Oklahoma City, Oklahoma –The hottest night on reining’s social calendar is teed up to welcome guests once again. Sliders’ Night Out presented by Toyon Ranch is scheduled for December 4 in the historic Centennial Building on the OKC Fairgrounds, and the public can secure individual seats or tables with donations to the Reining Horse Foundation (RHF).
The evening kicks off with an energetic reception that allows for socializing and perusing the live auction lots. The 2024 reception will include live painting by artist Josey Butler, Streakin B Art, whose mixed media work will be included in the auction. Five additional lots will comprise the auction offerings that make this an important benefit for RHF. As the charitable arm of the National Reining Horse Association, NRHA celebrates reining’s history and supports the community through core programs, including the Dale Wilkinson Memorial Crisis Fund, youth leadership programs, and scholarships.
Catering selections for the night include a grilled filet with butter, pecan-crusted salmon, and delicious sides and desserts. While the night will conclude with recognition of new honorees into the NRHA Hall of Fame, the introduction of those inducted in years past is always a sentimental moment. Members of the NRHA Hall of Fame are VIP guests whose attendance is underwritten by the event’s major donors at the presenting, platinum, gold, silver, and hall of fame levels.
The awards portion of the ceremony will honor Markel with the NRHA Dale Wilkinson Lifetime Achievement Award and induct NRHA Professional Andrea Fappani and three mares into the NRHA Hall of Fame: Snow Gun, Wind Her Up Shiner, and Wind Her Up Chic.
“The NRHA Futurity & Adequan® North American Affiliate Championships” are marquee events for our sport, and it is a tremendous time to celebrate reining’s history and gather as community,” said Rick Clark, RHF vice president. “We appreciate Toyon Ranch and every donor who makes this annual celebration possible. I cannot overstate how significant it is on so many fronts, and I’m personally proud to be a part of it.”
Besides the artwork by Streakin B Art, the live auction items include a John Deere ZTrak Mower donated by Equine Discounts, an ICSI Services Package donated by GeneTech, a custom luxe mink edition hat donated by Shorty’s Caboy Hattery, a Country Cruising 5-night cruise and music festival donated by FDT Cruises, and a NASCAR Truck Racing VIP experience brought to you by ThorSport Racing.
Advance reservations are recommended by November 25. Limited seats may be available closer to the event date. Full details are available at reiningfoundation.com/sno. To make a reservation, contact RHF Development Coordinator Claire Pound at cpound@nrha.com or (405) 946-7400, ext. 138.
For nearly 25 years, members of the equine community have been doing good things through the Reining Horse Foundation, the charitable arm of the National Reining Horse Association. With its mission of caring for and honoring the reining community, the RHF has supporters from around the world. Core programs include the Dale Wilkinson Memorial Crisis Fund providing financial relief to reiners enduring major hardships; youth scholarship and leadership development through the National Reining Horse Youth Association; and perpetuation of the sport’s history through the NRHA Hall of Fame. For more information or to give, visit reiningfoundation.com.
The Reining Horse Foundation (RHF) is announcing additional Merit Scholarship winners.
Established in 2024, the RHF Merit Scholarships reward NRHA members who have not previously won an RHF scholarship and are actively pursuing a college or trade school education. The first round of scholarships was awarded in April when two winners were announced, and then the application period was reopened to attract additional participation. After a strong applicant response, the Reining Horse Foundation Board of Directors voted to double the number of $1,500 awards from five to 10 for 2024.
“The Reining Horse Foundation has been working over two decades to grow its support and make a greater positive contribution to the reining community,” said Terri Mainey, RHF Scholarship chairperson. “The addition of 10 new scholarships in 2024 is another demonstration of program expansion. We are honored to be able to help more reiners who are pursuing higher education.”
The second section of 2024 merit scholarship winners includes Kylie Baker, Abby Budd, Amy Farley, Jacob Harris, Anna Landing, Miranda Ritter, Lilly Stewart, and Ellie Veres. The two recipients previously recognized were Ryan Jensen and Alexander Loftin.
Baker of Dripping Springs, Texas, attends Texas Christian University and is pursuing a degree in business. Her goal is to go into media and promotions within the reining industry. She is a member of the Dean’s List and has appeared on the Academic Honor Roll for multiple semesters. She also competes on the TCU NCEA Equestrian team and is a member of the NCEA All-American honor roll.
Budd of Pueblo, Colorado, is a student at Oklahoma State University. She is pursuing a degree in pre-med psychology and a minor in neuroscience. Budd looks to go into a career in psychology after graduation. Budd has appeared on the Oklahoma State University President’s List, Dean’s List, and the NCAA Academic Big 12 All Conference list. Along with her studies, Budd is a member of the Oklahoma State University Equestrian team, the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.
Farley of Bend, Oregon, is a student at Oregon State University-Cascades, where she studies physical therapy. Farley intends on becoming a physical therapist. In 2023, Farley graduated from the College of Idaho cum laude with a bachelor’s in health and human performance and minors in health and psychology. Farley is a competitive alpine skier and competed on the College of Idaho Women’s Alpine Ski Team.
Harris of Mounds, Oklahoma, attends Oklahoma State University where he studies pre-medicine and intends to become a physician. Harris is a member of the honor board and the rush committee of the Delta Tau Delta fraternity, the Pre-Med Club and the Baptist student union. Harris also received an academic scholarship from Delta Tau Delta and is a member of the Dean’s List.
Landing of Michigan City, Indiana, is a student at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana. She is pursuing a degree in animal science, and her goal is to become a veterinarian. Landing has received academic honors and has been on the Dean’s List for two semesters. Outside of academics, Landing is a member of the Purdue Western Equestrian team, the Purdue Collegiate Cattleman’s Club, the Purdue Pre-Vet Medicine Association, and the Meredith Hall RX Club.
Ritter of Park City, Utah, attends Westminster University in Salt Lake City, Utah where she is pursuing a degree in psychology. She aims to become a PhD-level health psychologist and currently holds office at the Westminster Disability Justice Club as the Disability Justice Coordinator.
Stewart of Elbert, Colorado, is a student at the University of Wyoming. She is pursuing a degree in agribusiness and intends to pursue a career in environmental law. Budd is a member of the Dean’s List and works for the University of Wyoming’s Veterans Services Center.
Veres of Leander, Texas, attends Texas Tech University. She is studying finance with the goal of becoming a financial analyst. For four semesters, Veres appeared on the President’s Honor List and is a recipient of the TTU Presidential Merit Scholarship. She is a member of the Scovell Business Leadership Program and is the Women in Business club vice president of operations.
For nearly 25 years, members of the equine community have been doing good things through the Reining Horse Foundation, the charitable arm of the National Reining Horse Association. With its mission of caring for and honoring the reining community, the RHF has supporters from around the world. Core programs include the Dale Wilkinson Memorial Crisis Fund providing financial relief to reiners enduring major hardships; youth scholarship and leadership development through the National Reining Horse Youth Association; and perpetuation of the sport’s history through the NRHA Hall of Fame. For more information or to give, visit reiningfoundation.com.
The Reining Horse Foundation’s (RHF) Raise A Million Live Auction is returning to The Run For A Million in 2024. Attendees will have the opportunity to bid on items in a select live auction. At the show management’s invitation, RHF will also participate in a silent auction.
Since 2021, the RHF Raise A Million live auction has been part of festivities centered around the Million Dollar Competition Draw Party, adding to the high-energy weekend of western performance horse and rodeo events while providing philanthropic support for the reining community. The RHF is the charitable arm of the National Reining Horse Association.
The public is invited to attend the Raise A Million Auction at the Live Festival stage inside the South Point Arena and Equestrian Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. The auction will be held Friday, August 16, following the Million Dollar Reining Competition Draw Party, which begins at 12:00 p.m. Clark Reining Horses and Santa Hill Ranch are underwriting an RHF margarita party for those 21 and over. After the auction, guests can enjoy live music on the Live Festival stage.
“This is the fourth time that The Run For A Million has provided the Reining Horse Foundation an opportunity to reach its diverse event audience through the Raise A Million auction,” said Tim Anderson, RHF President. “We appreciate the entire TRFAM team for this opportunity to continue changing lives through our core programs. This event is helping us provide levels of support we only dreamed of previously.”
The Raise A Million live auction is offering six lots, and the assortment is impressive. Donations include:
Custom Show Headstall and Handmade Bit. Headstall is donated by Bob’s Custom Saddles and the bit is made and donated by Jens Stemminger.
The Violet Classic Pendant from the Sleipnir Violet Collection. Donated by MS Diamonds TX
Choose Your Travel Experience: Belize, Cancun, Jackson Hole or Lake Tahoe Donated by the Reining Horse Foundation
Reining History: Bob Avila’s 1994 NRHA Futurity Championship Saddle Provided courtesy of Bob Avila and the Reining Horse Foundation
Lyle Lovett VIP Concert Package for 4 including Backstage Passes Donated by Lyle Lovett
Daytona NASCAR Truck Experience Donated by ThorSport Racing
Absentee bidding for both the silent and live auctions can be arranged in advance. Visit reiningfoundation.com/auctions to complete the absentee bidding registration by 5 p.m. PST on August 15.
The limited silent auction hosted by Brumley Management features items curated by RHF, the National Cutting Horse Foundation, and the National Reined Cow Horse Foundation. Each association will receive the proceeds from the items they provide.
RHF’s silent auction offerings include art, memorabilia, apparel, jewelry, tack and more. Items include a bridle by WD Leather, a certificate for custom chaps from Berry Fit Co., a CINCH apparel package, spurs by Prairie Forge, art from MJ’s Equine Art Studios, a sliding plate earrings and pendant set from Rusty Brown Jewelry, autographed Breyer models of top reining horses, and more. Several autographed items are available, including a competition shirt from NRHA Hall of Famer Shawn Flarida. Learn more here.
The Reining Horse Foundation and NRHA mourn the passing of Tim Katona of Belleville, Michigan, on July 12, 2024.
Tim Katona demonstrated a lifetime of dedication to the sport of reining as a trainer, coach and volunteer with NRHA and the Michigan Reining Horse Association. He was honored with the NRHA Dale Wilkinson Lifetime Achievement Award in 2017.
The family is requesting that memorial gifts may be made to the Reining Horse Foundation’s NRHyA Scholarship fund.
If mailing a check, put “In Memory of Tim Katona” in the memo section. Donate online via the RHF website. It will notify RHF that your gift is in memory of Tim. Your gift will be acknowledged.
One individual and three horses will be inducted into the NRHA Hall of Fame as the 2024 class is formally announced.
Andrea Fappani, Snow Gun, Wind Her Up Chic, and Wind Her Up Shiner will join reining’s elite as they are recognized with the sport’s most prestigious honor.
Also announced is the 2024 NRHA Dale Wilkinson Lifetime Achievement Recipient, NRHA Corporate Partner, Markel.
“Our 2024 class exemplifies the passion and spirit of the reining industry, and we look forward to formally acknowledging and celebrating their contributions to the sport,” said NRHA Commissioner Billy Smith.
Each year, the NRHA Hall of Fame Committee carefully selects individuals and horses that meet the criteria for nomination and put forward their official recommendations to the NRHA Board of Directors and past Hall of Fame inductees for a final vote.
“This year we had a great slate of candidates that were nominated, and I want to thank the committee for their hard work,” said NRHA Director-at-Large and Hall of Fame Committee Chair Rick Clark. “Each inductee has demonstrated their lasting impact on reining and is deserving of this prestigious award,” Clark continued.
The NRHA Hall of Fame is an official project of the Reining Horse Foundation (RHF), and honorees are recognized each year at Sliders’ Night Out presented by Toyon Ranch. This year’s celebration will be held on Wednesday, December 4.
Read more about the following industry icons in the November and December issues of the Reiner Magazine.
Andrea Fappani
Few names are as synonymous with repeated excellence as Andrea Fappani. For more than 20 years, he has been among NRHA’s top professionals, showcasing his ability to adapt and evolve, along with a fierce dedication known and admired by all who know him.
Fappani has already made an indelible mark in NRHA’s history books with his success in the show pen, not only as NRHA’s all-time leading rider and only $8 Million Dollar Rider but also as a Million Dollar Owner.
For the Italian-born reiner, his impact reaches far beyond the show pen. Fappani is an educator, mentor, and promoter of the sport. With a successful podcast, Along for the Ride, and an in-person symposium, he continues to bring new members from around the globe into the reining community.
Wind Her Up Chic
This summer, Wind Her Up Chic made history by becoming the ninth NRHA Million Dollar Dam. Now, she adds to her legacy with this prestigious honor. Owned by Tim Anderson of NRHA Corporate Partner 21 Ranch, Wind Her Up Chic has consistently demonstrated exceptional talent, athleticism, and versatility in her offspring. At 21 years old, she has already produced an NRHA Level 4 Open Derby Champion, a National Reining Breeders Classic Level 4 Open Champion, and an NRHA Level 4 Open Futurity Reserve Champion.
The David Nogle-bred mare also boasts an impressive performance record of $102,711 in NRHA LTE, all with NRHA $2 Million Rider Todd Bergen and NRHA $3 Million Rider Jordan Larson at the reins.
“Windy,” by NRHA Hall of Famer Smart Chic Olena and out of Wind Her Up Doc, is a half-sibling to another NRHA Million Dollar Dam and 2024 NRHA Hall of Fame Inductee, Wind Her Up Shiner—further showcasing her royal lineage. Wind Her Up Chic is NRHA’s ninth all-time leading dam with $40,874 in average earnings per offspring.
Anderson, president of the Reining Horse Foundation (RHF), has also used the success of Windy to leave a larger mark on NRHA. In 2021, Anderson donated a Wind Her Up Chic embryo to the Sliders’ Night Out auction which raised $170,000 for RHF, the nonprofit arm of NRHA.
Wind Her Up Shiner
In a fateful series of events, NRHA Million Dollar Rider José Vazquez purchased Wind Her Up Shiner, a 1998 mare sired by NRHA Hall of Famer Shining Spark and out of Wind Her Up Doc, when she was a 3-year-old.
Wind Her Up Shiner lived in NRHA Professional Ed Fear’s barn, where Vazquez rode as a non pro. Vazquez had an opportunity to purchase the mare as a 2-year-old and declined, but that changed when he had a futurity prospect spot open.
With nearly $34,000 NRHA lifetime earnings (LTE) with Vazquez at the reins, Wind Her Up Shiner continued to shine as a broodmare. She posthumously became NRHA’s sixth Million Dollar Dam in 2022 and is the only dam to do so with all offspring by the same sire. The mare has only been bred to the late Smart Like Juice, an NRHA Hall of Fame inductee also owned by Vazquez. Together, the two have 25 offspring with earnings in the show pen.
Wind Her Up Shiner is NRHA’s seventh-highest leading dam with average offspring earnings of $43,703.
Snow Gun
The late Snow Gun, owned by NRHA Board member Andre de Bellefeuille, rounds out the 2024 NRHA Hall of Fame inductees. The mare, by NRHA Hall of Famer Gunner and out of Natrasha, shares a pedigree destined for greatness with her full sibling, NRHA Hall of Famer Gunnatrashya.
Snow Gun is remembered for her extended overo color, incredible feel and intelligence, and for having characteristics reiners still look for today.
With more than $120,000 in NRHA LTE, she went on to have great success in the breeding shed. She is the dam of De Bellefeuille’s stallion Electric Snow (by NRHA $4 Million Sire Jacs Electric Spark), who won more than $110,000 in NRHA competition. She also produced Yankee Gun (LTE $156,967), Its All Gun (LTE $61,289), Gunstep (LTE $58,778), and Wimpys Snow Step (LTE $45,311).
Snow Gun spent her breeding years at the Colorado State University Equine and Reproduction Laboratory. Each year after breeding season, the students would gather outside to say goodbye, often with tears. She had a charisma that impacted all who knew her.
Markel
Markel is synonymous with quality, trust, and innovation. As NRHA celebrates more than 30 years with the long-standing corporate partner, it is a natural honor to crown the association’s official equine insurance partner as the 2024 Dale Wilkinson Lifetime Achievement Award recipient.
Many NRHA trainers, owners, and breeders trust Markel with their insurance needs for their horses, ranches, and businesses. More than that, Markel is a staple in the reining community. Markel has attended every NRHA Derby and Futurity for the past 30 years, is the presenting sponsor of the 6666 NRHA Derby held annually at the OKC Fairgrounds in June, and is the title sponsor of the NRHA Markel Futurity Sales. At each step of the way, Markel champions the growth of the reining industry.
Markel’s global presence and sponsorship have made an irreplaceable impact on the sport and the equine community.
Frank Costantini, Markel Senior Director of Western Disciplines, was inducted into the NRHA Hall of Fame in 2001. He has also served as NRHA President twice and RHF President three times.
With over 50 years of knowledge and experience in insuring horses, farms, and horse-related businesses, Markel remains committed to the horse industry.
For more information on Sliders’ Night Out, presented by Toyon Ranch, and to purchase tickets, visit reiningfoundation.com/sno.
