NRCHA News

THE RUN FOR A MILLION PARTNERS WITH NRCHA TO ANNOUNCE THE COW HORSE CHALLENGE AND COWBOY INVITATIONAL FOR 2022

This August 17-20, in Las Vegas, Nevada, The Run For A Million turns up the reined cow horse heat to not only include the open Cow Horse Challenge, but also showcase the roots of reined cow horse with a Cowboy Invitational.

“The cow horse was a fan favorite at The Run For A Million in 2021,” said Taylor Sheridan, producer of The Run For A Million. “In 2022 we’ll be doubling down on cow horse, bringing you the very best National Reined Cow Horse Association bridle horses and professionals in the Cow Horse Challenge, and some of the best hands from America’s biggest ranches in the Cowboy Invitational.”

At the 2022 Cow Horse Challenge, which is expected to boast at least equal added money to the 2021 event, riders will have an opportunity to qualify at one of two qualifiers NRCHA will host on behalf of The Run For A Million. These qualifiers will be run concurrently with the Open Bridle classes at the Teton Ridge Stallion Stakes in Las Vegas in March and the DT Horses Western Derby in Scottsdale, Arizona, in June.

The qualifier events will be an addon to the Open Bridle and will have a $1,000 entry fee with $5,000 added money from The Run For A Million at each. The top eight riders at each event will earn an invitation to The Run For A Million Cow Horse Challenge, plus a custom qualifier knife from Gist Silversmiths, an NRCHA Corporate Partner, courtesy of The Run For A Million. At these events, the rider earns the qualification, not the horse. Each rider can qualify only once, and does not need to show at The Run For A Million on the same horse he or she rode to qualify. NRCHA will announce the riders’ picks prior to the event through its social media channels.

In August, cowboys will be coming to town with the Cowboy Invitational at The Run For A Million. Using the NRCHA Cowboy Class format, the competitors in the Invitational will complete traditional reining and cow work, and then come back for a second turn in the arena for steer stopping.

“Reined cow horse grew into a competitive sport from the traditional vaquero way of training a horse to work cattle on a ranch,” said NRCHA Executive Director Anna Morrison. “The connection between our sport and the ranching traditions we grew from is alive and well. This is where we started, and this event will more than showcase how rooted cow horse still is in ranch life.”

Before riding for the $25,000 in added money at The Run For A Million in Las Vegas, cowboys from some of the United States’ most historic ranches will be invited to a Cowboy Clinic to freshen up their skills. The following historic ranches are among those invited to send cowboys for the inaugural event: 6666 Ranch, Guthrie, Texas; Bogle Ltd., Dexter, New Mexico; R.A. Brown Ranch, Throckmorton, Texas; King Ranch, Kingsville, Texas; San Lucas Ranch, Santa Ynez, California; Singleton Ranches, Lamy, New Mexico; Stuart Ranch, Caddo, Oklahoma; Tongue River Ranch, Dumont, Texas; Wagonhound Land & Livestock, Douglas, Wyoming; and Waggoner Ranch, Vernon, Texas. Keep an eye on nrcha.com for updates on who will throw a hat in the ring in Las Vegas.

The NRCHA is excited to support The Run For A Million as the sanctioning body and partner for the reined cow horse portions of the competition. At the event, the NRCHA will host autograph sessions with the 16 qualified Cow Horse Challenge riders and the Cowboy Invitational riders, where event attendees can get to know reined cow horse’s brightest stars and connect with our ranching roots.

For more information on the event or how to purchase tickets, visit trfam. com.

ONE TIME PEPTO ACHIEVES $4 MILLION DOLLAR SIRE STATUS

The elite list of horses that have achieved $4 Million Dollar Sire status in the National Reined Cow Horse Association now totals three with the inclusion of One Time Pepto. As of January 5, 2022, the red roan stallion, owned by Matthews Cutting Horses, has sired NRCHA earners of more than $4,078,998.37*.

Since 2002, Jeffrey and Sheri Matthews of North Carolina have owned the 2001 stallion sired by Peptoboonsmal and out of One Time Soon, by Smart Little Lena, and bred by David and Clare Capps. When the horse achieved NRCHA Million Dollar Sire status in 2014, there were only 61 NRCHA earners to his credit. Now, 232 offspring have contributed to the stallion’s astounding $4 million mark. The foals continue their sire’s show pen success, where under trainer Matt Gaines, One Time Pepto earned more than $330,000 in the cutting pen.

“To have the cow horse guys accept this horse and have him fit their needs, as well as the cutting, is more than we ever dreamed of,” said Jeffrey Matthews. “At 20 years old, he is still breeding, but now the One Time Pepto broodmares are really emerging as a desirable bottom side for multiple crosses. You have to have it all for a broodmare: bone, look and eye appeal.”

The sire’s top offspring include household names in the reined cow horse industry, including 2013 NRCHA Snaffle Bit Futurity® Open Champion Time For The Diamond (out of Diamonds With Style) with $1339,580.17, 2012 NRCHA Snaffle Bit Futurity Open Reserve Champion This One Time (out of Katies Starlight) with $158,969.39 and the 2018 World’s Greatest Horseman Champion Hickory Holly Time (out of Hickorys Holly Cee) with $228,563.40. However, Rubys Radar (out of Ruby Begonia) takes the top spot in One Time Pepto’s offspring earnings with $258,138.98 and the title of the 2021 The Run For A Million Fence Challenge Champion.

The stallion has seven offspring with more than $100,000 in earnings, and the total continues to climb. Additionally, One Time Pepto has National Cutting Horse Association offspring with earnings that put him as the No. 5 leading sire.

“We are excited and this is very special to us,” said Sheri Matthews. “It is especially close to our heart since the cow horse has run deep in our lives.”

As an NRCHA Breeder Sponsor with solid support for NRCHA through the years, the Matthews also help the popular Rodear National Finals that is held during the Snaffle Bit Futurity.

“There are only three stallions that have reached the $4 million sire milestone with NRCHA and made such a big impact on our association through their offspring,” said NRCHA Executive Director Anna Morrison. “The Matthews are staunch NRCHA supporters, and we’re proud to celebrate this exciting achievement with them.”

For more information on the NRCHA Million Dollar Sires, visit nrcha.com.

*February 1, 2022

SARAH DAWSON JOINS NRCHA MILLION DOLLAR CLUB

By Callie McCarthy-Boevers

The National Reined Cow Horse Association welcomes Sarah Dawson of Perrin, Texas, into the prestigious NRCHA Million Dollar Rider Club. Dawson crossed the million-dollar mark following her win at the 2022 Tres Osos Cow Horse Derby in Fort Worth, Texas, aboard Selvarey. She is one of the youngest to achieve this milestone. Her Million Dollar Rider banner was revealed during the 2022 Kalpowar Quarter Horses Celebration of Champions when she was named the Tres Osos Cow Horse Derby Open Champion.

“To reach the million-dollar mark you have to have a lot of great horses and success on a lot of different kinds of horses,” Dawson said. “As a horseman, for me, that is much more notable than winning a single show.”

When asked about the horses that have made this milestone possible, Dawson said there were two that stood out the most: Shine Smarter and Selvarey. Shine Smarter (by WR This Cats Smart), owned by Linda Mars, is a 2012 mare that took Dawson to her first Snaffle Bit Futurity® Open Finals. Selvarey, a 2017 mare by Dual Rey owned by Sheri Jamieson, helped Dawson win the 2020 Snaffle Bit Futurity, making her the second woman in history to win the event.

“I owe everything to that mare [Shine Smarter], as far as getting the opportunity to ride the horses I have today,” Dawson said.

As of February 15, Dawson has $1,042,221 in reined cow horse earnings. Dawson thanked her husband, Chris, for helping her achieve this goal, along with the owners who have allowed her to ride their horses.

“Chris has been so instrumental in my success,” Dawson said. “He is my biggest supporter and the best set of eyes I have on me, both in and out of the arena.”

Since its inception in 2006, the NRCHA Million Dollar Club has inducted 22 riders. Dawson joins her husband in the elite list and also becomes the second woman in history to achieve this title.

Find more information regarding the NRCHA Million Dollar Club online at nrcha.com/nrcha-million-dollar-club.

PRIMO MORALES

Show here following her 2020 Snaffle Bit Futurity® Open Championship with Selvarey, Sarah Dawson rode the mare to cross yet another milestone in 2022.

THE ANIMAL 2022 SPECIAL:

NRCHA LAUNCHES SCORING, ENTRY SYSTEMS WITH CORPORATE PARTNER SUPPORT

Entries in National Reined Cow Horse Association events across the country continue to rise, and the association’s premier events are no different. That influx of interest fueled the creation of a specialized online entry program to ease the burden of time entering and managing entries—NRCHA CowHorse+. Once entered, related program NRCHA Scoring provides premier event draws, scores and results throughout the event in real-time.

“At the Stallion Stakes in 2021, NRCHA launched its first public interface for our real-time draws, scores and results system,” said Anna Morrison, NRCHA executive director. “We continued to improve the system as the 2021 show season progressed, and now the NRCHA Scoring platform provides a brand new way to look at NRCHA premier event entries, whether you’re interested in exploring by horse, rider, sire, dam, owner or breeder!”

The scoring platform garnered the attention of Cindy Perez, owner of 2014 stallion The Animal (Cat Ichi x My Little Abra x Abrakadabracre), a National Cutting Horse Association Summer Spectacular Open Derby Champion as well as an NCHA Open Futurity Reserve Champion. Perez’s own interest in communications systems through her company, Cat5 Resources, peaked watching NRCHA Scoring assist in communicating information quickly

and correctly to reined cow horse fans. Now, Perez backs the cow horse community as a Corporate Sponsor through NRCHA Scoring powered by The Animal.

“We support the NRCHA because they are an organization that is continually trying to stay ahead of the curve, and NRCHA Scoring powered by The Animal is just another example of that,” Perez said. “Along with that, their extremely well-produced events draw people from every Western performance discipline and Western performance enthusiasts from all over the country! It is a great opportunity to capture the attention of such a diverse audience. Finally, we will always continue to support those who strive to support us!” Online entry to NRCHA premier events began with the 2022 Kalpowar Quarter Horses Celebration of Champions in January 2022 through NRCHA CowHorse+. The custom program offered NRCHA members a quick and efficient way to enter one or multiple horses in the show, and the information was easily integrated into the association’s scoring program. “There was resounding positive feedback on the speed at which our members could enter this event, whether they did so on a laptop or on their phone,” said Emily Konkel, NRCHA premier event manager. “Paper forms have been the norm in our industry, creating a massive amount of manual data entry. With CowHorse+ the information is literally at our fingertips and in our systems in

THEONLY LIVING STALLION

To be Sired by an NCHA Open Futurity CHAMPION

To be an NCHA Open To be an NCHA Open Futurity CHAMPION Futurity CHAMPION To have Sired an NCHA To have Sired an NCHA Open Futurity CHAMPION Open Futurity CHAMPION

fultsranch.com

EMPTY SADDLES

Longtime NRCHA supporter Billie Filippini passed away in 2021.

Billie DeLong Filippini was born in November of 1940 on a ranch in northern Nevada, and her life still revolved around horses and ranching when she passed away October 28, 2021. Filippini and her late husband, John, married in 1964 and worked on the family ranch with their children. Her roots were in ranching and, understandably, horses.

While best known to National Reined Cow Horse Association members as the force behind C Ranches, owner of 2010 red roan stallion Rubys Radar (One Time Pepto x Ruby Bagonia x Peppy San Badger), Filippini was an avid rider herself. In fact, she held NRCHA member number 39. Yes, 39. According to her obituary, she earned a National Cattlemen’s Association achievement award for 100,000 in the saddle.

NRCHA Million Dollar Rider Zane Davis piloted Rubys Radar for Filippini.

“I was training a horse for her son and she came to watch one day. I’d known the Filippini family a long time but that day was the first I met Billie. There were some 2-year-olds in a run and she said that if the roan came up for sale she wanted to buy it. As fate would have it, the owner had to liquidate his horses and she bought him right away, and it turned out to be Rubys Radar,” Davis recalled.

“She was diagnosed with cancer and they said she didn’t have long to live, but she lived 20 years after she bought the horse. She and the family always said the horse kept her alive. She got to watch him win a lot at a lot of places and was always really excited.”

Billie’s son, Jim Filippini, now owns Rubys Radar. A celebration of life was held November 11, 2021, for Filippini. The NRCHA offers condolences to family and friends of Billie Filippini. a click. Horses and riders are stored in the program, helping to eliminate minor spelling issues or other problems seen with the paper entry. It is revolutionizing our ability to manage entries, get them verified and them have the draws done and posted in NRCHA Scoring.”

Today, NRCHA’s intuitive CowHorse+ is powered by a historic brand, XIT Ranch. The original ranch was founded in the Texas Panhandle in 1885 and spanned 3 million acres. Today, third great-grandson of XIT founder John V. Farwell, Drew Knowles, and his wife Abby raise the highest quality beef cattle and Quarter Horses in Southern Colorado near the original XIT’s ranchlands. It was a logical fit for the XIT to lend support to NRCHA as a Corporate Partner.

“We believe in preserving ranching traditions and the Vaquero style of horsemanship,” said Knowles. “Supporting the NRCHA honors our family’s ranching legacy through the support of the next generation of riders, trainers, and equine athletes. It is an exciting time to be part of reined cow horse and we look forward to supporting the NRCHA for years to come.”

For the duration of the Kalpowar Quarter Horses Celebration of Champions, NRCHA Scoring powered by The Animal held the event draw, scores and results, and viewed at nrcha. com/scoring. CowHorse+ powered by XIT Ranch facilitated entry to the next premier event, the Teton Ridge Stallion Stakes, for which entries were gathered at nrchacowhorseplus.com.

For more information on The Animal, visit noordinaryanimal.com. The XIT Ranch information is at xitranch.com.

TRADE SECRETS

When an experienced horse anticipates your every move in the show pen, Randy Paul uses a few methods to keep it guessing.

By Katie Frank

Riding a “been there, done that” horse has its benefits: It doesn’t get frazzled by much, has a solid understanding of maneuver, and can take more responsibility in the show pen. But when a horse gets too confident or eager, the points you’re trying hard to earn can just as easily slip away. What starts as a controlled rundown turns into a runaway, and what used to be a perfectly timed lead change happens at the wrong time.

“It almost always happens in the show pen first,” said National Reined Cow Horse Association’s 2010 World’s Greatest Horseman Champion Randy Paul. “The horse starts to figure it out when you walk in there by yourself, and the lights are bright and the crowd is murmuring. They know what’s coming.”

The California horseman says while some horses are “sweet dummies” who only try to please, more athletic, hot horses tend to outsmart their riders.

“It’s the nature of the beast,” he said. “We teach a horse to anticipate by showing. If the horse has any smartness at all, and you run through the center and change leads four times in a row trying to win something, by the fifth time, he’s going to change on his own. He’s not trying to be bad; he’s just trying to do it because he knows it’s coming.”

CAROLYN SIMANCIK

Randy Paul trains bridle horses that last in the show pen.

To flip the script, Paul uses a few strategies at home and on the road to teach patience to his seasoned horses.

SWAPCIRCLES FOR Ds

Paul says there are three main maneuvers a horse will start to anticipate: the lead change, the rundown and the spin.

“Older horses typically anticipate the lead change, anticipate the rundown or jump into the turn instead of starting smooth.”

At this point in a horse’s career, it’s not about teaching how to do a maneuver. Instead, it’s instilling patience.

“I don’t like to ride through the center of the arena on a circle,” he said, adding that riding repeated circles only patterns the horse. “At home, I’ll do a lot of D-shaped circles. When I come through the center, I like to go straight and turn a 90-degree angle anywhere along the line and start a half-circle.

“I love making those tight turns because it helps your turning and keeps the horse wondering which direction you’ll ask.”

When loping on the long side of the D, Paul may ask the horse to set up for a lead change but not ever ask for it.

“Sometimes I’ll set them up to change, but then I’ll relax and go back to the circle [without changing leads]. Other times, I’ll ride them on the long side of

BET LUCKY 13

(Bet Hesa Cat - Miss Lucky Starlight, by Grays Starlight)

NRCHA Open Two Rein Reserve World

Champion & Non-Pro Two Rein Top 10

Owned by Robert & Allysn Light Shown by Todd Crawford/Allysn Light Bred by James L. Eakin

GAR SWEET TEA

(Bamacat - PG Selena, by Playgun) NRCHA Celebration of Champions Non-Pro Boxing Derby Reserve Champion

Owned & Shown by Julie A. Gibbons Bred by Mark R & Eva M Gardiner

SCR BETTHISTIME LTE: $47,269

(Bet Hesa Cat - PRF One Time Candi, by One Time Pepto) NRCHA World $5,000 Limited Non-Pro - 3rd & Limited Non-Pro - 8th

Owned by Sarco Creek Ranch • Shown by Heather Greeson Bred by Milton and Bridey Greeson

BET SHESA FANCY CAT LTE: $61,541

(Bet Hesa Cat - Real Hickory Smoke, by Lil Bit O Hickory) World’s Greatest Horseman Open Top 10

Owned by Bosque Ranch Performance Horses Shown by Kelby L. Phillips • Bred by Stan Snodgrass

MARTINIS BET 15 LTE: $25,169

(Bet Hesa Cat - Dual Martini, by Dual Rey) NRCHA World Non-Pro Two Rein - 4th

Owned & Shown by Birgit Self • Bred by James L. Eakin

BET HESA HONEYBEE

(Bet Hesa Cat - Honey Bees, by Peptoboonsmal) NRCHA Celebration Of Champions Lim. Non-Pro Derby - 4th & Inter. Non-Pro Derby - 7th

Owned by Tyrel And Ashley Lembke Shown by Ashley R. Lembke • Bred by Honeybee Partners LLC

BET HESA SCOTTI LTE: $26,026

(Bet Hesa Cat - Lenas Scotti, by Bobby Bo Badger) NRCHA World Novice Non-Pro Bridle - 11th

Owned & Shown by Brett Togni Pura Bred by Cowan Select Horses LLC

RPL BOON LTE: $28,724

(Boon Too Suen - RPL Ich This, by Cat Ichi) NRCHA Celebration Of Champions Select Non-Pro Boxing Derby - 3rd, Select Lim. NonPro Top 10 & Non-Pro Boxing Derby - 9/12th

Owned & Shown by Nancy J Winkelman Bred by Bobbie Arnold Atkinson

HESA DUAL BET LTE: $188,007

(Bet Hesa Cat - RJJ Miss Viagra Pep, by Dual Pep) NRCHA Open Hackamore Reserve World Champion

Owned by Teton Ridge • Shown by Corey D. Cushing Bred by Wilderness Stables & Tack Ltd DOUBLE BAMA GAMMA

(Bamacat - FMR Double the Pepto, by Peptoboonsmal) NRCHA Celebration of Champions Non-Pro Derby - 11th

Owned & Shown by Brent W. Ratliff Bred by Joel M. Colgrove Sr

AMARILLO ATTRACTION

(Playin Attraction - Seven in Vegas, by Seven From Heaven) World Limited Open Bridle - 4th

Owned & Bred by Burnett Ranches LLC Shown by Cotton Leathers

OUTSTANDING PLAYBOY

QUAHADI LTE:115,009

(Bet Hesa Cat - Ginnin Attraction, by Tanquery Gin) World’s Greatest Horseman Open Finalist & Herd Work Champion! Preliminaries Champion and the only horse to score above 220 in all events!

(Natural Bottom - Outstanding Future, by Tenino Badger) NRCHA World Lim. Open Hackamore - 5th

Owned by Knight Land And Cattle Co. Shown by George Leon Lewis Shown by George Leon Lewis Bred by Duane or Nancy Daniel Bred by Duane or Nancy Daniel

SUENS LITTLE CAT LTE: $77,974

(Boon Too Suen - Cant Track This Cat, by High Brow Cat) NRCHA World Non-Pro Bridle Top 10

Owned by Laney E. Fjelstad Shown by Kenneth J. Schueller Shown by Kenneth J. Schueller Bred by Jeremy Barwick and M. R. Austin Bred by Jeremy Barwick and M. R. Austin

JJ CAT O LENA LTE: $17,750

(Bet Hesa Cat - Christa Lena Hickory, by Doc’s Hickory) NRCHA Intercollegiate Chlg Res. Champion

Owned & Shown by Khyman Taylor Bred by Jamey Mazzotta

Owned & Bred by Burnett Ranches LLC Shown by Boyd J. Rice Shown by Boyd J. Rice FEE: $2,000

QUAHADI

SIRED BY

BAMACAT

(High Brow Cat - MH San Tules Dually, by San Tule Freckles) FEE: $2,000 + Chute Fee

BET HESA CAT

(High Brow Cat - Bet Yer Blu Boons, by Peptoboonsmal) FEE: $3,500 + Chute Fee

BOON TOO SUEN

(Peptoboonsmal - Meradas Little Sue, by Freckles Merada) FEE: $3,000 + Chute Fee

NATURAL BOTTOM

(Playboys Buck Fever - Natural, by Peppy San Badger) FEE: $1,000

PLAYIN ATTRACTION

(Playin Stylish - Ginnin Attraction, by Tanquery Gin) FEE: $1,500