The Reining Horse Foundation and NRHA mourn the passing of Edward “Ed” Howard Minchin, Jr. on March 3, 2025.
Ed Minchin, most recently resided in Southern Pines, North Carolina. More than a horseman, Ed loved his country, was a respected patriarch, a mentor, and a friend who lived life with unbridled enthusiasm. His legacy is not just in the horses he trained or the land he cultivated, but in the many lives he touched, the memories he created, and the love he shared so generously.
Ed is survived by his loving wife Parker Haynes Minchin. His full obituary and service arrangements can be found here.
In lieu of flowers, gifts may be made to the Reining Horse Foundation Crisis Fund.
Joe Wolfe of Catlettsburg, Kentucky, died February 3, 2025. He had a deep passion for horses and the reining community. He was elected to the Reining Horse Foundation Board of Directors in 2022. At the time of his passing, Joe was chairing the RHF Crisis Fund Review Committee and serving on the Scholarship Committee. He previously served on various committees for the National Reining Horse Association.
Joe was a reining breeder, owner and competitor. As an NRHA non pro, he amassed nearly $137,000 in lifetime earnings.
Joe is survived by his wife of 53 years, Emmy Wolfe. His full obituary and service arrangements can be found here.
The Reining Horse Foundation and NRHA mourn the passing of Martin F. “Marty” Roth in January 2025.
Martin F. Roth, most recently resided in Grant Park, Illinois. He was known to friends and family as “Marty.” Martin was an avid enthusiast of hunting, target shooting and vintage cars. He had a special love for NRHA reining shows, where he enjoyed spending time watching his wife, Becky Roth, showcase her horses.
The Reining Horse Foundation and NRHA mourn the passing of Randy Davis of Harrisburg, Illinois, on December 10, 2024.
Randy always had a special love for horses, the horse industry, and all the people in it. He spent most of his life deeply involved with teaching; and the showing, breeding, and sale of horses. For the past 25 years, Randy and his wife, Linda, operated Davis Western Tradin’ Company/Davis Boots. They became very successful in the sale of quality western boots. Randy was well known in the vendor areas of NRHA events, including the 6666 NRHA Derby and the NRHA Futurity held annually in Oklahoma City. He loved to meet and visit with customers, share stories of horse-related experiences and make sure all were 100 percent satisfied.
A memorial service is being held January 25, 2025. Randy’s family is requesting that in lieu of flowers, gifts may be made to the Reining Horse Foundation, specifically its youth programs.
If mailing a check, put “In Memory of Randy Davis” in the memo section. Donate online via the RHF website.
Sliders’ Night Out presented by Toyon Ranch was befitting of the international scope and success of the National Reining Horse Association’s marquee event, the NRHA Futurity & Adequan® North American Affiliate Championships. Promoted as the hottest night on reining’s social calendar, the festive event had a mix of energy, reverence, and vision that has propelled the Reining Horse Foundation (RHF) to new heights since the event was established in 2018.
“I have had so many people come up to me and say that was the most moving evening they have been to in such a long time. It really hit their hearts,” said Nancy Tague, secretary/treasurer of the RHF Board of Directors and co-owner of presenting donor Toyon Ranch with her husband, John.
Held December 4 in the historic Centennial Building on the OKC Fairgrounds, Sliders’ Night Out welcomed guests from around the globe. The reception provided time for socializing and perusing live auction donations.
Following a delicious surf-and-turf dinner from Impact Catering, the program was emceed by Brian Lookabill. First up was recognition of former inductees into the NRHA Hall of Fame, with nearly two dozen men and women on hand representing people and horses who have received reining’s highest honor. 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.
“Sliders’ was a super night for me to see where we’ve come from and where NRHA is today,” said NRHA Hall of Fame member and $1 million rider Jim Morgan, DVM. “I was thrilled to be there with my wife and see the excitement of the people that attended.”
The evening’s first award went to Markel, recipient of the 2024 NRHA Dale Wilkinson Lifetime Achievement Award. Remarks were given on behalf of NRHA’s longest-running corporate partner by Frank Costantini, Markel director of western disciplines, who was personally inducted into the NRHA Hall of Fame in 2001.
New NRHA Hall of Fame inductees included three mares and the sport’s highest money-earning rider, Andrea Fappani. Accepting on behalf of his mare Snow Gun was Andre De Bellefeuille of Canada. Accepting on behalf of her family’s mare Wind Her Up Shiner was NRHA non pro Mariana Vazquez of Illinois representing Smart Like Juice LLC. The final mare inducted was Wind Her Up Chic, a half-sister of Wind Her Up Shiner. Accepting was owner Tim Anderson, who splits his time between homes in South Dakota and Arizona.
Fappani of Scottsdale, Arizona, was the night’s final inductee. In his remarks, he thanked many who took him under his wing when he moved from Italy to the United States to become a reining trainer. He took the stage to a standing ovation.
In addition to honoring the sport’s legends, Sliders’ Night Out serves as the largest annual fundraiser for the RHF, helping support other core programs such as the Dale Wilkinson Memorial Crisis Fund, youth leadership development, and scholarships. An appeal to donors during the event raised more than $6,000. It was the live auction that soared. The high-selling item was “One Last Slide,” a mixed media work on canvas painted from start to finish during the event by Josey Butler, Streakin’ B Art.
Additional auction items included a John Deere ZTrak Mower donated by Equine Discounts, an ICSI Services Package donated by NRHA Corporate Partner GeneTech, a custom luxe edition mink hat donated by NRHA Corporate Partner Shorty’s Caboy Hattery, a Country Cruising 5-night cruise and music festival donated by FDT Cruises, and a NASCAR Truck Racing VIP experience made possible by ThorSport Racing. The auction grossed more than $80,000.
“The messages about RHF and what it does really resonated with guests,” said Tague. “I know we’ve actually had people who have been awarded Crisis Fund grants share how deeply it was felt for them to know there was someone like RHF there to take care of them and to think about them. That’s why we do this. It’s just so inspiring.”
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.
