The 2023 NRHyA Art & Photo Contest featured more than 30 entries across two categories and three age brackets.
Due to a continued, special partnership with the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, everyone can visit the winning art displayed at the museum during the 6666 NRHA Derby presented by Markel in Oklahoma City. NRHA encourages all its members to take a trip to the beautiful museum during the Derby to support these young artists. Be sure to tell them you are there supporting NRHyA and congratulate the NRHyA members who participated!
The NRHyA thanks the museum for its contribution, as well as this year’s judges: Emily Rush, Membership & Accounting Customer Service Coordinator; Michael R. Grauer, McCasland Chair of Cowboy Culture/Curator of Cowboy Collections and Western Art at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum.
The 6666 National Reining Horse Association Derby presented by Markel is in full swing at the OKC Fairgrounds in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. While the aged-event rocks the Jim Norick Coliseum, NRHA-approved classes are held in the Adequan® Arena. The first of the ancillary champions were crowned Friday, setting the bar high for the days to come.
Non Pro & Prime Time Non Pro (1) Champion- Morris Kulmer & NVR What A Lucky Joe
Morris Kulmer and NVR What A Lucky Joe took the first slate of the ancillary Non Pro and Prime Time Non Pro with a score of 145.
NVR What a Lucky Joe, affectionately called Joey, is a 2014 gelding sired by NRHA Two Million Dollar Sire Lil Joe Cash and out of What A Lucky Hit. The gelding, bred by Gary Vickery, is the current highest-earning offspring of Lil Joe Cash, with over $158,000 dollars in lifetime earnings.
Kulmer wasn’t certain he was going to bring ‘Joey’ to the NRHA Derby but ended up bringing him on a whim after a missed run-off resulted in a lower placing at the National Reining Breeders Classic in April.
“I’ve got another horse here that I had hoped would outshine Joey, but I’m not so sure that’s going to happen. He’s setting the bar pretty high with this run,” says Kulmer.
Intermediate Non Pro (1) Champion- Kathleen Armenta & Off N Running
Kathleen Armenta and Off N Running started off the Derby on a strong note, winning the first slate of the ancillary Intermediate Non Pro.
“He’s probably the best horse I’ve ever had,” Armenta remarked. “He’s a great horse. He’s good enough to be in the open.”
The 2015 gelding, sired by NRHA Four Million Dollar Sire Walla Walla Whiz and out of Spook Off Sparks, has earned over $69,000 to date. He was bred by Arcese Quarter Horses and is owned by Armenta Quarter Horses.
The pair also finished second in the Non Pro and the Prime Time Non Pro. “He was really good today. We were a 144.5. It held for a really long time until Morris came in and beat me by half a point. But that’s what happens, so I was really happy with him,” said Armenta.
Limited Non Pro (1) Champion- Adele Cunningham & KB Bucks N Guns
Adele Cunningham and KB Bucks N Guns, owned by Kaylene Cunningham and sired by NRHA 13 Million Dollar Sire Gunner and out of Smart Whizzin Jenny, started the week with a bang winning the NRHA Limited Non Pro class. The 2014 gelding was bred by Koen Brutsaert.
The Oklahoma heat and humidity can make a challenging week for horse and human alike, but Cunningham is focusing on lunging in the mornings and riding at night to keep KB Bucks N Guns legged up and ready for action.
“This run was amazing. He was just a little strong on the run downs, and I could’ve gone a little stronger on my run in, but overall just really good,” Cunningham shared with a smile.
This team won the class with a score of 142.5, with Cunningham giving a special thanks to the Tishman barn, her parents, and her sister for allowing her the opportunity to ride KB Bucks N Guns.
Classic Equine Green Reiner Level 1 & Level 2 (1) Champion- Caroline Nielson & Hot Hollywood Whizky
Caroline Nielson and Hot Hollywood Whizky, a 2012 gelding by NRHA 12 Million Dollar Sire Topsail Whiz out of Hot Hollywood Jewels, won the first slate of the Classic Equine Green Reiner Level 1 and Level 2 with a score of 139.5.
Hot Hollywood Whizky, known around the barn as “Money,” is shown through a partnership between Nielson and Kent Ray Taylor (KRT/MAN LLC). The talented reiner, bred by Turnabout Farm Inc., has earned more than $120,000 in his career.
“On a whim, we were like, let’s just do it. I’d never ridden a reiner before, but it seemed fun, so I figured I should just do it,” Nielson said, beaming.
Although Money has an extensive reining resume, this was only Nielsons third time to be in the pen with him. She took the time to thank her family for their unwavering support, Craig Schmersal, Mandy Faust, and most of all, Money.
For complete results and a competition live stream, visit NRHADerby.com.
The first section of the Open preliminary round of the 2023 6666 NRHA Derby presented by Markel took place today, with 101 of the 308 Open Derby entries vying for their spot in the finals.
Jason Vanlandingham & Best Shine
The clean-slate Finals will be held on Saturday, June 24, in the Jim Norick Arena of the OKC Fairgrounds. This year’s Finals will be particularly exciting, as the Level 4 Open Champion will take home a check for $100,000- the largest payout in Derby history.
The Level 3 Open Champion will receive $35,000, the Level 2 $20,000, and the Level 1 $10,000.
The Open preliminary rounds will run through Sunday, June 18, with more than 100 entries each day. The current high scores across the divisions of the Open preliminaries are:
Level 4 – Jason Vanlandingham & Best Shine – 227 (Shine Chic Shine x Best Stop) Owner: Robert Santagata, Breeder & Nominator: Wagman Ranch Inc
Level 3 – Dany Tremblay & All Guns On Crush – 223 (PS Mega Shine Chic x All Guns On Deck) Owner: Fred Tremblay, Nominator: Adh-Mor Ranch
Level 2 – Gabriel Diano & Gunna Bet My Boon – 220 (Gunnatrashya x Flo N Blu Boon) Owner: Cabana RT La Aurora, Breeder & Nominator: Alpha Quarter Horses, LLC
Level 1 – Sumer Opinker & Always A Magnum – 216 (Magnum Chic Dream x Always A Dunit) Owner: Pamela Williams, Breeder: Petska Trinity Equine, LLC, Nominator: Jeffery Petska
The preliminary rounds not only determine who returns to the Jim Norick for the Finals- they also decide the champions of the $110,000-added Tamarack Ranch Open 4-Year-Old Stakes and the $15,000-added Clark’s Pump-N-Shop Novice Horse Open Derby. The winners of these events, along with the Open Prime Time and the American Paint Horse Association’s Open Chrome Cash, will be announced at the conclusion of the preliminary rounds on Sunday. The current leaders for these events are:
Tamarack Ranch Open 4-Year-Old Open Stakes – Cade McCutcheon & Trashya Quik – 223 (Gunnatrashya x Nestle Quik Chic) Owner: Vaughn Zimmerman, Breeder & Nominator: William Newman, Jr
Clark’s Pump-N-Shop Novice Horse Open Derby – Gennaro Lendi & Stepin Out Gunnin – 221 (Gunnatrashya x Barbies Stepin Out) Owner: Marc & Kathy Gordon, Breeder & Nominator: Marc Gordon
Open Prime Time: Matthew McDowell & Xtra Voodoo Dr – 221 (includes handicap) (Shiners Voodoo Dr x Wound Up Wimp) Owner: Mona Bodaness, Breeder & Nominator: Silver Spurs Equine
Open Chrome Cash: Trevor Elliot Dare & Gangsta Sixtysix – 223.5 (Inferno Sixty Six x Rush N Cat) Owner: Julio Mora Hernandez, Breeder: Lorenzo Lotti, Nominator: Slide or Die LLC
The top 30 (plus ties) in the Open Levels 4-1 will advance to the clean-slate finals on Saturday, June 24. The draw for the Finals will be decided at the Platinum Performance Open Draw Party on Friday, Saturday 23, at 10 a.m.
For complete results and a competition live stream, visit NRHADerby.com.
On Friday, May 26, Grischa Ludwig walked to the center of the arena to receive his awards at the 2023 NRHA European Futurity. Not only did he earn the NRHA Open class championship and American Paint Horse Association Chrome Cash, but these checks also pushed him past the threshold to become NRHA’s newest Million Dollar Rider.
photo by International Horse Press
“[The realization of the accomplishment] didn’t do anything to me when I came out of the arena,” he said. “I wasn’t yelling ‘Hooray!’ I thought, ‘cool.’ But when I went in for the awards, and they announced me as the newest NRHA Million Dollar Rider, emotion overwhelmed me!”
Born in Stuttgart, Germany, Ludwig grew up around horses his whole life as his father ran an equine therapy program at a facility for those with mental and physical disabilities. Their family lived with the 2,000 people and their Quarter Horse Program at the facility.
“It took a while [to reach this milestone],” said Ludwig. “You can do it faster for sure, but it was never my highest goal to be an NRHA Million Dollar Rider. I always saw myself as a horseman and a horse trainer. But the closer I got, the more I wanted it. Last year I got close, and people were talking so much, and I really wanted to have it.”
His wins on this momentous day were on Spooks Genius (Spooks Gotta Whiz x A Spark Of Genius) owned by Margot Van Doorne. This pair is no stranger to the winner’s circle as they were the 2022 Open European Affiliate Champions and have placed in multiple aged event finals throughout Europe.
To make the timing of the milestone even more meaningful, the European Futurity was only his second horse show since the passing of his father.
“My father shaped me to the way that I am,” he said. “He was the best daddy I could have. He was as proud as someone could be when I won, and he was also proud if I was second, and he would tell me there was still one place to be better.”
Read more about Ludwig and this accomplishment in the September issue of the NRHA Reiner Magazine.
Forty-three years ago, the first-ever National Reining Horse Association Derby was held. Then it was called the NRHA Maturity, and over the years, the event has been rehomed, grown, and changed names.
Now known as the 6666 NRHA Derby presented by Markel, the event is the second-largest reining show in the world and has become a must-attend for reining enthusiasts from across the globe. The Open preliminary round begins at 8 a.m. Friday, June 16, with the more than 300 entries divided over the first three days of competition in the historic Jim Norick Coliseum.
There are 158 individual riders representing 13 different countries vying for a coveted spot in the clean-slate Finals on Saturday, June 25, with only the top 30 finishers (plus ties) in Levels 1 – 4 advancing from the first round. There, the Level 4 Open Champion will win, for the first time ever, a Derby Championship check for $100,000! That’s not all, as the Level 3 Open champion will take home $35,000, the Level 2 Open winner will win $20,000, and the Level 1 Open champion will pocket $10,000.
The preliminary round not only decides the finalists but also determines the champions of the $110,000-added Tamarack Ranch Open Stakes and the $15,000-added Clark’s Pump-N-Shop Novice Horse Open Derby.
The competition isn’t limited to just the Norick Coliseum, as the Adequan® Arena hosts two full slates of NRHA-approved classes, with the first slate of the Non Pro and Classic Equine Green Reiner kicking off Friday morning.
Reining fans who can’t make it to Oklahoma City to watch the action in person can still enjoy the live webcast by visiting nrhaderby.com/live.
The 6666 NRHA Derby presented by Markel is held June 15 – 25 at the OKC Fairgrounds in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. To keep up with the latest news, schedule, and more, visit NRHADerby.com.
