///////// MILLION DOLLAR CLUB
THE TWO MILLION DOLLAR MAN:
JAKE TELFORD Jake Telford’s success in 2021 pushed him over the earnings mark and made him the fourth rider in an elite group. Interview by Kate Bradley Byars
70 JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2022 | REINED COW HORSE NEWS
He first became familiar with cow horses when he swung a leg over one trained by NRCHA Hall of Fame member and trainer Dan Roeser, also from Idaho. “I was helping Dan Roeser by showing his horses in the roping. He showed a lot of all-around horses at that time. He would show halter, reining, cow horse, then I would rope on them,” Telford explained. “For me, it started out as a way for me to get my rope horses broke better. Dan’s horses felt better than mine, handled better than mine, and I felt I needed to learn how to train that way.” Instead of embarking on an apprenticeship, Telford purchased a 2-year-old and started training it himself. A method, he says, that was not the ideal way to do it. “I did it the wrong way, trying to figure it out myself,” he laughed. “I was starting colts for Dee Craig, who introduced me to Anne Reynolds. Her horses were on another level. She is who showed me the process of how to do reined cow horse. “She and I got to be friends and she’s responsible for introducing me to Todd Bergen, Jon Roeser and Ron Ralls. Those people helped me a lot, too, but in the beginning, Anne is responsible for introducing me to the right people.” Today, Telford is on the level of many of the riders who helped him kickstart his career. Here, NRCHA’s Reined Cow Horse News gets to the nitty-gritty with the $2 million dollar man.
PRIMO MORALES
ake Telford didn’t set his sights on becoming a reined cow horse trainer until he was in his mid-20s, after training rope horses. The Caldwell, Idaho, trainer’s résumé boasts not only a National Reined Cow Horse Association Snaffle Bit Futurity® Open Champion title, but now he can also list NRCHA Two Million Dollar Rider. He achieved the milestone nine years after becoming an NRCHA Million Dollar Rider and now, as of December 15, 2021, has NRCHA earnings of $2,019,626.92. There are only three other riders in the elite club, and all stamped their place in the cow horse industry through hard work, perseverance and sustained success. “It is so competitive anymore; there is a lot of luck involved—the right draw, the right cow and so many other factors,” Telford said. “I don’t feel like I show better than anyone else but have had some good luck. That, and I’ve stuck to it for long enough.” Telford, who turns 50 years old in January of 2022, has approximately 25 years in the industry. A father to two daughters, Sierra and Shawny, Telford is a fixture at NRCHA premier events, and at high school rodeos helping his two daughters. Sierra rode to the reserve title at the 2021 National High School Finals Rodeo with Telford coaching her in the reined cow horse.
