Five More Riders Qualified for The Run For A Million

The National Reined Cow Horse Association (NRCHA) announced the top five riders who qualified for The Run For A Million Cow Horse Event during the Kimes Ranch Western Derby qualifier.

During the Scottsdale qualifier, it took a composite score of a 442.5 to earn a qualified spot in the upcoming Run For A Million cow horse competition. Randy Paul earned his second trip to Las Vegas aboard Linda Katz’s CD Highlights. Paul and CD Highlights topped the qualifier with a 445.5.

Following the rein work on Monday, June 5, Paul and CD Highlights sat just inside the top 20 with a 219.5. Paul knew he would have to have a solid cow work to get a spot in the top 5. Marking a massive 226 on the cow, Paul secured the number one spot and earned a check for $7,500.

The four additional riders who secured their spot at the Las Vegas qualifier are Snaffle Bit Futurity® Champion and World’s Greatest Horseman Champion, Boyd Rice of Weatherford, Texas, NRCHA Million Dollar rider and multiple World’s Greatest Horseman champion, Ron Ralls from Gainesville, Texas, NRCHA Million Dollar Rider and The American Performance Horseman champion, Sarah Dawson from Perrin, Texas, and Shawn Hays.

The NRCHA will take five riders from the final qualifier at the MARS Equestrian™ Hackamore Classic presented by Oswood Stallion Station in Tulsa, Okla., July 24-30.

Tanya Tucker Makes History at Grand Ole Opry by Riding a Horse Onto the Stage

Tanya Tucker made a triumphant — and historic — entrance onto Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry stage, as she was seated astride a black Friesian Stallion named Lauwe the Magnificent to sing her opening song during the broadcast.

According to Grand Ole Opry historians, it is believed to be the first time a horse has been ridden onstage during a Grand Ole Opry broadcast in the show’s 97-year history.

On horseback, the Country Music Hall of Fame inductee-elect opened her set with “Kindness,” from her just-released album, Sweet Western Sound. The remainder of her set included another duo of selections from the project — “The List” and “When the Rodeo Is Over” — and such classics as “Delta Dawn,” “Texas (When I Die)” and “Strong Enough to Bend,” the latter of which saw her joined by illustrious bluegrass duo Dailey & Vincent and Pam Tillis, who was inducted as an Opry member in 2000.

Tucker rode the same stallion that she previously guided through the streets of Nashville in early April, just hours after the revelation that she had been named as a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame, and the announcement of her two headlining shows at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium.

The Opry event happened courtesy of a team that worked to make the moment possible, including Tucker’s management team, Lauwe the Magnificent’s owner Annika Bruggeworth (of Kentucky’s Siren Song Stables), and the Grand Ole Opry’s executive producer Dan Rogers.

Tucker’s horseback entrance is also on-brand for the singersongwriter, who has long been known for her passion for horses. The cover of her new album, Sweet Western Sound, features a horse, while the cover of her previous Grammy-winning project, While I’m Livin’, also features Tucker on horseback.

In early April, Tucker was bestowed with one of country music’s highest honors, as she was named as a 2023 inductee into the Country Music Hall of Fame, alongside Patty Loveless and songwriter Bob McDill. A formal induction ceremony will take place this fall.