NRCHA President’s Letter

FROM THE PRESIDENT

We all think about how important it is to The flip side is what happens after you manage time when we are in the arena, reach a goal. Do you keep pushing yourself watching the clock in a boxing run or or your horse, or do you keep watering managing a cow so it has enough get up it and let it grow? Sometimes, there are and go for us to circle up for a good score. days when that flower you’ve planted is But in the grand scheme of life and in our growing only underground. It’s slow to industry, time and how we management develop into its final beauty, like our cow really factors into much more than we horses. From the snaffle to the hackamore, think. to the two-rein and then the bridle, it

Right now, it may be summer but we may not always be beautiful. You put the are getting closer to the 2022 National foundation there and, while you may have Reined Cow Horse Association Snaffle Bit to step back and put some fertilizer on it, Futurity®. All year, us trainers been juggling the horse you’ve built will continue to grow our Futurity prospects, aged-event horses with proper care. competing and all the horses for our clients. It’s getting That is what it is like for us in the cow horse industry. closer to our crunch time, and we want to spend as much It’s not a quick hop, skip and jump to the top. It’s a journey time as possible to be sure those horses are ready to reach that requires us to bide our time, manage how we work their potential and make our dreams come true. our horses so they can learn, and then figure out how to

There are two pieces of advice that I was told and keep keep it all going in an upward trend. Just because you can’t in mind when I ride my horses. First, Benny Guitron told see the goal line or see the flower bloom doesn’t mean it’s me, “Time spent on a horse’s back is never wasted.” Then, not coming. Remember, “Time spent on a horse’s back is Jim Paul, Sr. told me that, “It’s not how long you ride that never wasted.” horse, it’s how often.” We’ll see you next at the Snaffle Bit Futurity and we can’t

Our goals may seem to take forever to achieve. Even wait to see what’s developed! though we are all focused on that Futurity title this season, it can feel like time slows down and we can’t reach our goals. Look at Brendon Clark. He’s worked at his program for years, and like many of us has had some ups and downs. In June, he hit a high sweeping the DT Horses Western Derby Open divisions to win. He’s reached that goal! I know what it feels like to work toward a goal and feel like it’s taking forever to achieve it. Corey Cushing

Corey Cushing, NRCHA president