NRCHA President’s Letter

COREY CUSHING

HESA DUAL BET 2021 OPEN HACKAMORE RESERVE WORLD CHAMPION LTE: $187,116.41 STANDING AT STUD FOR THE 2023 BREEDING SEASON

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FROM THE PRESIDENT

What a time we had in Las Vegas at the 2022 Teton Ridge Stallion Stakes! We saw more prize money for our best paying Stallion Stakes this year, and an amazing group of young horses! From those that sit and help in herd work, to the parents that assist in coordinating youth Corey Cushing, NRCHA president activities, to those who are helping out at all levels of the show to ensure people get their horses ridden, get to classes on time, and have a successful show, our National Reined Cow Horse Association thrives on support from volunteers and those that always pitch in. One of those is Debby Sanguinetti, who received the Vaquero Award this year during the Hall of Fame Banquet.

I met Debby when I was working for Ted Robinson. She’s had a lot of great horses, either ones she made herself or a snaffle bitter that didn’t make the Open program but fit her in the versatility. She is a judge, shows cow horse and versatility and has always been there at weekend shows and the premier events closer to her. Win, lose or draw, she enjoys coming to the shows and being part of our cow horse family. She, like many of us, love the pure enjoyment of cow horse. The Vaquero Award gives a nod appreciation for people that give to the association and love the association.

People that have been involved in the very beginning of the association, like Debby and this year’s Hall of Fame inductees Doug Ingersoll and John Ward, had the spotlight shined on them for their contributions to the advancement of our association and our sport as whole. We were able to applaud those legends that built our association, like Doc Bar and Shining Spark, and our competitive standards, like former Hall of Fame inductees that we honored on stage at the Hall of Fame Banquet.

We started strong in our dedication to preserving the traditions of reined cow horse and we continue on that path. There are new horizons to cross, and The Run For A Million is helping us reach for those goals by showcasing our sport. There were more than 80 horses—80 bridle horses—entered in the Qualifier. I didn’t realize we had so many great bridle horses out there. I thought we had just gathered all of the amazing bridle horses with the 67-horse field in the Western Bloodstock and Hashtags’ World’s Greatest Horseman. But there were many more in Vegas.

Trainers were entered on bridle horses that their Non Pro customers have been showing. I thought it was cool to see the Youth in the World’s Greatest Youth Horseman showing such good horses that many of us trainers had seen come up along the years, but this Qualifier, it blew our minds. Sitting at the back gate, us trainers felt the pressure. We felt like all these horses could be great—and they were only taking the top eight. Everyone was kind of on edge. It was intense! This was a great class and every horse could have been in there. I can’t wait to show it again at the DT Horses Western Derby to see who makes the top eight from that event.

Corey Cushing