From the Executive Director

from Reined Cow Horse News, Volume 27, No 6, November/December 2022

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The days are growing noticeably shorter this time of year, and cooler. It’s a season when stews and chilis grace stove tops, and many turn their focus to indoor activities and holiday preparations. For the cow horse family those things are also true, though they form a background to the business of the barns and arenas. It’s a time of year when three-year-olds may be getting a bit of rest before their Derby years kick off in 2023. Two-year-olds are being evaluated to see if they are on track and showing potential to be a

Dr. Anna Morrison standout for next year’s National Reined Cow Horse Association Snaffle Bit Futurity®. Maybe the pace of the work has relaxed slightly from the past few months, but it certainly hasn’t stopped. There is no pause button for our sport—we’re driven by the next show, the next chance to come out on top of a field of great horses and horsemen.

In October, Lee Deacon aboard Tornado Jonez rose to the top of a field of 30 Open Finalists to claim the title of 2022 Snaffle Bit Futurity Champion. Lee and Brandy Ragland’s bay gelding marked a 656.5 to tie for ninth in the prelims, making him one of four Intermediate-eligible riders to secure a spot in the Open Finals. When all was said and done, the duo’s 221-plus scores in each round of the finals earned them a 4.5 point lead for the win in the Open and Intermediate, earning a check for $245,000.

The emotion Lee showed as he pumped his arm in triumph in the arena and as he hugged his horse in the alley while waiting for his victory lap resonated with all of us. That’s the feeling that keeps us all striving.

In 2023 we will certainly have much to strive for. We will kick off the year with the Kalpowar Quarter Horses Celebration of Champions, which will feature the richest payout for the World’s Greatest Horseman in history thanks to the support of Western Bloodstock, BDB Breeders and Hashtags. In March five of NRCHA’s top Open riders will compete in a one-of-a-kind format at Globe Life Field in Teton Ridge’s The American Performance Horseman.

And that’s just the beginning of a year full of premier and sanctioned events that reflect the growth and health of cow horse and NRCHA. Then, just under a year from now, we’ll be back in Fort Worth to launch the careers of a new crop of cow horse hopefuls at the industry’s toughest and most rewarding futurity – the Snaffle Bit Futurity, presented by Metallic Cat. This is your sport, and your family, and there’s never been a better time to be a part of it.

We’ll see you in the New Year! We’ll see you in the New Year!

Volume 27, Number 6 Official Publication of the National Reined Cow Horse Association Published by Morris Equine Group a division of MCC Magazines, LLC NRCHA

256 North Hwy 377 | Pilot Point, TX 76258 Phone: 940-488-1500 | Fax: 940-488-1499 info@nrcha.com | www.NRCHA.com NRCHA OFFICERS & DIRECTORS:

President: Corey Cushing Vice President: Paul Bailey Secretary: Todd Crawford Treasurer: Trey Neal NRCHA STAFF

Executive Director: Dr. Anna Morrison Accounting Manager: Kasydi Valentine Data Entry & Results Assistant: Taylor Meek Media & Communications Manager: Callie McCarthy-Boevers Membership & Affiliate Shows Manager: Tina McCleary Premier Event Manager: Emily Konkel Programs Manager: Jennifer Bishop Sponsorship Assistant: Bailey Carter Director of Judges: Bill Enk Official NRCHA Photographer: Primo Morales Official NRCHA Videographer: Equine Promotion REINED COW HORSE NEWS

Vice President: John Lunn Editor: Kate Bradley Byars Managing Editor: Jennifer Denison Production Manager: Sherry Brown Art Director: Susan Sampson Advertising Sales Shawn McCoy, 817-929-8597 shawn.mccoy@morris.com Sales Customer Service Manager: Diana Buettner, 817-569-7114 diana.buettner@morris.com Advertising, Fax 817-737-9633

Reined Cow Horse News (ISSN 23803975) is published six times a year by Cowboy Publishing Group. Known office of publication: 2112 Montgomery Street, Fort Worth, TX 76107. All contents are copyright of the National Reined Cow Horse Association. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise, without prior written permission from the NRCHA. Opinions expressed in articles and advertising in Reined Cow Horse News do not necessarily reflect the positions or opinions of the NRCHA or its officers and members. Accuracy of material is the sole responsibility of the authors. Unsolicited materials are submitted at the sender’s risk and the NRCHA accepts no responsibility for them. Please address all submissions to: Reined Cow Horse News, 256 North Hwy 377, Pilot Point, Texas, 76258. Subscription rate is $25 a year. Periodical postage paid at Pilot Point, Texas, 76258 and additional mailing offices. USPS number, 024-906. Postmaster: Send address changes to Reined Cow Horse News, 256 North Hwy 377, Pilot Point, Texas, 76258.