Category: Futurity

With Monday’s classes in the books, the 2021 National Reining Horse Association Futurity and Adequan® North American Affiliate Championship has passed the halfway point. The Adequan® NAAC titles have grown over the years to be one of the most prestigious awards a reiner can win, with competitors traveling hundreds of miles to compete at the State Fair Park in Oklahoma City.

Jose Vazquez Wins NAAC Novice Horse Non Pro Level 1 & 2 Co-Championship on Rock It Sassy Girl

Jose Vazquez and Rock It Sassy Girl laid down an impressive run in the Adequan® Arena, marking a 220 to tie for the win of the NAAC Novice Horse Levels 1 and 2. They also tied for the win of the ancillary Novice Horse Non Pro Levels 1 and 2, and won Level 3 outright, bringing the day’s earnings to $5,064.

Vazquez also won a saddle from Continental Saddlery, a Montana Silversmiths buckle, product from Dr. Joe Carter, Platinum Performance and Classic Equine, and a gift certificate for Bluebonnet Feed.

“It means a lot to me to win here. I don’t have a lot of opportunities to come here and show. This is probably the second or third time for me to show in the NAAC because I usually just bring Futurity horses,” Vazquez, who will be inducted to NRHA’s Hall of Fame on Wednesday night, explained. “So to come out here and win is great. The competition is people from everywhere, and I knew it wouldn’t be easy.”

Rock It Sassy Girl, a 4-year-old mare, has a pedigree most any reining enthusiast would be proud to have. She’s by NRHA Twelve Million Dollar Sire and former NRHA Futurity Champion Wimpys Little Step, and out of another former Futurity Champion Shining N Sassy.

“I felt bad because I missed the Futurity finals last year on her by just a little bit. I felt bad I didn’t because she is good enough to be there, and it’s one of those things I wish I could have a second chance with,” Vazquez admitted. “We showed today and she was very good. To come to a show like this and win with 100-something horses is awesome. I am really happy with myself and for my family to be here with me.”

Vazquez made sure to mention the people who have helped him. “I thank all of my family, my trainer who has been excellent with all my horses, and my NRHA family,” he said. “I am very happy my whole family is here and I have a trophy to show the kids that grandpa can be ok sometimes.”

Kyla Thurlow and Double Guns Tonite Claim NAAC Novice Horse Non Pro Level 1 & 2 Co-Championship

Kyla Thurlow and Double Guns Tonite won the NAAC Novice Horse Non Pro Level 1 title in 2020. The duo returned to the Adequan® Arena to defend their title, marked a 220, and ended as co-champions of the NAAC Novice Horse Non Pro Levels 1 and 2!

The pair also finished as co-champions of the ancillary Novice Horse Non Pro Levels 1 and 2, for earnings totaling $4,373. They won prizes including a saddle from Continental Saddlery, a Montana Silversmiths buckle, product from Dr. Joe Carter, Platinum Performance and Classic Equine, and a gift certificate for Bluebonnet Feed. In addition, Thurlow had signed up for the Adequan® 500, so she took home the $500 for both NAAC Novice Horse Non Pro classes!

“This is probably the best she’s shown for me in a long time,” Thurlow shared. “She was super quiet. She turned good and was with me in the circles, and she stopped great. It seems like the NAAC classes here are getting bigger every year, which is great. It means there are a lot more people, and makes you feel even better when you do well.”

Double Guns Tonite is a 5-year-old mare by Top Gun Tonite out of Gunners Dazey. “My favorite thing about her is she’s just like a gelding. She’s big and pretty. She’s sweet and a little sensitive like a mare but doesn’t hold a grudge and she’s just the same every day. She always tries.”

Thurlow also piloted her other entry, Kachina Olena Tag, to a top five finish in the Novice Horse Non Pro Level 2.

Thurlow rides with NRHA Professionals Mark and Shannon Rafacz. “I thank Mark and Shannon for sure. I Live in Massachusetts and I do a lot of catch riding, and I never have to worry about my horses because they’re always prepped when I get here. That says a lot about their program that someone can just show up, ride, and have the success that I have had,” she said. “Of course, I thank my barn family. We have a big group here and everyone was cheering. Then of course I thank my mom and dad who were cheering from afar.”

Complete results can be found at NRHAFuturity.com.

Over the past several days of competition, the top 3-year-old reining horses and riders from across the country have vied for a spot in the finals of the National Reining Horse Association Futurity. With the conclusion of Monday’s preliminary round, most of the field is set for the CINCH Non Pro Futurity Finals, which will be held on Friday, December 3.

Topping the Level 4 and Level 3 of the CINCH Non Pro Futurity first round with a 219.5 is Jennifer Gilliam and Surprizing Sixty Six. The 3-year-old mare is by Inferno Sixty Six out of Dun With Surprizes and was bred and nominated to the NRHA by Valentin Rascon. Earlier this year, Gilliam and Surprizing Sixty Six won the High Roller Reining Classic Level 4 and 3 Non Pro Championship.

Carlee McCutcheon and Starlights Voodoo competed late in the second section and marked a 217.5. That not only topped the Level 2, it also qualified the pair back to the Non Pro finals in Levels 3 and 4. Starlights Voodoo is by NRHA Million Dollar Sire Shiners Voodoo Dr out of Whizen Starlight. Bred by Kellie Meier and nominated by Jackson Porath, Starlights Voodoo has already won more than $7,900 in competition.

Gavin Warren and A Chic A Nite topped the Level 1 with a 214. A Chic A Nite is by NRHA Six Million Dollar Sire Magnum Chic Dream out of One More Nite. 

NRHA’s newest Million Dollar Owner, Andre De Bellefeuille of Equine Plus, topped the Non Pro Prime Time with a 219.5 (including handicap). De Bellefeuille, of Canada, rode Its All Gun, by Its All About Smart out of De Bellefeuille’s great producing mare Snow Gun.

Topping the Youth and tying for second in Level 4 is Addisyn Schmersal and Ta Dunit Redhot. The pair marked a 218. Ta Dunit Redhot is by NRHA Two Million Dollar Sire Pale Face Dunnit out of Redhot Walla.

To secure a spot in the CINCH Level 4 Non Pro Futurity, it took a score of 214, while a 212 was the magic number for the Level 3. Riders with a 211 or higher earned a place in the Level 2, as did those in the Level 1 with a 207.5 or higher. The bubble for the Prime Time is a 212 (including handicap), while the one for the Youth is 206.

For those not advancing directly to the finals from the first go, hope is still alive. That’s because of the CINCH Non Pro Futurity Consolation Round on Wednesday morning. The next 30 horses (plus ties) in the Level 4, next 12 in the Level 3, and next 10 in Levels 1 and 2, will compete for a spot in the finals. The top five in each of the four Levels will earn a spot in Friday’s finals.

It was the Jared Leclair and Gunningthebay show Sunday at the National Reining Horse Association Adequan® North American Affiliate Championships. Leclair and the 5-year-old mare won NAAC titles in the Novice Horse Open Levels 1 and 2, and won the ancillary divisions of the Novice Horse Open Levels 1-3, for total earnings of $5,229.

Not only that, Leclair took a bevy of prizes home to Tioga, Texas, including two saddles from AM Superior Saddlery, two Montana Silversmiths buckles, product from Dr. Joe Carter, Platinum Performance and Classic Equine, and gift certificates for Bluebonnet Feed.

“We showed Pattern 3 today, and that’s not one you get to show a lot. This mare was great. She stopped and turned big, and circled and changed leads really well. She was just super easy to show,” Leclair said.

Gunningthebay is by NRHA Four Million Dollar Sire Gunners Special Nite out of Dun It In The Bay. Jared and his wife Karla have owned her a little over a year. “We bought her from my assistant Christy Jardetzky. “I’ve shown her, my help has shown her, and we’ve won about $8,000 on her. She’s been a great show horse. My wife is going to show her next year in some aged event stuff, so I’ve just been building her and creating a nice horse to show,” he said.

Leclair added that the competition in the Adequan® Arena has grown increasingly tough. “It’s a really big deal to win now. It’s a tough competition with a lot of entries because there are a lot of people going for it. NRHA has put a lot of thought into making this a big event. The association has done its part, and the trainers and non pros have done their part by showing up and participating in it. The proof is in the pudding when there are that many people here showing,” he said. “I thank my wife, who is a huge supporter of mine and is always working behind the scenes. I also thank my help because they have been great, too. I couldn’t do it without them.”

Tying for second in the NAAC Novice Horse Open Level 2 with scores of 219.5 were David Hanson and Jesse Gentile. Hanson rode Xtra Needs A Drink (Wimpyneedsacocktail x Ruby Chic Olena), owned by N Anne Driscoll, while Gentile rode Taking A Mistress (Taking A Rest x Gangster Mistress).

Gentile and Taking A Mistress, owned by Bevin Zimmerman, also finished reserve in the NAAC Novice Horse Open Level 1. The pair also won the NAAC Limited Open Championship held yesterday.

Complete results, news, and more can be found at NRHAFuturity.com.

Competition for the National Reining Horse Association CINCH Non Pro Futurity began Sunday, November 28, with the first section of the first go. At the end of the first section, Jennifer Gilliam, of Pine Grove, California, sits atop the leaderboard.

Gilliam is riding Surprizing Sixty Six, a 3-year-old mare by Inferno Sixty Six out of Dun With Surprizes, bred and nominated to the NRHA by Valentin Rascon. The pair marked a 219.5, which tops Levels 4 and 3. Gilliam and Surprizing Sixty Six, owned by Janiene Borror, won the Level 4 and Level 3 Championship earlier this year at the High Roller Reining Classic.

NRHA’s newest Million Dollar Owner Andre De Bellefeuille of Equine Plus leads the Non Pro Level 2 and Prime Time with a 216.5. De Bellefeuille, of Canada, rode Its All Gun, by Its All About Smart out of De Bellefeuille’s producing mare Snow Gun. Snow Gun is the dam of De Bellefeuille’s stallion, Electric Snow, earner of more than $100,000.

Earlier this year at the North American Reining Stakes, Mathieu Buton piloted Its All Gun to the Level 3 Championship at the North American Reining Stakes.

Stephen Everett and It Dunn Happend Here lead the Level 1 with a 213.5. It Dun Happend Here is by NRHA Two Million Dollar Sire Pale Face Dunnit and out of It Will Happen Here.

Leading the Youth and sitting well in Levels 4-2 is Carlee McCutcheon and A Nite N Hollywood. The pair marked a 216. A Nite N Hollywood, owned by McCutcheon’s parents Tom and Mandy McCutcheon, is by NRHA Four Million Dollar Sire Gunners Special Nite out of Hollywood Starburst.

Competition continues Monday with the second section of the Non Pro Futurity preliminaries. The top 25 in Levels 4-1, top 20 in the Prime Time, and the top 15 from the youth advance to the clean-slate finals on Friday, December 3.

Non Pro entries to the finals have one more shot through the CINCH Non Pro Futurity Consolation, which is held Wednesday in the Adequan® Arena. There, the top five in each level will move on to the Non Pro Finals.

For complete results, visit NRHAFuturity.com.

Competition in the Adequan® Arena of the State Fair Park in Oklahoma City continued Saturday with the Rookie Professional and Limited Open classes of the Adequan® North American Affiliate Championships.

Nikki Tyndall Wins NRHA Adequan® NAAC Rookie Professional on Stars At Midnite

Nikki Tyndall and Stars At Midnight won the NRHA Adequan® NAAC Rookie Professional for the second year in a row. The pair also took co-championship honors in the ancillary class, bringing their total earnings to more than $716. Thanks to generous sponsors, Tyndall took home a variety of great prizes, including a saddle from Bob’s Custom Saddles, a Montana Silversmiths buckle, product from Dr. Joe Carter, Platinum Performance and Classic Equine, and a gift certificate for Bluebonnet Feed.

Tyndall and Stars At Midnight also placed in the NAAC and Ancillary Limited Open which ran concurrently, worth an additional $475.

“She was really good. I mean, I think she just threw it on the table today. I probably ran the best circles I’ve ever run on her. She was just phenomenal on that, then she stopped big and turned clean both ways, and was just really good,” Tyndall recounted the 218-point run.

Stars At Midnite, owned by Edward Frawley, is an 8-year-old mare by NRHA Four Million Dollar Sire Gunners Special Nite out of Chic Olena Starbuck. “She came back from sickness this spring, but she came back 100 percent and is feeling great,” Tyndall explained. “She is just so kind. If a little kid would picture their ideal horse, that’s what she is. She’s always friendly with her ears forward and is just a joy to be around. She’s also super safe. You can throw anyone on her.”

For Tyndall, winning an NAAC is about more than just adding a line to a resume. “We get up every day and work for this, but training horses and working with people can be hard, and some days you just feel like you failed,” she admitted. “Then you keep going back the next day and going back again. To have this as a payoff for all the days where you thought maybe you should give up but you didn’t. It just really means a lot.”

Tyndall added her thanks to several influential people. “I thank my boss Dave Moore, our whole team, and of course Ed Frawley,” she said.

Finishing second in the NAAC Rookie Pro was Lea Inhaber-Courchesne on Magnum Moonstone with a 217. Magnum Moonstone, owned by Louis Zamboli, is by NRHA Six Million Dollar Sire Magnum Chic Dream and out of Shining Moonstone.

Jesse Gentile Wins NAAC Limited Open Championship on Taking A Mistress

Winning an Adequan® NAAC Championship is always an accomplishment, but to do it on a horse you’ve picked out and trained his whole career makes the achievement even more special.

That was the case on Saturday evening, when Valley City, Ohio’s, Jesse Gentile won the NAAC Limited Open Championship on Taking A Mistress with a score of 221. The duo won $592, as well as prizes including a saddle from Kyle Tack, a Montana Silversmiths buckle, product from Dr. Joe Carter, Platinum Performance and Classic Equine, and a gift certificate for Bluebonnet Feed.

The pair’s score also held for the win of the ancillary Limited Open, worth an additional $556 for owner Bevin Zimmerman.

“It means a lot. This is one we found as a yearling and trained up the whole way. I didn’t really get him shown well as a 3-year-old, but he’s really come along this year and had a good year,” Gentile explained.

Gentile and Taking A Mistress, by Taking A Rest out of Gangster Mistress, showed in Thursday’s Intermediate Open. “He was pretty good then, but maybe a bit tired, so for this class, I just didn’t prepare him much at all. I just got on, jogged around, then went in, and he was pretty good,” he said. “He’s kind of lazy, and he likes to sleep a lot, so I make sure to not ride him too much and give him plenty of rest time.”

Gentile and Taking A Mistress will show one more time in the Adequan® Arena when they compete for another title in the Novice Horse Open classes on Sunday.

Gentile qualified another of his entries for Friday’s Bob’s Custom Saddles Intermediate Open Showdown, and he noted that the inaugural bonus rounds were definitely a factor when deciding to travel to Oklahoma City. “Especially with both of the horses I have, I’d say it was a factor. I am lucky enough to still be eligible for the Intermediate Open, so I wanted to try to go for it because that’s a lot of money added and a definite incentive to come and go for it,” he said.

“First and foremost, I thank Bevin Zimmerman and her husband Ray. They’ve been great customers for a few years now. I also thank my wife, Stephanie. She does all the behind-the-scenes stuff and helps get the horses ready and me ready so I definitely thank her, too,” he said.

Taking the NAAC Limited Open Reserve Championship was Cody Garrison and Reiningwiththestars, owned by Emily Morris. The pair marked a 218.5, which not only won the NAAC Reserve title but also tied for second in the ancillary division, worth $682. Reiningwiththestars is by NRHA Two Million Dollar Sire Spooks Gotta Whiz out of Wimpys Memorabilia.

Naike Bell and Smart Chicago Spook, also by Spooks Gotta Whiz and out of Smart Chicago Lena, tied for second in the ancillary Limited Open with a 218.5, winning $296. Smart Chicago Spook is owned by Thomas Tucker.

Morgan Moser Wins Ancillary Rookie Professional Co-Championship on Magnums Chexy Dream

With a score of 218, Morgan Moser and Magnums Chexy Dream tied for the win of the ancillary Rookie Professional, which was held Saturday in the Adequan® Arena. The pair also tied for fourth in the Limited Open, bringing the day’s take to $475.

“My mare was really easy. She warmed up like she normally does, and let me cruise her through like she typically does,” Moser said. “We have had her at Sam Smith’s for a year now. We got her through Casey Hinton last year at the Futurity.”

Magnums Chexy Dream is by NRHA Six Million Dollar Sire Magnum Chic Dream out of Big Gold Chex. The 4-year-old mare is owned by Michelle Schuck.

Moser, of North Carolina, added, “I thank my parents, of course, as well as Sam and Kelle Smith for helping me.”