a particular trainer, for example.
“I love getting to see and work with the babies,” Jonkey said.
The vision Hastings had to breed horses that compete remains front and center. Jonkey is the point person for most of the day-to-day communication with Williamson and Rich.
“I run by [Kakita] most things to make sure he approves,” Jonkey said. “We also work with Doug and Roy to
find the right crosses for breeding.”
The four-man Rocking J team meets annually to review the previous year and plan for the upcoming year. Goalsetting, paired with frequent communication, keeps operations running smoothly.
“Our keys are patience and good communication,” Jonkey says of the ranch’s success.
A UNIQUE RELATIONSHIP
Rich says the working relationship with Rocking J Ranch Inc. is unique, but one with clear boundaries.
“The ranch keeps a low profile, but [Rocking J Ranch] will send 10 horses down the road [to compete] sometimes—not many people send that many at once,” Rich said. “It’s fantastic to work for. It’s a horse trainer’s dream to work for Rocking J. There’s an unlimited amount of trust.”
Rich has about 14 Rocking J horses on the property right now, all cow horses from 2-year-olds to hackamore horses and bridle horses.
“The goal is to have some open horses and some aged event horses,” Rich said. “And if they don’t work for me in the Open, we either sell them or my assistant trainers show them in Limited Open and Level One [Limited] Open. It means so much to me that these horses have the proper opportunity to be the best they can be. And nobody takes better care of these animals than [the ranch] does.”
Both trainers have a lot of flexibility in working with Rocking J horses. Rich says at this point, most of the horses he rides for Rocking J are offspring of the ranch’s stallions and mares and he’s raised them himself.
“That’s what makes it special—they’re almost like my own horses,” Rich said. “I raised them on my place, I get to show the ones I have raised—I’ve been around them their whole lives and I treat them like they’re my own horses.”
Williamson currently has around seven Rocking J horses, including stallions, broodmares, and horses in training. He continues to show—and win—aboard ARC Sparkin Chics, carrying on with Hastings’ vision for that horse. In 2019, the duo marked a record score of 231 to win the CD Survivor Memorial Open Bridle Spectacular held during the NRCHA Derby in Paso Robles. The team is now breeding and training multiple generations of the ranch’s horses.
“There are too many good ones to name,” Jonkey said.
A THREE-SPOKED WHEEL
The men behind each location involved in Rocking J Ranch share a common goal: breed really good cow horses.
PRIMO
MORALES
Aboard ARC Sparkin Chics, trainer Doug Williamson rode to a record score of 231 to win the CD Survivor Memorial Open Bridle Spectacular held during the NRCHA Derby in Paso Robles.
Rich counts 2015 gelding Half Past Boon (Half Time Report x Boonalicious x Peptoboonsmal) as one of his favorites. The horse has won $14,120.17.
“I showed his dad and was reserve in the Limited Open Hackamore on him,” Rich said. “I showed the mother—we got her as a 3-year-old. So we bred her and he’s the first colt out of her.”
Some of the horses with Rich include 2011 stallion Half Time Report (A Chic In Time x Hustlin Tips x Eatin Out), 2011 gelding Very Smart Luck (Very Smart Remedy x Gunna Be Lucky x Gunna Smoke), 2013 gelding Prime Time Report (Half Time Report x Shining Suzanna x Shining Spark), 2016 stallion SJR Smooth Cadilac (Smooth As A Cat x SumKinda PinkCadilac x Peptoboonsmal), and 2016 gelding RJ Piano Man (Half Time Report x Petite Olena x Smart Little Lena)– shown by Jesus “Chuy” Roman, Rich’s assistant trainer.
Not every horse’s path is smooth sailing. Rich hauled 2011 gelding Soula Shining Star (Docs Soula x Shining Suzana x Shining Spark) to the NRCHA World Championship Show when the horse was seven, but the stallion contracted pneumonia, missing a chance to show in the Open Two Rein World Championship Finals. Though it took three months of hospital care, the stallion recovered.
Very Smart Luck colicked and required surgery at the beginning of his 7-year-old year after winning the 2017 NRCHA National Champion Open Bridle title. He had a variety of therapies and had to sit out the entire year to recover before a successful return to the show pen.
Rich says this is just how the ranch operates—the horses receive the best of care and time to heal, regardless of cost.
“It’s fantastic—whatever these horses
need, we’ll do it,” Rich said. “Just whatever they need to heal.”
GOING STRONG
In every way, Rocking J Ranch continues to support NRCHA competition by sending a tremendous amount of horses down the road.
“When Barbara was alive, for two or three years in a row they were the No.2 buyers at NRCHA sales,” Rich said. “They’ve contributed a lot to NRCHA.”
With a solid team working together and producing great horses a priority, it’s exciting to think about what Rocking J Ranch will contribute to the future of reined cow horse. Hastings’ enjoyment of good cow horses continues on through future generations of fine equine competitors.
“We hope to continue showing and trying to breed the best horses that we can,” Jonkey said.
Roy Rich rides multiple Rocking J Ranch Inc. owned and bred horses, including SJR Smooth Cadilac, shown here competing at the 2020 NRCHA Celebration of Champions in the Tres Osos Cow Horse Derby.
By Ben Self
NRCHyA GOALS FOR 2020 2019 SNAFFLE BIT FUTURITY OWNERS FUND DONORS
In its new term in 2020, the National Reined Cow Horse Youth Association student officers have conducted numerous conference calls to consider new ideas and plan the execution of 2020 events already on the schedule. We also discussed our goals for the year and how we are going to achieve them. One of our goals for this year is to increase our membership numbers. In 2019, many of our youth members aged out and are now in college competing on equestrian and ranch horse teams. We already miss them in our meetings, but look forward to seeing them when our shows start back up. One way we intend to achieve our goal of increasing membership is to organize more free youth clinics across the United States and Canada. Free youth clinics provide an opportunity to grow our membership by giving youth involved with other Western performance disciplines the opportunity to
experience the reined cow horse world. Last July at Carol Rose Quarter Horses in Gainesville, Texas, the Southwest Reined Cow Horse Youth Association hosted a free youth clinic with more than 65 participants. Today, you can see that many of those participants competing in their local affiliate shows and NRCHA shows even though the clinic was their first introduction to reined cow horse.
Another way we will achieve this goal is by exposing ourselves to events that are not specifically reined cow horse, such as American Quarter Horse Youth Association’s World Championship Show, the AQHYA Youth Excellence Seminar and the National High School Finals Rodeo. Additionally, we intend to hold social events at those shows and invite our friends from other disciplines.
Additionally, we set the goal to get more youth actively involved with NRCHyA when they show at their affiliate events. We’ve noticed that there are many youth members in the northeast and the northwest, and other less traditionally cow horse regions, that compete in the reined cow horse but are not involved with the NRCHyA. The NRCHyA officers strive to connect with every youth member involved in the reined cow horse world and also connect with those who may be interested in reined cow horse.
All of us at NRCHyA are excited this year for our potential and wish everyone the best.
Kathy and Larry Barker
Beechfork Ranch/Kelly Krum
Larry and Ellen Bell
Bet Hesa Cat Syndicate
Brazos Valley Stallion Station
Michelle Cannon
Carroll’s Cutting
CD Lights
CR Sis, LLC/Luna Construction/ Silvera Produce Sales, Inc.
Dom Conicelli Estate
Cutting Horse Central/Mark Michels
Gardiner Quarter Horses
Hooray Ranch/
Eric and Wendy Dunn
Kathryn Phillips
Kit Kat Sugar/Barbara Allsup
Kevin and Sydney Knight
Roxanne Koepsell Performance Horses
Jeffrey and Sheri Matthews
Alvin and Becky Fults
Kit and Charlie Moncrief/ Moncrief Ranches
Russ Mothershead
Oswood Stallion Station
Rockin W
Carol Rose
Russell Ranches/
James, Ellen and Erin Russell
San Juan Ranch/
Santa Cruz Animal Health
Smooth Talking Style/
Holmes & Hill
Stuart Ranch
Beverly Servi
Wharton Family Quarter Horses
Wrigley Ranches LLC
WR This Cats Smart
We know the economic downturn resulting from the Coronavirus is temporary. We also know that in the interim, it is crucial we continue to support each other during these uncertain times.
It’s in that spirit of cooperation that we want to increase access to Smooth As A Cat by temporarily lowering his stud fee to $2,500. There is no limit to the number of breedings per customer. If you purchase a breeding contract before the end of this breeding season, you may use the breeding for either 2020 or 2021.
We will get through this – working together!
PHOTO BY MEGAN PARKS
Kyle, Havey and Layne Manion
NATIONAL REINED COW HORSE ASSOCIATION
BREEDER DIRECTORY
Rogers Heaven Sent Ranch of Tucson, Arizona, was founded by the Rogers family in 2005, starting out with just two personal horses. Since then, Rogers Heaven Sent Ranch has grown into a full service facility, breeding and showing some of the best Quarter Horses the industry has to offer.
Rogers Heaven Sent Ranch also maintains an Organic Alfalfa operation and they raise Certified Organic lack Angus eef. Learn more about them on the web at www.RogersHSR.com.
Manion Ranch and Smooth As A Cat are proud to team up with the NRCHA. Already producing NRCHA offspring earnings in e cess of . million dollars as of 01/01/20) and named an NRCHA elite sire is only the tipping point of what is yet to transpire for this stallion who has NCHA lifetime earnings in e cess of , . He was an NCHA Horse Of The Year, is an NCHA Hall of ame Horse he also won multiple NCHA Championships and was a inalist times. Smooth As A Cat is the only Horse Of The Year to sire two NCHA Open Horses Of the Year.
Smooth As A Cat has been ranked 4th or higher of NCHA leading sires for consecutive years. Smooth As A Cat s offspring have won in e cess of . million dollars and he has sired champions and money earners out of mares by 40 + plus different bloodlines and the list of accomplishments goes on. Smooth As A Cat stands at eatherford uine reeding Center.
etallic Cat High row Cat Chers Shadow Peptoboonsmal , owned by Rocking P Ranch, is a Million Dollar Sire. “Denver” was also crowned National Cutting Horse Association Open Horse of the Year, 2016, , NCHA Sire of the ear and , NRCHA Leading Sire. He is the second highest money-earning stallion in the history of the NCHA. His latest milestone is becoming an NRCHA Million Dollar Sire, with more than million in cow horse offspring earnings. or more information on Metallic Cat, visit metalliccat.com.
S P uffalo Ranch - here the lite Are ound or nearly years, S P uffalo Ranch has paved a path of success in the horse industry. e know what it takes to be successful in breeding and performance at the highest levels. S P uffalo Ranch is all about the people. They are really in the people business, horses are just the product. SDP uffalo Ranch are committed to e cellence in stallion service, horsemanship and customer relations. Your success is their success e offer full service uine Reproductive services. See their stallion line up at http www.S P uffaloRanch.com
ad oonaRising, owned Plantation arms LLC, is sired by illion ollar Sire Once n A lu oon and out of Show i itty, by High row Cat. n , ad oonaRising captured the National Cutting Horse Association Open uturity reserve championship title, under the guidance of Adan anuelos. The stallion has gone on to become a multiple-time finalist and daho CHA Open erby Champion, earning more than , . ad oonaRising stands to the public at ra os alley Stallion Station, in Stephenville, Te as. or more information, visit badboonarising.com and follow him on acebook.
Holy Cow Performance Horses LLC, with locations in Santa ne , California, and eatherford, Te as, has become a leading breeder and owner of reined cow horses, reining horses, and cutting horses. reeding, raising and showing quality performance Quarter Horses is a passion at Holy Cow - dedicated to raising quality performers that are world class in their respective fields. Holy Cow is home to some of the finest broodmares in the industry, including top reined cow horse producer Sheza Shinette. Their sponsorship and support of the NRCHA includes the $25,000 added to the Open ridle Spectacular at the NRCHA Stallion Stakes, $25,000 added to the CD Survivor Memorial Open ridle Spectacular at the NRCHA erby and , added to the Open ridle class at the NRCHA Snaf e it uturity.
Learn more about Holy Cow Performance Horses at www.HolyCowPerformanceHorses.com.
Legendary uarter Horses and superior lack Angus cattle are hallmarks of the our Si es, a historic Te as ranch that is part of urnett Ranches, LLC. The ranch stands some of the most well-respected uarter Horse stallions in the industry, with elite broodmares that produce superior individuals for work and racing.
rother ackson Peptoboonsmal Shes cing Onthe Cat High row Cat is a A HA Sorrel Stallion with multiple titles to his credit including C emorial ridle Spectacular Champion. Dan Perez owns the stallion that has earnings of more than $140,000, he also has more than 100 A HA points. He is trained and shown by en old and stands at olds Training Stables Stallion Services in ilton, California.
Hickory Holly Time is a 2010 red roan stallion sired by One Time Pepto and out of Hickorys Holly Cee owned by DT Horses with LTE well over $225,000. His achievements span all the NRCHA disciplines: Snaf e it - NRCHA ntermediate Open uturity Champion, 2014 NRCHA Open Derby Champion, Hackamore – 2015 NRCHA Open Hackamore Champion and now ridle, orld s reatest Horseman Champion. He is tested as 5 Panel N/N and is currently standing at Oswood Stallion Station. Visit him on the web at http://oswoodstallionstation.com/ hickoryhollytime, or on acebook HickoryHollyTime or at www.dthorses.com/stallions.
Time or The iamond One Time Pepto iamonds ith Style Playin Stylish , owned by Triple Ranches, is the NRCHA Snaf e it uturity Champion. Trained and shown by NRCHA Professional Nick owers, Time or The iamond has career earnings of nearly , . Time or The iamond stands at Oswood Stallion Station in eatherford, Te as. or more information, visit www.NickDowers.com.
Stevie Rey Von (Metallic Cat x Miss Ella Rey x Dual Rey), owned by Fults Ranch LTD, has $420,928 in lifetime earnings. This sire’s outstanding pedigree matches his moves in the show pen. At the 2018 NCHA Super Stakes, “Stevie” set an arena record-breaking score of 231 to win the class; along with many other championship titles, including the 2015 NCHA Open Futurity. Stevie’s first foal crop arrived in , and they are definitely looking the part. For more information on Stevie follow him on Facebook or visit steviereyvon.com.
Reyzin The Cash (Dual Rey x Spookys Cash x Miss N Cash), owned by Iron Rose Ranch, won six open championship titles throughout his show career. The most impressive wins were earning backto-back championship crowns at the 2015 and 2016 National Cutting Horse Association Derby. Reyzin The Cash is a multiple-time limited aged event finalist, bringing his lifetime earnings to $278,381. The 2011 sorrel stallion s first limited foal crop will hit the show pen in the fall of 2020. They all have promising futures, carrying the positive traits of their sire.
The skill and experience of Jeremy Barwick, Dr. Charlie Buchanan and staff make Brazos Valley Stallion Station in Stephenville, Texas, unique among breeding and performance horse establishments, and a vital center for horse owners, competitors and breeders. Find them on the web at http://www.brazosvalleystallionstation.com
Western Bloodstock is the trusted name in performance horse sales, and is proud to produce and manage this year s National Reined Cow Horse Association Snaf e Bit Futurity Sales! Visit them on the web at www. WesternBloodstock.net.
Kit Kat Sugar (High Brow Cat x Sugar N Dulce x Smart Lil Ricochet) has lifetime earnings of $240,903. He earned six limited aged event championships and was named the 2012 National Cutting Horse Association Horse of the Year as a 4-year-old. “Skeet” has passed on his athleticism, style and character to his offspring, who have already amassed more than $1.8 million in the cutting and cow horse arenas.
“Skeet” is owned by Barbara Allsup and stands at Brazos Valley Stallion Station in Stephenville, Texas. For more information on Kit Kat Sugar, follow him on Facebook or visit www.brazosvalleystallionstation.com.
Smooth Talkin Style (Smooth As A Cat x Stylish Play Lena x Docs Stylish Oak), owned by Holmes and Hill, was a force to be reckoned with in the show pen, claiming numerous coveted titles including National Cutting Horse Association Open Horse of the Year, NCHA Open Futurity Reserve Champion, Super Stakes Open Co-Champion and Breeders Invitational Champion. Stylish Play Lena, his dam, has produced more than $1.9 million dollars in earnings, with a staggering $95,000 average earnings per offspring. Smooth Talkin Style is Stylish Play Lena’s leading stallion offspring with earnings in excess of $305,284. According the NCHA, “Talker” is a record setting Open Horse of the Year, accumulating more than 700 points in less than 9 months of showing; thus, securing the coveted title of Horse of the Year by August of his 4-year-old year. Smooth Talkin Style retired to the breeding barn, completely sound, at the end of his 4-year-old year. This sire s first foal crop arrived in and are set to hit the show pen in 2020! Smooth Talkin Style is 5-panel genetic tested as N/N. Follow Talker on Facebook/ Instagram @SmoothTalkinStyle, and visit him at www. smoothtalkinstyle.com.
Hashtags (Metallic Cat x Dual Rey Tag) has lifetime earnings of $478,571. A 2018 NCHA Open World Champion and World Champion Stallion trained and shown by Tatum Rice, Hashtag s first foal crop arrived in 2019.
“Hashtags is just a great individual,” said Rice. “He makes it easy! Mind, heart, cow sense and strength.” The stallion is owned by Hashtag Ventures LP and standing at Brazos Valley Stallion Station in Stephenville, TX. For more information on Hashtags, follow him on Facebook or visit www. brazosvalleystallionstation.com.
Metallic Rebel (Metallic Cat x Sweet Abra x Abrakadabracre) is owned by Tom and Lisa Guinn, and trained by NCHA Multi-Million Dollar Rider Beau Galyean. Rebel’s accomplishments include 2017 NCHA Open Horse of the Year, NCHA World Champion stallion, 13 aged event championships, three reserve championship titles and is a -time event finalist accumulating over $420,000 in lifetime earnings. As he transitions from the show pen to the breeding barn, this sire s first offspring, arriving in , are displaying not only his tremendous character, but also his incredible confirmation. or more information, visit metallicrebel. com and follow him on Facebook.
Owned by Beverly Servi, BET HESA BOON (Bet Hesa Cat x Flo N Blu Boon x Pretty Boy Boon) is a 2014 homozygous roan with LTE of $62,940 dollars. His outstanding pedigree and demeanor match his impressive conformation and performance record. oon was a finalist at every premiere NRCHA Derby event, and is a two-time National Stock Horse Association Derby Champion. Cow horse, cutting, reining, ranch versatility – he can do it all! Boon is six-panel N/N genetic tested. Add a little Boon to your breeding program! He’s guaranteed roan! Look for Boon in the show pen with Clayton Edsall and check him out on Facebook, www.808ranch.com or at Oswood Stallion Station.
Matthews Cutting Horses, ownerd and operated by Jeffrey and Sheri Matthews, is the home of NRCHA $3 Million Dollar Sire One Time Pepto (Peptoboonsmal x One Time Soon x Smart Little Lena).
Matthews Cutting Horses is well known for superior performance horse bloodlines. The Matthews breeding program is built on extraordinary pedigrees and e ceptional performances. His first foals came of show age in 2010, an in 2014 One Time Pepto was the No. 1 NRCHA Sire. In 2015, he was the leading sire of NRCHA Snaf e it uturity Sale horses. One Time Pepto s performing foals have earned more than $17 million in all disciplines. Learn more about One Time Pepto at www.onetimepepto.com.
MARTIN PERFORMANCE
COWHORSE
STRAIGHT FROM THE SOURCE
There is a definite line between Open and Non Pro riders, and the NRCHA divides the groups based on remuneration.
For some, the world is viewed in shades of gray, but to divide Open and Non Pro level riders in the National Reined Cow Horse Association, the rules are black and white. To be paid for a service can mean a member is no longer considered a “non-professional” in the industry.
Membership Coordinator Barbara Nahlik and Non Pro Committee Chair Diane Edwards field scenarios from the membership regularly, helping determine what constitutes remuneration for a service.
“I field a lot of phone calls from people new to reined cow horse,” Nahlik said. “There are a number of common misconceptions newbies have as to what constitutes a ‘Non Pro.’ We at the NRCHA are not trying to make it difficult for
members to achieve and maintain Non Pro status, but we are trying to ensure all Non Pros are on a level playing field. In fact, the association has one of the most lenient or forgiving policies for members to regain or achieve Non Pro status.”
But the best way to maintain a Non Pro status is to understand the rules from the onset. Edwards said she often refers members with questions to the rulebook to ensure they are reading the official language.
From the NRCHA
“Many of their questions could be answered if they would crack open that cover,” said Edwards. “Remuneration is defined by the NRCHA Rulebook as ‘to receive pay or financial gain from work completed’ or to be ‘reimburse, compensate, make fair return for an action’ and those compensations refer to our equinerelated activities.”
Obtaining a Non Pro member application is simple to do and filling it out, honestly, is easy. The application—located on
the NRCHA website—asks applicants to certify they haven’t been paid for services like giving lessons, training a friends’ Mustang for a Mustang event and then showing it at the event, or cleaning your own stalls in return for a lesson. All of these activities are examples of remuneration in some way, shape or form.
Here, these scenarios are laid out to aid members in making the right decisions for their Non Pro status.
WHAT IF …
DEFINE REMUNERATION
Money paid for work or a service; pay or other compensation provided in exchange for service’s performed.
Though some try to slide under the radar, providing services and earning remuneration for that, it will eventually come to the attention of the NRCHA. Whether boasting on social media or through a protest from another member, the Non Pro Committee and NRCHA Board of Directors annually deals with multiple infractions of the Non Pro rules.
“The current Board of Directors knows what an important group the Non Pros are to the health, growth and well-being of the organization,” said Edwards. “Many, many wonderful changes have taken place during the years I have been on the Board that are 100-percent for the benefit of Non Pro exhibitors. But we also have to play by the rules. We all want the same level playing field at our competitions.”
The rules are there to aid competitors, not to hinder them. That said, here are some examples of actual questions received regarding what does and does not constitute remuneration.
“… I received a free pair of boots and saddle pad in exchange for a photoshoot.” —NOT a Non Pro
“… I’ve shown horses not owned by myself but I’ve never won any money.” —NOT a Non Pro
“… I train [insert any discipline] but have never worked or shown cow horse before.” —NOT a Non Pro
“… I only started two colts last year.” —NOT a Non Pro
“…I train a horse to ride that I don’t own and instead of money I get a new pickup truck in trade?” —NOT a Non Pro
“… I haven’t shown reined cow horses for many years, but I still give lessons.” —NOT a Non Pro
“… I entered a Mustang at a Mustang show and I do not own the Mustang, but I got bucked off, so didn’t win a prize, do I qualify as Non Pro?”—NOT a Non Pro
BUT, CAN …
The answer to questions on remuneration for equine activities is not always that Non Pro status is revoked. In fact, the NRCHA is happy that some Non Pro members seek opportunities such as obtaining a judge’s card.
“Many Non Pros who would like to know if they will have to give up their Non Pro status if they become an NRCHA judge,” Nahlik said. “A Non Pro can judge and receive remuneration for judging, but I always warn them that they need to check with other associations like [the American Quarter Horse Association], since I believe Amateurs can’t hold judges’ cards there.”
There are other “yes” scenarios, too.
YOUTH RIDER REMUNERATION
NRCHA Youth exhibitors may accept product and/or receive remuneration while showing in Youth classes ONLY. If a Youth rider decides to apply for Non Pro status, then they must abide by all Non Pro rules— any sponsorship and/or remuneration ends. Additionally, Youth riders may wear shirts with patches on them while showing in Youth classes, but again, if they show in Non Pro classes at the any or the same show, patched shirts are not allowed. Additionally, Youth riders are also not required to own the horse they show in Youth classes. However, an NRCHA member in good standing must own the horse. If a Youth shows in a Non Pro class, they must abide by those ownership rules (see rule 2.4.5).
Although we have said the rules are black and white there are a few areas of gray, especially when it comes to collegiate activities and training internships. The current NRCHA Rulebook has gray area in the area related to internships (see 2.2.1.6); however, Edwards said that more definitive rules are in the works.
If you are a Non Pro that is in college or is considering doing an internship, you should critically review the rules of the internship with a critical eye.
“We are working to line out some more specific guidelines that will hopefully be in place for 2021,” Edwards said. “I would recommend that anyone that is an intern contact the NRCHA office and provide some details regarding their internship prior to [applying for] NRCHA Non Pro status.”
The goal of competition divisions is to create a fair playing field for as many levels of riders as possible. Working with the NRCHA and the Non Pro committee will help ensure that all NRCHA Non Pro members’ eligibility is correctly assigned so everyone can show and work according to their status.
“…Will my wife still be a Non Pro if she won $78 last weekend? My wife and I are new to reined cow horse.”—YES, you’re a Non Pro
“… I halter break and taught a horse that I do not own to lead for money, but I do not ride horses for money. Do I qualify as an NRCHA Non Pro?” —YES, you’re a Non Pro
“… Can I show my friend’s horse in the $5K Non Pro Limited and not lose my Non Pro status?” —YES, you’re a Non Pro
“… I’m a trail guide for hunting and fishing trips.” —YES, you’re a Non Pro
“… I cool out horses I don’t own for my trainer to be helpful.” —YES, you’re a Non Pro
“… I sit on my friend’s horse while I watch them work their other horse?”
—YES, you’re a Non Pro
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Compiled by NRCHA Staff
DECODE ELIGIBILITY
Decoding eligibility can be a daunting process. Use these quick tips to ensure you ride in the right division.
Just when you feel you understand how eligibility is calculated a new rule is put in place making the playing field more level as the sport progresses. Determining what class or classes you and your horse are eligible for can be tricky for any newcomer and even the most seasoned member.
Here you will find a brief overview of how eligibility is calculated for each division. A more detailed description can be found in the National Reined Cow Horse Association Rule Book. For most divisions, eligibility is calculated at the start of the show season and good all year long.
However, there are a few divisions that eligibility can change midyear. The $5,000 Novice Horse eligibility changes once show results have been posted on the NRCHA website, and any rider who earns more than $750 down the fence in ANY judged event can no longer compete in the boxing. When horses and/or riders are found ineligible, winnings must be returned to the association for redistribution and results adjusted.
To avoid this paperwork hassle, always check your eligibility before the start of each show season. Remember, both owner and rider must be current NRCHA members to compete in any class.
EARNINGS TYPES
To determine earnings, first know that limited age events is used as “LAE” in NRCHA communications and on forms. Lifetime earnings is communicated as “LTE,” and that is also used to calculate earning type.
LAE = NRCHA premier event earnings through 2001 and approved LAE earnings (not including boxing) after Jan 1, 2002.
LTE (fence classes) = all earnings excluding boxing classes and Youth LTE (boxing classes) = all earnings including boxing and Youth since January 1, 2002
LAE: FUTURITY AND DERBY CLASSES L AE OPEN
LAE Open: Any rider
LAE Intermediate Open: Any rider not on the top 25 Open rider listing; based on Open money won at all NRCHA-
approved events. LTE earnings (3year average of lifetime earnings) are used to calculate the Open Top Rider list.
LAE Limited Open: Any rider not on the top 25 Open rider listing and who has not won more than $35,000 in LAE money.
LAE Level One Limited Open: Any rider who has not won more than $15,000 in LAE money.
LAE $5,000 Novice Horse: Any 4- and 5-year-old horse who has not earned more than $5,000 in LAE money. A horse will be ineligible upon meeting the earnings threshold when the results are officially published on the NRCHA website. i.e. Your Derby mount could
be Novice Horse eligible the first six months of the show season, then earn its way-out mid-season.
LAE NON PRO
LAE Non Pro: Any Non Pro rider
LAE Intermediate Non Pro: Any Non Pro rider not on the top 12 Non Pro rider listing; based on Open and Non Pro money (excluding Non Pro Limited) won the past three years at any NRCHA-approved Limited Age Events. The Non Pro Top Rider list differs from the Open Top Rider list.
LAE Novice Non Pro: Any Non Pro rider who is not on the top 12 Non Pro rider listing and has not earned more than $35,000 in LAE money.
LAE Amateur: Any Non Pro rider who is not on the top 12 Non Pro rider listing and has not earned more than $7,500 in LAE money.
LAE Non Pro Limited: Any Non Pro rider who has not earned more than $750 down the fence
ALWAYS
refer to the most current version of the NRCHA Rule Book before the start of each show season.
DEFINITIONS OF EARNINGS USED TO DETERMINE ELIGIBILITY:
LAE = NRCHA premier event $$ through 2001 AND Approved LAE earnings (not including boxing) after Jan 1, 2002
LTE (F) = All Earnings excluding Boxing Classes and Youth
LTE (B) = All Earnings including Boxing and Youth since January 1, 2002
OPEN ELIGIBILITY
Are you on the Top 25 Open Rider List?
have
have
HORSE SHOW DIVSIONS
Are you on the Top 25 Open Rider List?
Bridle: Open
Hackamore: Open
Two Rein: Open
Do you have more than $15,000 in LTE(F) earnings?
Bridle: Open, Intermediate
Hackamore: Open, Intermediate
Two Rein: Open
Bridle: Open, Int. Open, Ltd Open
Hackamore: Open, Int. Open, Ltd Open
Two Rein: Open
HORSE SHOW CLASSES
Horse Show, abbreviated to “HS,” includes 17 main horse show classes. Spectaculars and all-around classes are considered horse show earnings, as well.
HS OPEN
HS Open: Any rider
HS Intermediate Open: Any rider not on the top 25 Open rider listing; must enter the Open Bridle
HS Limited Open: Any rider who not won more than $15,000 in LTE, excludes boxing and youth
HS NON PRO
HS Non Pro: Any Non Pro rider
HS Intermediate Non Pro: Any Non Pro rider who has not won more than $25,000 in LTE, excludes boxing and youth
HS Novice Non Pro: Any Non Pro rider who not won more than $7,500 in LTE, excluding boxing and youth
HS Non Pro Limited: Any Non Pro rider who has not won more than $750 down the fence. (see fallback provision)
HS $5,000 Non Pro Limited: Any Non Pro who has not won more than $5,000 in LTE and has not won more than $750 down the fence and has not exercised their fall back option; any one can own the horse
HS $1,000 Non Pro Limited: Any Non Pro who has not won more than $1,000 in LTE and has not won more than $750 down the fence, and also has not exercised their fall back option
HS Beginning Fence Work: Any Non Pro rider who has not won more than $750 down the fence; must enter the HS Non Pro Limited or exercised their fall back provision
HS YOUTH
HS Youth (Fence): Riders 18 and under as of November 16th of the current show season. This is no longer the Youth Bridle; all age-appropriate equipment can be used
HS Youth Limited: Riders 18 and under as of November 16th of the current show season who have not won more than $750 down the fence
HS Select Non Pro: Riders 55 years of age and over as of November 16th of the current show season; must enter a Non Pro HS class and then add Select as an additional division
HS Youth 13 & Under: Riders 13 years of age or younger as of November 16th or the current show season; must enter Youth Fence or Youth Boxing then add 13 & Under as an additional division
NON PRO ELIGIBILITY
(are also eligible to be in Open Divisions described on previous page)
LAE DIVISIONS
Are you on the Top 12 Non Pro Rider List? Non Pro
Do you have more than $35,000 in LAE earnings?
Non Pro, Intermediate NP
HORSE SHOW DIVSIONS
Do you have more than $25,000 in LTE(F) earnings?
Non Pro: Bridle, Hackamore, Two Rein
Do you have more than $7,500 in LTE(F) earnings?
Do you have more than $7,500 in LAE earnings?
Non Pro, Intermediate NP, Novice NP
Do you have more than $750 down the fence earnings**? YES
Non Pro, Int NP, Novice NP, Amateur
Non Pro, Int NP, Novice NP, Amateur, NPL
Are you 50 Years Old and Used your Fall Back?
YES Non Pro Limited ONLY
NO Divisions above ONLY
Additional Question**: Are you 65 years old?
YES Divisions above PLUS Non Pro Limited
NO Divisions above ONLY
Bridle: Non Pro, Intermediate
Hackamore: Non Pro
Two Rein: Non Pro
Do you have more than $750 down the fence earnings**?
Bridle: Non Pro, Intermediate, Novice
Hackamore: Non Pro
Two Rein: Non Pro
Do you have more than $5,000 in LTE(B) earnings**?
Bridle: Non Pro, Intermediate, Novice
Hackamore: Non Pro
Two Rein: Non Pro
Beginning Fence Work
Boxing: Non Pro Limited
Do you have more than $1,000 in LTE(B) earnings**?
Bridle: Non Pro, Intermediate, Novice
Hackamore: Non Pro
Two Rein: Non Pro
Beginning Fence Work
Boxing: Non Pro Limited, 5K Non Pro Ltd
Bridle: Non Pro, Intermediate, Novice
Hackamore: Non Pro
Two Rein: Non Pro
Beginning Fence Work
Boxing: Non Pro Ltd, 5K NPL, 1K NPL
**Additional Question: Are you 50 Years Old and Used your Fall Back
Beginning Fence Work
Boxing: Non Pro Limited
Divisions above ONLY
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HOW TO MARKET A COW HORSE: SENSATIONAL SALES
Help your horse bring top dollar at a sale with these tips from sales-fitting professionals.
By Katie Navarra
AISING A HORSE TO SALE TIME IS A CULMINATION OF SEVERAL YEARS OF WORK AND INVESTMENT. A financial and emotional investment begins when the mare is bred, continues at a foal’s arrival and extends to the time it is sold. Bringing top dollar is not only good for the bottom line; it also replenishes a breeder’s enthusiasm for creating the next year’s crop. Securing a price that matches the horse’s pedigree and the breeder’s investment takes as much effort as picking the breeding cross and raising the horse.
Jeremy Barwick, owner of Western Bloodstock, Ltd., the company that runs the National Reined Cow Horse Association Snaffle Bit Futurity® Sale, has seen his fair share of well-bred horses bought for a fraction of their value because the animals weren’t well prepared.
“Getting a horse ready for a sale is not the time to cut corners,” Barwick said. “There’s nothing worse than seeing a well-bred horse come in the ring with a coat two inches long and have them sell for a lot less than they’re worth.”
Sales guru Melanie Smith of Solo Select Horses located in Whitesboro, Texas, is a master of social media marketing and Facebook auctions. She has sold 95-percent of her horses sight unseen utilizing good photography, strong videos and an understanding of what customers are looking for in an ad. Here, Barwick and Smith share their tips for marketing a cow horse.
PICTURE PERFECT
A picture may be worth a thousand words, but in sales it may be equivalent to thousands of dollars. Since every cellphone has a camera, anyone can take a snapshot; however, skilled photographers are worth the investment. In Smith’s opinion, poor photos are the most common mistake sellers make.
Barwick agreed.
“A bad picture will ruin the sale of an awesome horse,” he said.
A good photo starts by choosing a location to stand the horse where the background is free from distractions. Smith sees photos taken in a dirty stall or with the horse standing in front of bent round pen panels. These features are part of every operation but detract from the horse. Positioning is equally important.
“Avoid setting the horse’s head too high or too low. Feet placement is a big deal. Get them set up so they are square,” Smith said. “You really need three people to get a good photo—one person to hold the horse, one to set feet and one to take the picture.”
A tight shot on the horse’s head, and a well-fitting halter, help the potential buyer see the horse’s positive attributes. KATE
Experienced horse photographers know how to set the horse up to emphasize its conformation. Be sure the individual photographing is familiar with the discipline. Western pleasure and hunter under saddle horses have a different look than reined cow horses.
Smith suggests looking at cow horse stallion advertisements as a guide. The photos in sales catalogs include a photographer’s watermark and can provide a source when looking for finding someone to photograph your prospect.
“For sale horses with a high value, the investment in a professional portrait is a necessity,” she said.
While background and set-up are important, don’t overlook the small details. They make a difference. For example, make sure the halter fits properly. Barwick has received pictures of
Above: Off-set the horse’s feet so it looks conformationally balanced, have good light and a clean background. And, always groom the horse first!
Left: A clean background and well-set feet help this young gelding’s eye appeal.
“The investment in a professional portrait is a necessity.”—Melanie
Smith
yearlings wearing a halter made for a 1,200-pound horse. It just hangs off the horse’s face, detracting from its physical qualities.
“I’ve seen a good and a poorly staged photo of the same horse side by side, and it looks like two totally different horses,” Barwick said.
Sellers typically have 10- to 15-seconds to capture a buyer’s attention online. Videos catch a viewer’s eye quickly. Smith starts her videos with the horse’s strongest attributes. For example, if the horse is a big stopper but average in its turns, she starts a video with stops, then shows loping in the middle and closes the video with turnarounds.
“Putting the best [action] first gets a buyer’s attention,” Smith said. “If they are not hooked right then, they’ll pass the horse by. Be sure to hold the cellphone
camera sideways [horizontally] to record. You can edit the video with any of the millions of editing apps out there.”
MARKETING 101
Genetics and looks will only get young, unproven prospects so far.It’s up to the breeder tocreate a package that sells. That means investing the time into grooming and fitting the horse so it looks like it has the potential to be a future winner. Barwick explains this means making a sale horse look like a show horse.
“You can’t bring them in 30 days before a sale and expect them to bring top dollar,” he said. “They’ve got to look like a show horse, they have to be clipped, their hair coat has to be off and they have to be fit.”
For horses headed to the NRCHA Snaffle Bit Futurity Sale in October,
Barwick recommends beginning the process by August 1. That allows 60 to 90 days for a transformation. It starts with nutrition. Horses will come in with a grass belly that shrinks once they’re off pasture.
“You don’t want them fat or ribby,” he said. “We’re constantly increasing and decreasing feed, giving hay and taking it away to get them just right.”
He fits between 100 to 125 horses each fall using an automatic walker and 15- to 20-minute trotting workouts in exercise pens to get the horses in shape. It is possible for your horse to bring the price you want by fitting and preparing a horse for sale at home. However, Barwick says that having a sale horse at a barn that specializes in prepping horses can bring additional visibility.
“We, and other fitting barns, get a lot of traffic from buyers who want to come see 20 or 30 horses at a time,” he said. “It can be worth the few thousand dollars to have someone fit those quality animals who x-ray clean so they are seen by more people ahead of a sale.”
Barwick and Smith agree that timing is everything in order to maximize your results. Sellers who begin advertising too early risk having their horse overlooked. The trick is finding the sweet spot where the horse is listed early enough ahead of a sale to catch a buyer’s attention without becoming so exposed that someone sees the horse 50 times and just scrolls by. Two to three weeks in advance of a sale is ideal.
“If you’re with the right sale company, they will advertise for you,” Barwick said. “If you start too early, people get tired of seeing it. Also, chances are the horse isn’t ready that early to be seen because it’s just been brought in and doesn’t look its best.”
At Western Bloodstock, Ltd., each catalog listing is limited to the horse’s pedigree. Smith cautions that when indi-
“You can’t bring them in 30 days before a sale and expect them to bring top dollar. They’ve got to look like a show horse, they have to be clipped, their hair coat has to be off and they have to be fit.”—Jeremy Barwick
viduals post their own ads, they tend to include too much information. No one wants, or has the time, to read an essay.
“I am a fan of including one good picture, a short video and a concise description that includes age, height and where the horse is located,” Smith said. “If they’re interested, they’ll call and then you fill them in on all the details.”
MAXIMIZE THE SELLING PRICE
Don’t overlook the opportunity for passive income, which can require little work but provide a nice bonus. Consider nominating your sale prospect into the Western Bloodstock, Ltd. / NRCHA Sales Incentive program. The program gives both buyers and sellers of Open and Non
Pro prospects an opportunity to earn additional monies when the horse competes at the Snaffle Bit Futurity. The purse includes not only the enrollment fees, but also the pass-out fees and $25,0000 added by the NRCHA.
While it is usually buyers who nominate horses into the incentive program, consignors can also nominate a horse prior to sale time. Advertising the enrollment is a way to increase a sale price. Weanlings and yearlings can be nominated for $400, 2-year-olds for $1,000 and 3-year olds (up until the first day of the show) for $5,000. But be advised, to be eligible, the horse must be sold in the sale and ownership has to change hands, according to Barwick.
A horse that is fed right and fit looks appealing to potential buyers in an action shot.
“[The Sale Incentive] gives you another shot at a big purse...”
—Jeremy Barwick
The incentive payout is split between the Open and Non Pro classes and pays four places at a 40/30/20/10 ratio. The combined scores from the prelims are used to award the purse. The 2019 Open high scorer in the preliminaries, Playgirls Merada Cat, ridden by Luke Jones and owned by the Good Ole Boys partnership, was awarded $34,048.
“It’s a pretty good deal,” Barwick said. “It gives you another shot at a big purse where you don’t necessarily have to be the winner. You get an additional check so you get more earnings on your horse, which means your horse will be worth more money.”
Additionally, the consignor of the top placing horse receives $1,500, which is more than the price to enroll those yearlings and 2 year olds.
Many factors contribute which becomes the high selling horse in the ring. The best horse may not always sell for the highest price. When you put your best effort intoprepping the horse, marketing the horse and giving it other advantages including nomination into the incentive fund, it will go a long way toward helping your horse bring every dollar it can. When the gavel drops and your horse is sold, walk away from the sale knowing you did everything possible to make your horse reach its sale potential.
A horse that sells during the NRCHA Snaffle Bit Futurity® Western Bloodstock Sale can earn back money through the Sale Incentive Program.
Horse sales work, but only when the consignor puts in the time, effort and planning needed for a horse to look its best on sale day.
GET TO KNOW SHANNON LAWLOR
A Canadian artist and longtime horsewoman, Shannon Lawlor and her art fit perfectly with the NRCHA.
Interview by Kate Bradley Byars
High realism” is how Shannon Lawlor describes her art, and that fits each piece to a “T.” Whether a commissioned portrait of a beloved horse or a detailed painting of a silver spade bit on a leather headstall, each of this Canadian artist’s pieces look like it could pop off the wall into real life.
Lawlor, from Nanton, Alberta, Canada, paints in acrylic on Baltic birch wood, a medium she chooses for its smooth texture and quality. From portraits of bridle horses to studies of horse heads, Lawlor has mastered her main subject—horses.
“I grew up in Kenton on the prairies of Manitoba, Canada. We had a barn and big pasture on the outskirts of town,” Lawlor said. “I’ve never known life without horses. Horses have shaped my whole life, without question.”
Though only pursuing art as a full-time profession for 16 years now, Lawlor’s study of horses dates back to her childhood. She had a number of jobs in the equine industry.
“I’ve rode horses all my life, and for a living, and along the way I improved my horsemanship,” Lawlor said. “I’ve worked in feedlots, as a veterinary assistant at an equine clinic, worked
for horse trainers and started lots of colts, and as I was working in these different fields, horsemanship and communication became of great interest to me. The Vaquero way is what I gravitated [toward] and took a keen interest in learning about and perfecting in my own personal life. To me, it translates over into my artwork because that is what I was passionate about understanding as a horsewoman, so it was a natural crossover in my artistic pursuit.”
It was also a no-brainer for Lawlor to marry her equine art with the National Reined Cow Horse Association in a sponsorship. Her love of Vaquero horsemanship and the athletic reined cow horse go hand-in-hand.
Her first-hand knowledge of traditional cow horse methods and attention to detail made her an ideal partner for NRCHA, according to Sponsorship Coordinator Allison Walker.
Drawing on personal experience, Shannon Lawlor depicts what she loves and studies best—horses.
Below: A
was
“Capturing the Spanish Vaquero tradition on canvas is essential to preserving the Western way of life,” Walker said. “Shannon Lawlor is passionate about the Western lifestyle and so are we. I feel our partnership has been a great fit. Shannon’s charismatic personality and stunning equine-focused paintings are a wonderful addition to the NRCHA. The Shannon Lawlor Gallery is a beautiful addition to the sponsor showcase. We could not be more pleased to have her as a part of our sponsor family. And what a unique skill she brings to our membership— a custom portrait of their favorite horse!”
Lawlor’s gallery includes portraits she paints from photographs from attending events, and a large portion of her work is custom commission pieces. She loves to immortalize someone’s beloved horse in a portrait, working closely with the client and photographs to capture the right expression, and ensures the end product draws an emotional response from the owner.
Lawlor spends her days as many of us wish to do, studying horses. Here, she lets NRCHA members get a glimpse of how she became an award-winning artist.
Reined Cow Horse News: How did you get started painting? Were you an artistic child?
Shannon Lawlor: My mom saved schoolbooks and memorabilia from when I was a child. In my office that is attached to my studio I have a finger painting. The entire thing is blue, but in the painting you can see the outline of a big sun and the outline of a horse—that is all that is in it. There are days that I have challenges in my studio, and I look at that horse, and realize, I’m still learning.
Left: Painted in high realism, Bit By Bit depicts traditional Vaquero spade bits.
raffle
drawn for The Cavaliers piece during the 2020 Celebration of Champions. The painting was made to reflect the NRCHA , the training of the reined cow horse.
I have no formal art education. Years ago, I came across a wildlife artist in Calgary, with whom I took semi-private lessons for about 14 years. As a child, I did more drawing. I never knew how to draw properly. From my teacher, I learned to draw properly and mix colors properly; my basics got sorted out.
RCHN: Why did you choose to focus your art on the Western lifestyle?
SL: It is passion. There isn’t anything I don’t love about a horse—I love all
breeds and disciplines. I’ve never known life without horses, and I don’t think you can get tired of something that is your passion. To me, painting horses was a natural evolution from hands-on training to depicting them in my paintings. I can’t imagine my life without them and never tire of the subject.
After high school, I worked in the ag and equine industry wearing a lot of different hats. All that work gave me a foundation for how my art went forward. I get asked how I create my horses in this way
or that, because the horses in my paintings look the way they should or have the right footfall patterns or with the right look in their eye. The thousands of horses I’ve been around and the experience I had prior to painting full-time lent itself to what shows up in my work today. To me, you can’t teach that knowledge gathered from experience. I got the ABCs of how to paint and the technical parts, but the lifetime I spent with horses is what lends to the realism of my paintings today. You can’t go and buy that education or teach someone how to put that in a painting—it comes from a natural flow of experience.
RCHN: Why did you decide to paint on Baltic birch? How does it best portray your subjects?
SL: I paint in acrylic. My primary medium is acrylic on Baltic birch. When I started taking art lessons, my art teacher painted in acrylic and in a style I always admired, which was high realism. Ultimately, I can control the quality of the product when I pick out my own Baltic birch wood. I go to the hardware store, pick out the right boards, bring them home, and prep myself and paint. Before the painting even starts, I prep them in a process that creates a very smooth surface. Contrary to painting on canvas, they are smooth and there is no tooth. There is tooth in canvas where it creates [texture] that you are fighting. To me, that [texture] interferes with detailed work. Baltic Birch gives you the smoothest surface possible to paint on, and nothing is working against you when you’re creating the detail.
RCHN: What do you love about completing commissioned pieces?
SL: Painting and horses are my passion and path in life. However, the connection I have with people who love their horses is a shared mutual joy, in that
An example of a commissioned piece, this is of reined cow horse, One Fine Moonshine.
I fully understand why they want to immortalize their horses. I take that on as my personal responsibility to depict their horses and make them timeless pieces. It’s actually quite an intimate, honorable way to honor those once-in-a-lifetime, special horses in our lives.
RCHN: What about cow horse leads you to focus on it in your art?
SL: It’s the discipline, the horsemanship and what the NRCHA represents that I am attracted to. As my work evolved over the years, it became apparent that this sponsorship was a good fit. My interest in the cow horse and the Futurity— plus the love of these extraordinarily talented athletes—it kept circling back. I painted The Cavaliers as part of the sponsorship for the NRCHA, and it was my first introduction to the Celebration of Champions. I wanted to present the association with an image that encompassed everything the NRCHA represents. I wanted to depict the bridle horse stages with the quality of horses you see today. That was a challenge. The horses in the painting were not photographed together; however, I felt they worked together compositionally and best represented the four stages of making a bridle horse. I wanted them to be current and [represent] what the NRCHA is today.
RCHN: What do you want your work to ultimately represent?
SL: Any work I do, I want it to be authentic and correct—I can’t say authentic enough. If I can go so far to say, I like to think of myself as a true steward of the West; I take it as seriously as I take my horsemanship. It needs to not only be correct, but also authentic to the timeline, and honor the horses and people who are also contributing to the West. We all contribute to the West to make it what it is, and I want my work to represent that authentically.
The buckskin in Chello aptly depicts the kind of horse Lawlor appreciates.
Thoughtful RECOGNITION
for Exceptional ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Take a walk down memory lane, reminisce or learn about them for the first time, as the NRCHA takes a look at the special awards that honor our outstanding individuals.
Compiled by NRCHA Staff
TTo simply say that the National Reined Cow Horse Association is filled with rich history would be a grand understatement. The California Reined Cow Horse Association was formed in 1949, with the goal of preserving and educating the public about the history of traditional Vaquero horsemanship. The association, renamed to the National Reined Cow Horse Association in 1987, is responsible for promoting the elite equine sport and ensuring high standards of competition. However, it takes special individuals along the way to ensure these values and goals are attained and upheld. Each year, special individuals, both equine and human, are honored with awards for their dedicated efforts to preserve our piece of Western heritage. Over the years, the NRCHA created many prestigious awards to honor those individuals who greatly impacted the
reined cow horse industry. Some recipients earn honors in the show pen and have their names engraved on a perpetual or rotating trophy that will be admired and shared with others for years to come. Other recipients are presented individual pieces, such as silver stirrups or a framed piece. No matter the physical award or time of the presentation, the legacy of those no longer with us is cherished by those who continue the mission through service.
Here is a collection of history, compiled by the NRCHA staff and archives, for members to get a peek at where our awards originated. Some of these prestigious awards are no longer given, while some perpetual trophies have gone missing over the years. Anyone reading this who wishes to continue the tradition of a special award or has information on a missing item, please contact the NRCHA office.
JANE TATUM MEMORIAL NON PRO SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD
Awarded: 1995 to present
Jane Tatum began her show career in 1976, when she captured the Junior Stock Horse championship aboard Mr Guthrie. Despite Tatum’s health setbacks from diabetes, over the years she collected countless wins, including her life-long dream of winning the Non Pro class at Rodeo Salinas in 1991. Outside of the arena, Tatum served on the CRCHA board as the Non Pro representative and was on the original committee that created the then-controversial Non Pro Triple Crown Classic Show. In Tatum’s obituary from 1994, she was noted for her big heart, “A complaint was never heard from Jane; her door was always open, and she will be greatly missed by so many.”
The Jane Tatum Memorial Award was established to commemorate Non Pros who exhibit outstanding sportsmanship, camaraderie, dedication to the sport and, in many cases, have overcome adversity to pursue their dreams of showing reined cow horses. The first recipient of the memorial award was Tatum’s close friend Debby Sanguinetti, in 1995. To this day, an outstanding Non Pro is recognized at the NRCHA Year-End Banquet held during the NRCHA Celebration of Champions in February.
NRCHA OPEN DERBY CHAMPION PERPETUAL TROPHY
Awarded: approximately 2006 to present
The perpetual trophy was created in 2006 to honor Jack and Phoebe Cooke. The Cookes were ranchers on the central coast of California. The couple was instrumental in getting the arena covered at the Mid-State Fair arena in Paso Robles, California, where the Derby is held.
The NRCHA’s appreciation of the Cooke’s donation and sponsorship was highlighted in naming the NRCHA Derby as the Jack and Phoebe Cooke Memorial Derby.
CD SURVIVOR MEMORIAL OPEN BRIDLE SPECTACULAR PERPETUAL TROPHY, PRESENTED BY HOLY COW PERFORMANCE HORSES
Awarded: 2010 to present
The NRCHA Derby Bridle Spectacular is named in memory of CD Survivor (CD Olena x Have A Lil Lena x Peppy San Badger), who was euthanized after an accidental stifle injury in May 2009. An orphaned foal, he earned the “survivor” namefor his tenacious efforts to nurse from grumpy foster mares that repeatedly rejected him.
Admired by many for his talent, heart and honesty, he was best loved by his owner, Nancy Crawford-Hall of Holy Cow Performance Horses. Nicknamed “Clark,” because he had Clark Kent’s Superman-like super versatility and Clark Gable’s good looks and class, CD Survivor earned $152,703 and the elite title of NRCHA Supreme Reined Cow Horse before his life was cut short.
In her stallion’s memory, Nancy Crawford-Hall puts up $50,000 in added money for the annual memorial bridle spectacular that is held at premier events. In 2010, the first recipient to receive the honor, Shawn Hays, rode Shine Smartly (Shining Spark x Smartly Dressed x Smart Little Lena) to the win for owners Walter Greeman and Tammy Hays.
Jack and Phoebe Cooke were on hand to present the award to Todd Bergen in 2002.
PRESIDENT’S AWARD
Awarded: 1987 to present
During the prestigious NRCHA Hall of Fame banquet, the current president of the association recognizes an individual who has helped the president the most that year. The first known recipient of the President’s Award was given in 1987. Jay Milligan, the executive director of the Reno Convention and Visitors’ Authority, received the award from then-President Burl Flanigan for his tireless efforts to make the Reno Livestock Events Center a reality.
Carol Futran is also a President’s Award winner. Futran, who helped organize the first Snaffle Bit Futurity® in 1970, was a hard-working board member and served as the association’s executive secretary from 1989 to 1994.
STOCK HORSE MAN OF THE YEAR
Awarded: 1975/1984 – 2012
The Stock Horse Man of the Year is historically named during the Hall of Fame Banquet, held during the Snaffle Bit Futurity. It was created to recognize those individuals for their dedicated service to the reined cow horse industry and the promotion of principles upon which the association was formed. Recipients are noted for their long-time contributions and dedication to the association.
In 1975, timeless horseman Bobby Ingersoll was presented with the very first Stock Horse Man of the Year award, a poster sponsored by the United States Tobacco Company, which still hangs in his house today. The award was not given again until 1984. Among the distinguished list of award winners are Hall of Fame members Jim Roeser, Lyn Anderson and long-time dedicated member Debby Sanguinetti. It was last awarded in 2012 to current Vice President Paul Bailey.
VAQUERO AWARD PRESENTED BY THE HALL OF FAME COMMITTEE
Awarded: 1982 – present
The honored Vaquero Award is presented to someone who has kept the Vaquero tradition alive in their riding and training. The ideal Vaquero recipient has also helped pass on the Vaquero tradition to the next generation. The distinguished award was first given to J.T. Chestnut in 1982. Chestnut worked for the Dry Creek Boys outfit, owned by his brother Ken Chestnut. The Dry Creek Boys encompassed a lumberyard and race horse operation. Horses that were not competitive on the racetrack, were given by Ken to J.T. to be trained as cow horses. Ingersoll said of his neighbor and friend J.T., “He was competitive in his day and a good hand.”
Over the years, during the NRCHA Hall of Fame Banquet, the treasured award has been presented to members such as Harold Farren, Sarah Clymer and Tom Dorrance. Jack and Phoebe Cooke, of which the NRCHA Derby is named in memorial of, are also Vaquero Award winners. In 2019, Pat Russell received the award.
DIRECTOR’S AWARD
Awarded: Approximately 2012 to present
Another annual award presented during the iconic Hall of Fame Banquet is the Director’s Award. The recipient is selected by the NRCHA Executive Director who best feels has, through hard work and dedication, contributed to the reined cow horse industry. Among those to receive this award include professional Chris Dawson, NRCHA Official Photographer Primo Morales and NRCHA Official Videographer Equine Promotion.
Jimmy Flores, Sr. was presented the Stock Horse Man of the Year award in 2009.
Smoky Pritchett presents the award to Sarah Clymer.
JASON RATTO
MEMORIAL CUSTOM ENGRAVED SILVER TROPHY STIRRUPS – Snaffle Bit Futurity® preliminary high-scoring Open Rider, Open Owner and Non Pro Rider, presented by Terry and Kimberlee Ratto
Awarded: 1995 to present
An excerpt from Terry Ratto in the 2001 Snaffle Bit Futurity program reads: “Per definition, a ‘vision’ is an inspired revelation. In 1985, God had a vision to have my beloved son, Jason, come into my life and the lives of so very many. His vision was for a sweet and peaceful boy to leave his mark on this world by the people he touched. Each and every year, so many, myself included, have a vision too. We all dream of riding, owning and/or being part of ‘The Champion’. What a noble vision, indeed, it is. To ride and/or own the Snaffle Bit Futurity Champion. I, as well as you, know along with talent and hard work, there must be destiny; there must have been a ‘vision’ by God to make it all come true. In 1995, God’s vision ended on this earth when my beloved son, Jason, passed on from our physical world into Heaven. Though here only nine and onehalf years physically, his spirit and destiny will forever live in my heart and the hearts of many.”
With its theme “Champions Are Forever,” this award presented at each NRCHA Snaffle Bit Futurity is a treasured honor among entrants. Since the beginning, until his passing in 2019, Gordon Hayes custom made the engraved silver stirrups.
Terry Ratto presenting stirrups to Laurie Richards in 2006. This award was created by long-time NRCHA member Terry Ratto and his wife, Kimberlee, in honor of their cherished son, Jason.
SNAFFLE BIT FUTURITY® OPEN PRELIMINARY HIGH SCORING GELDING
Awarded: 1981 to present
As the case with many treasured perpetual and memorial awards, the first recipient of the Open High-Scoring Gelding was Bobby Ingersoll, and the year was 1983. It was the first year the high scoring gelding in the preliminary round of the Open Snaffle Bit Futurity would be recognized.
True ambassadors of the NRCHA , Ralph and Mickey Gragg, accept their Hall of Fame award at the 1996 Futurity Banquet.
As time passed, the award became the Ralph and Mickey Gragg Memorial Saddle. Ralph and Mickey Gragg, who married in 1949, were true ambassadors for the NRCHA. Their contributions to the sport are not only their successful horses, but also the support they give to others. And while the Graggs have had many great horses, what really made Ralph and Mickey true “Hall of Famers” was their supportive attitude towards others in the sport.
In previous years, the Ralph and Mickey Gragg Memorial Saddle is still presented to the preliminary high-scoring gelding in the Open Snaffle Bit Futurity by the Gragg family, Martin and Duane Gragg, and Cynthis Gragg-Vizzo. Last year, 2019, it was presented by the NRCHA.
DOC N MISSY PERPETUAL BRONZE TROPHY – Snaffle Bit Futurity® Open high scoring preliminary herd work winner
Awarded: 1985 to present
The coveted 1978 Snaffle Bit Futurity® title belonged to Doc N Missy (Doc Bar x Missys Hankie x Tonto Bars Hank) and legendary horseman Bobby Ingersoll. The 1975 chestnut mare, owned by Oxbow Ranch, went on to produce over $130,000 in money earners, and her most noted offspring is Miss N Cash. The original Oxbow Ranch is in Prairie City, Oregon, and owned by Dan Lufkin, cofounder of the famous Wall Street firm of Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenerette. Famed horsewoman Lindy Burch currently trains cutting horses for Oxbow Ranch. This is seemingly fitting since the National Cutting Horse Association presented awards to the preliminary high scoring open herd work winner for many the years, leading to the award also being called the NCHA high scoring award.
Bobby Ingersoll showing Doc N Missy
MEHL LAWSON BRONZE – Snaffle Bit Futurity® Open high scoring preliminary rein work winner presented by the National Reining Horse Association
Awarded: approximately 1995 to present
This award is presented by the National Reining Horse Association to recognize the high-scoring performance in the open rein work. The NRHA signature’s Lawson Bronze Trophy is reserved by the NRHA for only the highest level of reining competition offered, and it serves as recognition of the high level of accomplishment of the reining portion of the NRCHA Snaffle Bit Futurity® .
MEHL LAWSON PERPETUAL BRONZE TROPHY
presented by the Leavitt family in honor of Morey Leavitt Awarded: 1995 – present MISSING: If you have this trophy, please contact NRCHA.
WATERFORD CRYSTAL TROPHY
BOWL – Snaffle Bit Futurity® Open and Non Pro high-scoring lady presented by Bob and Norma Fox and the NRCHA Awarded: Approximately 1996
This unique award, that is no longer in existence, was awarded to the highest scoring lady of the Open and Non Pro divisions of the Snaffle Bit Futurity®. A description from the 2001 Snaffle Bit Futurity Program reads:
“In the past four years, these two awards have become coveted honors. Designed by Waterford Crystal in the tradition of those given to NFL Superbowl and PGA Champions, the exquisite trophies are sparkling tributes to athletic accomplishments. The Open Champion will receive a ten-inch Crystal Bowl sponsored by the NRCHA. Bob and Norma Fox present the high-scoring Non Pro lady winner with a nine-inch bowl. Both trophies are specially designed and created by Ireland Waterford’s master craftsman and each contains an inscription that includes the NRCHA logo.”
Well-known judge Morey Leavitt is the namesake of a perpetual trophy presented to the highscoring horse in the preliminary open cow work at the Snaffle Bit Futurity. An excerpt from the 2001 Snaffle Bit Futurity® Program reads:
“Morey Leavitt was a driving force in the Quarter Horse world for over 20 years and his devotion to the cutting, pleasure and snaffle bit industries was evident both in and out of the arena. A top horse trainer, Leavitt won multiple futurities and Pacific Coast titles and trained many champion reining, cutting and western pleasure horses. He especially loved the cow horse events and was an incredible teacher who taught many of the trainers and non pros who excel in the sport today. A cattleman at heart, he loved raising Limousin and crossbred cattle, and ultimately became a fulltime rancher. But whether on the ranch, or competing in the arena or encouraging a friend, he was a big man with even a bigger heart for helping others. His sense of humor, knowledge of the horse and cattle industries and his willingness to share with others made this hard-working man a treasure to his friends and associates.”
Starting 1995, the family of Morey Leavitt presented the special award in his honor for a number of years. The specialty commissioned bronze is a perpetual trophy created by the famed creator Mehl Lawson.
Russell Dilday receives the trophy in 2006 from then-NRCHA President Dan Roeser.
KEITH CHRISTIE PERPETUAL BRONZE – Snaffle Bit Futurity® Open Champion presented by Keith Christie Awarded: 1991 to present
Another award originally sponsored by Ralph and Mickey Gragg, the Keith Christie Perpetual Bronze trophy is inscribed with the Snaffle Bit Futurity® Open Champion’s names annually. It is believed these trophies began as the high scoring cow work trophy; over the years, the award recognized the overall champion. The large trophy was known to be presented by Keith Christie of Browns Valley, California, in 2011.
KEITH CHRISTIE PERPETUAL BRONZE TROPHY – Snaffle Bit Futurity® Non Pro Champion
Awarded: Unknown originating date to present
Keith Christie of Browns Valley, California, Peter Bennett, and Ken and Lyn Anderson of Madera, California, presented the preliminary high score Non Pro cow work winner with the Keith Christie Perpetual Bronze. It is believed these trophies began as the high scoring cow work trophy; over the years, the award recognized the overall champion.
RUNAWAY CREEK OUTSTANDING BRIDLE MARE AWARD
– Snaffle Bit Futurity® Open Bridle Champion Mare presented by Runaway Creek Awarded: 2007 to present
As any true cow horse fan knows, the Open Bridle held during the Snaffle Bit Futurity® is one of the most highly anticipated events of the year. The Open Bridle class was added to the Snaffle Bit Futurity in 1974. Originally, only past Snaffle Bit Futurity entrants were eligible to enter the class. The first Open Bridle class had nine entries running off for a $1,000-added purse and Les Vogt rode the great mare Wrong Key (Salero Bar x Palm Sunday) to the title. Just a few years prior, Vogt and Wrong Key tied Bobby Ingersoll and Leocita Chex for the first Snaffle Bit Futurity title. The award was not named for the Runaway Creek Outstanding Bridle Mare until 2007, though.
Bert and Lori Hornback, from Southern California, worked with sculpture designer CR Morrison to create a beautiful and unique perpetual bronze. The Hornbacks owned the 2006 Open Bridle Champion mare, Smart Plain Pep (Smart Little Pepinic x Miss Plain Dual) shown by NRCHA professional Tim Unzicker. Since the induction of the Open Bridle to the Snaffle Bit Futurity, 13 mares have captured the coveted title. The last mare to receive the award was Very Smart Choice (Very Smart Remedy x Magical Lena x Little Lenas Legend, owned by Rocking BS Ranch, ridden by Lance Johnston in the class in 2018.
In 2019, Rocking BS Ranch owned 3-year-old won the Snaffle Bit Futurity, earning the Keith Christie Perpetual Bronze. Brent Stewart (to the left of the horse) holds the trophy.
In 2019, Debbie Crafton earned the Non Pro win, and pictured here holding the trophy is Crafton’s daughter, Lori Frampton-Crafton.
In 2006, trainer Tim Unzicker rode Smart Plain Pep to the Open Bridle win, and the following year, the mare’s owners created the award.
HORNS
In oducing the
The Texas Dally horn is roper-friendly and tall enough to go down the fence or cut on. Or choose from our #21, DL or Cutter OD horns.
Front end height
Choose the height of your front end: 8”, 8 1/2” or 9” tall.
NEXT-GEN COWHORSE
Newly designed close-contact skirts combine with a 2 3/4” cantle and a Texas Dally horn for our newest generation of cowhorse saddle.
seat savvy
start with THE FOUNDATION
Our di erent bar styles give us the ability to fit a wide range of horses.
fender design
Though we have multiple fender designs, we often use the Ft. Worth (pictured), KR or Avila. Make sure you have the correct fender length for optimal leg position.
Choice of seat style—Texas Cutter, DL or California—and seat padding including slick seat or single padded.
B20-079
Cantle height
Choose between a 2 3/4” (pictured), 3”, 3 1/4” or 3 1/2” cantle height.
skirt & cut-up
Our new Weatherford skirt pattern features a large, close-contact cut-up.
NATIONAL REINED COW HORSE ASSOCIATION
CORPORATE PARTNERS
MARS Equestrian™ Sponsorship by Mars, Incorporated, is the link between our iconic brands and the equestrian community. For generations, Mars has celebrated a rich equestrian heritage, and through purposeful partnerships, MARS Equestrian™ is committed to the sport and building an enduring legacy. From world-class competitions across all equestrian disciplines, to stewarding the power of horses on society and sustainability, MARS Equestrian™ is dedicated to our purpose to improve the lives of horses, pets, and the people who love them.
As the official equine insurance company for the NRCHA, Markel has provided uninterrupted coverage for horses and horse-related risks for over four decades. Sharing your passion for horses and committed to the horse industry, Markel is an experienced company whose associates are horse people first and insurance people second. Their insurance products focus on protecting your horses, home, barn, tack and equipment. Whether you have one horse or an entire stable, board or train horses, Markel can fully protect you. Visit www. horseinsurance.com for more information on Markel’s products.
Platinum Performance is the Official Nutritional Supplement of the NRCHA! Platinum Performance, Inc. is the manufacturer of Platinum Performance Equine Wellness and Performance Formula, a comprehensive supplement rich in Omega-3 fatty acids, bioavailable trace minerals, amino acids and joint protective anti-inflammatory nutrients. This formula is designed to support the immune system, joints, bones, muscles, and provide sustained energy and enhanced performance. It is excellent for performance horses of all ages, broodmares, stallions and foals. Platinum Performance nutritional supplements were originally developed to decrease rehabilitation time after orthopedic surgeries, to speed bone growth and tissue healing, and reduce swelling complications. For more information, visit Platinum Performance at our website at www.PlatinumPerformance. com.
San Juan Ranch, a Division of Santa Cruz Animal Health, is rapidly becoming an industry leader in the distribution and development of Veterinary and Animal Health Care Products. As the official animal health and breeding supplier of the NRCHA, the company offers a wide range of products for the optimal care of performance horses, livestock and companion animals. The Animal Health product line includes a comprehensive, high-quality, affordable line of UltraCruz™Animal Health Supplements for horses, dogs and cats.
PEDIGREE® Food for Dogs. Everything we do is for the love of dogs. As the world’s largest dog food brand, our passion is to make the world a better place for dogs. We champion causes to help dogs find loving homes, and we are dedicated to understanding dogs’ needs to make sure every dog is fed well, because every dog deserves great nutrition. PEDIGREE® products include a wide variety of treats including DENTASTIX®, MARROBONE®, and JUMBONE®. PEDIGREE® brand is proud to be a corporate partner and the Official Pet Food of the National Reined Cow Horse Association. To find out more about PEDIGREE® brand visit www.pedigree.com.
Marty and Dustin Latta wanted to create a brand that creates custom items that are truly a legacy so that the items could be passed down from generation to generation. The Western Legacy Co. creates legacy items such as custom hats, custom boots, custom bags, custom belts and custom sports coats. All of our products are truly custom made with the best quality. We are proud to be a Texas legacy brand that is owned by a father and son duo. Legacies are earned, not bought.
Dennis Moreland of Dennis Moreland Tack started his hand made tack business when he was a young cowboy. He realized there was a need for safe, well made, functional horse tack to be readily available to horsemen & horsewomen. This is Dennis’s 41st anniversary in the handmade tack business! He works closely with professional trainers and horsemen to design and test his equipment for functionality, fit and durability. From bridles to cinches, horse bits to spurs, he works hard to make this the best tack you’ve ever ridden. You can find everything you need for your horse at www.DMTack.com.
Quarter Horse News is one of the most visible information vehicles in the horse world. Quarter Horse News – the News Magazine of the Performance Horse industry - is the only twice-monthly news magazine dedicated to the Western horse industry. For information visit the website at www.quarterhorsenews.com.
The Saddle House is proud to offer the finest collection of quality cow horse saddles and gear. Our Saddle House Custom Saddles are all handcrafted in Texas from the finest materials and ridden by top hands all over the country. We offer an impressive selection of hackamores, romels reins, bits, chaps and leather goods from the top makers. Owner Adam Schwalm is an active cow horse competitor and knows what you need to succeed the show pen or the branding pen. Visit www.thesaddlehouse.com.
Team up with Classic Equine and PLAY TO WIN! Classic Equine is the official horse boot and saddle pad brand of the NRCHA, and there is a reason we are the standard equipment of performance champions. Just ask the professionals. Serious competitors care about their horse’s health and soundness. Classic Equine offers a variety of innovative and protective products including saddle pads, cinches, support boots and bell boots. All products are manufactured to the highest standards for quality and value. After all, the creation of a product line that satisfies the serious competitor’s high expectations of performance is what Classic Equine is all about. With input from many of today’s leading riders, each product is designed and tested for function, fit, durability and value. That is why when it comes to the horse’s protection and comfort for training and competition, champions prefer Classic Equine. For more information visit our website at www.classicequine.com or call 1-800-654-7864.
We at Martin Saddlery are dedicated to giving you the most fit, function and value in a saddle. Martin saddles are built by professionals, for professionals. Our saddles are designed to provide a better fit for your horse and specialized by discipline with the rider’s needs in mind. Each Martin saddle is hand-crafted and individually assembled by the finest of craftsmen. Often imitated, never matched. www.MartinSaddlery.com
Jeff Smith’s Custom Saddles offers you quality and affordable products you can count on. There specialized Cutting, Ranch Cutters, Cow Horse and Cowboy saddles are made with the finest Hermann Oak Leather and American made materials and workmanship by saddle makers with 36 years of custom western tack manufacturing. Go to www. JeffSmithsCustomSaddles.com to shop online, and to follow them on Facebook and Instagram.
DT Horses, “The Elite Brand,” owned and operated by Dean and Leslie Tuftin, is located in beautiful Bend, Oregon. They are proud to be the presenting sponsor of the NRCHA World’s Greatest Horseman. Already an established breeding and training program for world champion rope horses, DT Horses has strengthened its reined cow horse industry presence with the addition of NRCHA Champion Hickory Holly Time to its stallion roster in 2016. Under the guidance of DT Horses’ resident trainer, leading NRCHA Professional Kelby Phillips, the DT Horses program seeks out the best genetics in the performance horse industry, to create versatile champions for every arena. Find them on the web at www.DTHorses.com.
The Nutro Company is a leading manufacturer of natural pet food products sold exclusively at pet specialty stores, and the Official Pet Food food of the National Reined Cow Horse Association. The company has been making premium pet food for more than 80 years and is dedicated to quality, excellence and innovation in dog and cat nutrition offering healthful formulas for every pet’s life stage, activity level and size. The Nutro Company’s family of brands includes MAX® dog and cat food, NATURAL CHOICE® dog and cat food, and ULTRA™ food for dogs in addition to the GREENIES® brands, which include the #1 veterinary recommended pet specialty dental chews, and PILL POCKETS® and JOINT CARE® treats. For more information, please visit www.thenutrocompany.com and www.greenies.com.
For animals, health and happiness go hand in hand. Both are a result of the quality of care they get from owners raising them to be their best. And much of that comes from the quality nutrition they’re being fed. Our feed sustains the animals you care for. What’s inside them, literally, counts. That’s why our feed isn’t just grown—it’s crafted. Real science goes into putting the nutrients animals need into each Nutrena® feed product. Because, what’s inside the feed counts. Since 1921, we’ve been making Nutrena horse feeds that are specially developed to provide the right blend of nutrition and energy for your horses at every age and activity level. Whether you’re caring for working horses, hard keepers, or athletes, there’s a Nutrena horse feed that’s right for them. To find the right product that matches your horses’ needs, visit us at www.nutrenaworld.com.
Nutrena is proud to be the Official Equine Feed of AQHA, WPRA, and an AAEP Educational Partner as well as the Official Feed of the NRCHA. “What’s Inside Counts.”
American Paint Horse Association - Marked For Greatness! We inspire, nurture, promote and provide meaningful experiences to generations interested in preserving the versatile Paint Horse. The APHA is proud to be an alliance partner of the National Reined Cow Horse Association. Learn more about the breed and the benefits of membership at www.APHA.com.
The NRCHA is happy to continue our partnership with Shorty’s Caboy Hattery. Shorty’s takes pride in creating custom hats, hand-made with dedication to the true tradition of the Western cowboy. The entire Shorty’s team stands by the value and tradition that defines the spirit of cowboys and cowgirls everywhere. They make cowboy hats the right way: from top-quality materials and loving care in every hat. Find them on the web at shortyshattery.com.
Wear Cinch to Win! It’s the Official Clothing of the NRCHA! Lead...don’t follow and wear the choice of champions - Cinch jeans and shirts. When performance counts, the members of the NRCHA turn to Cinch jeans. Cinch is the brand of choice for some of the world’s best horse trainers like Bob Avila, Teddy Robinson and Todd Bergen. Why? Because Cinch jeans offer the kind of fit and comfort that allow riders to focus on the work at hand. Plus Cinch jeans and shirts always look good. You’ll find Cinch jeans and shirts at your favorite Western store or via catalog. Or, visit www. cinchjeans.com to find the retailer nearest you. “Cinch up” with Cinch jeans and shirts. Wear the choice of champions.
Complete oral care is important for your dog’s total body health and can add years to their lifespan. GREENIES™ Canine Dental Chews are proven to clean dogs’ teeth by fighting both plaque and tartar buildup, freshening breath, and maintaining healthier teeth and gums. Designed for daily treating, our dental chews are low in fat and nutritionally complete for adult dogs.
Don Rich Custom Saddles are specifically designed for use in the Western performance horse industry with an emphasis on reined cow horse, cutting, ranch horse, and reining events. Choose from our beautiful selection of saddles in stock, or place a custom order.
The American Quarter Horse Association, located in Amarillo, Texas, is the world’s largest equine breed registry and membership organization.
AQHA members share a passion for the American Quarter Horse and the vast lifestyle created by the world’s most popular horse. The AQHA is an alliance partner of the National Reined Cow Horse Association. Explore the AQHA’s many resources on the web at www.AQHA.com.
Gist Silversmiths: Crafting a Legend Piece by Piece - Gist Silversmiths is proud of its partnership with the NRCHA as its “Official Silversmith”. For 40 years, Gist has been considered the industry leader in customized trophy and award buckles for champions of all disciplines. Gist Silversmiths believes there is no substitute for the finest in quality, superior craftsmanship and reliable service. Attention to detail is evident in each of their finely sculpted motifs and logos; quality enhanced by unique buckle designs. An award buckle is presented to commemorate a significant achievement and each recipient should be honored with a buckle reflecting the pride of a champion. For more information, visit the Gist Silversmiths website at www.gistsilversmiths.com.
Discount Tire, based in Scottsdale, is the world’s largest independent retailer of tires and wheels. Founded in 1960 by Bruce Halle, they serve customers at more than 1,000 stores in 35 states. The company does business under the trade name Discount Tire in most of the U.S., America’s Tire in parts of California, and Discount Tire Direct in markets outside the reach of retail stores. Discount Tire is a primary sponsor of the No. 2 Ford Mustang driven by Brad Keselowski in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series and the No. 22 Ford Mustang driven by Austin Cindric in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. Discount Tire is also the official wheel and tire retailer of Monster Energy AMA Supercross. For more information, visit discounttire.com
Bloomer is the “Official Horse Trailer” of the NRCHA. Bloomer Trailers has raised the bar in the horse trailer industry. “If you can dream it, we can build it,” is the company slogan. Bloomer offers the highest quality standards of any trailer manufacturer and backs it up with a 10 year structural warranty. For information, see your local Bloomer Trailer dealer or visit www.bloomertrailers.com.
Rios of Mercedes, the Official Boot of the National Reined Cow Horse Association, is one of the last truly handmade all leather boots produced in the United States. There is no secret to making top quality boots. All you need is the finest leather and true bootmakers with years of experience and the desire to be the best at their craft. Rios has remained true to its roots by making boots for folks who are involved in performance and working horses, raise livestock and in general make their living outdoors. Rios has never cheapened their product by taking shortcuts, lowering standards or chasing fashion trends. We make boots for people who know what a pair of boots is intended for: all day comfort whether horseback or afoot. Visit www.riosofmercedes.com to see some of the styles we offer through our retailers.
Bob’s Custom Saddles are ridden and endorsed by the best of the best in competitive Western riding sports today. Our superior craftsmanship and attention to detail have made our reining, barrel racing, cutting, roping, ranch, trail and show saddles the preferred choice of professional riders from around the world. Saddle up with us on the web at www.BobsCustomSaddles.com.
STAY SAFE!
Have you ever seen an accident caused by a latigo or offbillet breaking? Too many people have stories of totally preventable falls from worn out latigos or billets, as some call the piece of leather used to hold the saddle in place. It doesn’t matter if they’re made of leather or nylon; they will wear out someday.
Checking latigos for wear is important but often overlooked or forgotten, especially the off-side latigo. The off side rarely gets adjusted so it isn’t handled often. It’s under your fender where it’s not easy to see unless you make a point of looking at it. If you have young kids, make sure to check their latigos too.
Inspect the entire strap for weak spots and age. Make sure the leather is pliable. Look for elongation of the holes in the straps. It’s especially important to check for wear where the cinch buckle attaches to the latigo or double-off. It’s equally important to check where it’s folded over the D-ring of your saddle. These are the spots where the most pressure is applied. If there are any problems, replace the strap(s) immediately.
Since the double-off latigo doesn’t need to come on and off very often, a person doesn’t get much practice attaching a new one. To be safe, you want to attach it to the off-side saddle D-ring, so the leather is doubled over. It’s not as safe to simply thread it onto your saddle D-ring. That will leave you with only a single piece of leather holding your saddle on. Follow along in the guideline to learn how to attach your double-off latigo.
1. Thread it onto the ring of your cinch buckle. Make sure the ends are even.
2. Run the doubled ends through your saddle’s D-ring. Go from outside to inside, keeping both sides even.
3. Bring the ends back through the cinch buckle ring, going from inside to outside. Place the buckle tongue in the desired holes. Make sure the tongue goes through the same holes on each side of the folded latigo. Pull the cinch down so the buckle tongue is against the leather.
4. Tuck the ends through the keeper on your cinch so they’ll be out of your way.
It’s a good idea to look at your latigos every time you ride. A hop, buck, quick turn on a cow or just any movement can apply a moment of extra pressure to the strap. If they’re worn or the leather or nylon is old, they may break. Leather latigos should be cleaned with saddle soap regularly. This is one piece of tack you really depend on!
Susan S. Abel Lamoille NV
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