Milestones Made

Photography by Primo Morales ILESTONES MADEM Throughout the 2022 Snaffle Bit Futurity® , riders, horses, owners and breeders, as well as NRCHA staff, received praise for their work in the industry.

Aged event horses may be the focus during the Snaffle Bit Futurity® and the Hackamore Classic, but the National Reined Cow Horse Association honored those that helped drive the industry to today’s standards at the 2022 event—stallions, broodmares and riders. Throughout the calendar year between the 2021 event and now, multiple milestones were hit and honored. Here is a roundup of those recognized during the show.

PRESIDENT’S AWARD

The National Reined Cow Horse Association President’s Awards recognizes an individual, or individuals as was the case this year, that go above and beyond to assist the membership and the association, and often behind the scenes. In 2022, NRCHA President Corey Cushing honored Show Managers Morgan Tweedy and Christopher Jeter with the honor.

Both Jeter and Tweedy serve as back gate stewards, facility managers and general fix-it men for the association. Most members are familiar with one, or both, of them serving as a staple in the reined cow horse family.

MILLION DOLLARRIDER CLUBS

Million Dollar Riders

Since the 2021 NRCHA Snaffle Bit Futurity®, four riders achieved Million Dollar Rider status: Clayton Edsall of Weatherford, Texas; Sarah Dawson of Perrin, Texas; Nick Dowers of Dyer, Nevada; and Matt Koch of Elizabeth, Colorado. For more on our elite Million Dollar Club members, visit nrcha.com. For more information, read page 20.

$2 Million Dollar Rider

At the DT Horses Western Derby, Justin Wright, of Santa Maria, California, surpassed the $2 Million Dollar earnings mark to become the fifth member of the $2 Million Dollar Rider Club. Read more about him on page 72. Wright joined the other two-million-dollar riders and the million-dollar riders to be recognized on the arena floor.

$3 Million Dollar Rider

During the 2022 NRCHA Snaffle Bit Futurity, presented by Metallic Cat, Corey Cushing, of Weatherford, Texas, became the first $3 Million Dollar Rider in the NRCHA. For more on Cushing’s accomplishment, see page 18.

MILLION DOLLAR SIRES

Million Dollar Sire

Owned by Strawn Valley Ranch of Strawn Valley, Texas, Dual Smart Rey (Dual Rey x The Smart Look x Smart Little Lena), a 2002 Quarter Horse, has NRCHA earners of $1,038,613.54 as of December 1, 2021. The stallion earned more than $330,000 and the NCHA Open Super Stakes Champion title in the arena. Duals Lucky Charm, owned by JB6 LLC, is Dual Smart Rey’s highest money-earning reined cow horse, with $273,753.

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Million Dollar Sire

Woody Be Tuff (Nitas Wood x Tuffs Junie x Tuff Wood) sired the 2021 NRCHA Snaffle Bit Futurity Open Champion Zak 34 (a 2018 stallion out of Cat Digs Lucinda), which helped to catapult him over the million-dollar mark to claim $1,176,601.12 in reined cow horse offspring earnings. Owned by the Center Ranch in Centerville, Texas, the 2001 sorrel Quarter Horse stallion sold in December at the 2021 Western Bloodstock NCHA Futurity Sale to Kaleb Terlip and Melanie Smith, of Solo Select Horses and now stands at the Lazy E in Guthrie, Oklahoma.

$4 Million Dollar Sire

The 1999 stallion WR This Cats Smart (High Brow Cat x The Smart Look x Smart Little Lena) bred by Wiens Ranch Co., Sedalia, Colorado, and owned since 2004 by NRCHA Breeder Sponsor Wagonhound Land and Livestock LLC, Douglas, Wyoming, began his performance career in the National Cutting Horse Association arena. The sorrel became a finalist at 24 major NCHA aged events as a 4, 5, and 6-year-old. Shine Smarter (x Shiney Tari x Shining Spark), a 2012 mare who has earned $214,571.51, is the top earner of the stallion that has lifetime produce earnings of more than $4,588,370. The stallion stood at the Four Sixes Ranch until his death in October.

$4 Million Dollar Sire

As of January 5, 2022, red roan stallion One Time Pepto, owned by Matthews Cutting Horses, has sired NRCHA earners of more than $4,078,998.37. Sheri and the late Jeffrey 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. The stallion has seven offspring with more than $100,000 in earnings, and the total continues to climb.

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$5 Million Dollar Sire

Following the conclusion of the Teton Ridge Stallion Stakes, Metallic Cat’s offspring had earned more than $5,064,486, making him the first sire to cross the $5 million threshold in NRCHA. Owned by Bobby Patton’s Rocking P Ranch, the 2005 stallion by High Brow Cat and out of Chers Shadow (by Peptoboonsmal) became the NRCHA All-Time Leading Sire in September of 2021. Metallic Cat became an NRCHA Million Dollar Sire in 2018 and surpassed the Two Million Dollar mark less than a year later. By 2020, he had passed the Three Million Dollar mark before becoming a Four Million Dollar sire in the fall of 2021.

With more than 380 money-earning offspring in the NRCHA, Metallic Cat has become a household name in both the reined cow horse and the Western performance industries. His top performers, Call Me Mitch, Metallic Train, Cats Picasso, Ricato Suave, Hazardouz Material and Moonshineandtwoadvil, each have earned more than $100,000 in the NRCHA.

BOSS MARES

In 2022, the NRCHA is recognizing top producing mares, or Boss Mares, in a special ceremony. There are National Reined Cow Horse Association special awards for riders and sires that hit earnings marks, and now, NRCHA dams with offspring earning $500,000 or more are joining that group. The Boss Mares group features eight mares for 2022 recognition during the Open Finals.

SHINEY TARI (Shining Spark x Tarizana x Taris Catalyst) has offspring surpassing $729,331.32 in earnings, and her high-earning offspring is Shine Smarter (by WR This Cats Smart) $214,571.51. She is owned by Aaron Ranch. SHEZA SHINETTE (Shining Spark x Chicks And Chex x Smart Chic Olena) has offspring surpassing $646,498.93 and her high-earning offspring is Hes Shinettes CD (by CD Olena) $184,006.18. She was owned by Nancy Crawford’s Holy Cow Performance Horses.

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SOULA JULE FOREVER (Soula Jule Star x Forever Sparked x Shining Spark) has offspring surpassing $574,339.76 and her high-earning offspring is Jule Smart Rey (by Dual Smart Rey) $170,857.74. The mare is owned by Teton Ridge. SCOOTERS DAISY DUKES (Dual Smart Rey x Scooters Playmate x Freckles Playboy) has offspring surpassing $572,357.48 and her high-earning offspring is Scooter Kat (by Kit Kat Sugar). The mare is owned by Aaron Cook $336,878.38. SMOKE TIME TUCK (Doc Tom Tucker x Ima Smoke x Mr Fools Smoke) has offspring surpassing $551,633.96 and her high-earning offspring is Tuckers Smart Cat (by WR This Cats Smart) $167,115.36. She was owned by Bar 11 Quarter Horses, represented by Layne Lewis for Skip Brown.

SHINERS DIAMOND GIRL (Shining Spark x Zans Diamond Jackie x Zans Diamond Sun) has offspring surpassing $527,417.38 and her high-earning offspring is CD Diamond (by CD Olena) $140,320.46. She is owned by San Juan Ranch, John and Brenda Stephenson. NO PHOTO AVAILABLE: MAGICAL LENA (Little Lenas Legend x Swayback Magic x Early Tink) has offspring surpassing $573,887.44 and her high-earning offspring is Magicality (by Very Smart Remedy) $102,844.31. The mare was owned by Joyce Pearson.

NO PHOTO AVAILABLE: LIL MISS SHINEY CHEX (Shining Spark x Lil Miss Smarty Chex x Smart Little Lena) has offspring surpassing $632,038.40 and her high-earning offspring is Blind Sided (by Peptoboonsmal) $212,763.96. She is owned by DT Horses LLC.