Category: History

The reining community mourns the loss of one of its memorable members. A National Reining Horse Association Hall of Fame inductee, competitor, breeder, and judge, Ronald Sharpe’s impact on the industry was immense. He was one of the first accredited NRHA Judges when the Association was born. He is noted for judging in five of the world’s seven continents for five different associations including NRHA, for which he served in various capacities for over 45 years. He was also the longest-standing chairman of the American Quarter Horse Association Judges Committee.

As a horseman, he was one of the few to have made the futurity finals in both the NRHA and the National Cutting Horse Association. As a breeder, he was and is the leading producer of AQHA champions.

A former Marine, he had a passion for his country, horses, and his family. In fact, he was quoted for saying, “A loving wife, family, and some good horses is all a man can ask for.” Sharpe passed away at 84 years old in his home surrounded by the family that he loved on Saturday, September 3, 2022.

A memorial service will be held at Riley Funeral Home in Hamilton, Texas, on Saturday, September 10, 2022. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Star Volunteer Fire Department.

You can find his official obituary here.

In 1984, Tom McCutcheon recorded his first earnings in the National Reining Horse Association while competing in an event in St. Paul, Minnesota. In 2006 he passed one million dollars in lifetime earnings, and then in early August 2022, crossed the next million-dollar milestone.

That achievement was reached at the North American Reining Stakes, held at the World Equestrian Center in Ocala, Florida. The Aubrey, Texas, trainer piloted Gold Star Gunner (Gunners Special Nite x Belle Starr Dun It), a horse he owns with his wife, Mandy, to the Level 3 Open Championship and a fourth-place finish in the Level 4, collecting more than $28,000. Those earnings alone would have been enough to pass two million, but McCutcheon also finished in the money on his and Mandy’s other entry, Best Jac (Jacs Electric Spark x Snip O Chex), for an additional $3,771.

“What makes this accomplishment special to me is that the majority of money I have won has been on horses we’ve bred, raised, or are by stallions we stand,” McCutcheon shared.

McCutcheon grew up in the horse business, but his was not a world filled with elite athletes like it is today. Back then, McCutcheon’s father, Bob, and brothers Scott, Jimmy, and Terry were always training and showing. Bob McCutcheon was known for being able to salvage horses that others couldn’t make work.

“We trained everything that was marketable at that time. If barrel horses were hot, we trained barrel horses. If rope horses were hot, we trained rope horses. We rode a lot of cutters,” he recalled.

The youngest of the McCutcheon brothers by 10 years, Tom rodeoed from an early age and qualified for the National High School Rodeo Finals in calf roping, bull dogging, and cutting. When he was just 18 years old, McCutcheon went into business for himself, renting his own place. He chose to focus on reining because “anything that involved cattle seemed too expensive.”

McCutcheon eventually moved to Italy to train for several years, joining friends who made the same move, including Duane and Dean Latimer, Dale Harvey, Jim Kiser, and Mike Davis, as well as his brother, Jimmy McCutcheon.

When McCutcheon returned to the United States, he relocated to North Texas. He knew he wanted to focus on good horses, so in 1993, when NRHA Professional Gary Putman showed him a two-year-old named Lil Ruf Peppy (Peppy San Badger x Rufas Peppy), it was a quick sale. Tom’s customers Antonio and Lia Foti purchased the colt, and McCutcheon bought him from them a year later.

Advancing to the Quarter Horse Congress Open Futurity Finals in 1994, McCutcheon and Lil Ruf Peppy hit their stride in 1995, earning the NRHA Derby Level 4 Open Reserve Championship and winning the Limited (Level 2) Open.

Lil Ruf Peppy went on to become an NRHA Three Million Dollar Sire. That was the start of McCutcheon’s breeding program, and he, along with Mandy, are both NRHA Million Dollar Owners.

The couple operates Tom McCutcheon Reining Horses out of Aubrey, Texas. Their training facility is home to several respected NRHA Professionals, including son Cade, also an NRHA Million Dollar Rider, Debbie Brown, Jeremy Gates, Dakota Guthridge, and Antonio Aramburo.

Supplementing the training aspect of the farm is an Equine Spa & Rehabilitation Center and, of course, the breeding program which features 10 resident stallions. Stallions currently standing at Tom McCutcheon Reining Horses include NRHA Five Million Dollar Sire Gunners Special Nite, Lil Dreamin Magnum, NRHA Million Dollar Sire Lil Joe Cash, Rufanicki, Gunners Tinseltown, Mr Fahrenheit, NRHA Million Dollar Sire Smart And Shiney, Super Marioo, and Blo Gun.

McCutcheon’s biggest wins include:

2001 NRHA Futurity L4 Open 3^rd place – $74,877 on Sailin Ruf

2016 NRBC L4 Open Reserve Championship – $51,000 on The Wizster

2001 NRBC L4 Open Championship – $50,000 on Smartest Chic Olena

2019 The Run For A Million 7^th place – $35,000 on Gunna Cash Ya

2013 NRHA Futurity L4 Open 7^th place – $33,434 on Dont Miss My Guns

2006 NRHA Futurity L4 Open 7^th place – $30,047 on Lil Ruf Gay Badger

2018 NRHA Futurity L4 Open 8^th place – $29,589 on Gotta Good Nite

2006 NRBC L4 Open 8^th place – $25,037 on Major Jesse

2013 NRBC L4 Open 8^th place – $22,000 on Dun Git A Nicadual

2015 NRHA Futurity L4 Open 9^th place – $21,601 on Sunglasses At Nite

Learn more about Tom at TMReining.com, or follow him on Facebook.

Photos courtesy of Chelsea Schneider.

In 1994, a spindly-legged, sorrel colt made his first appearance, and while he was admired by many, no one could have guessed the horizons that he would reach. Born under the ownership of National Cutting Horse Association icon Lindy Burch of Weatherford, Texas, the colt, by elite stallion Smart Little Lena out of Jessies Oak by Docs Oak, was named Smart Like Juice. Reining enthusiast Justin Zimmerman saw the colt’s knack for reining and bought him in a partnership with his father, Vaughn Zimmerman.

Justin said, “I was always a fan of the Smart Little Lenas, and he was royally bred. He had great conformation, just stunning to look at. We bought him in December with some cutting training on him, but he transitioned to reining in a very short time. He was always so pleasant to be around and just wanted to please from day one.”

Vaughn added, “It was very common back then to buy reining futurity prospects from those cutting horse sales. That horse caught our eye because he moved extremely well, and you could see by the way he stopped when they were working him on a cow how he would do well in the reining pen.”

As Smart Like Juice, known simply as “Juice,” grew and developed, he confirmed Zimmerman’s impression of reining ability. The colt was brimming with athleticism and had an uncanny way of understanding what was expected of him. Through training, he was willing and eager to learn. As time went on, he matured to have a beautiful rabicano coat pattern that further added to his distinction.

Juice was teamed up with NRHA Lifetime Achievement Award winner Ken Eppers early in his show career and won the 1997 SRHA Open Futurity right off the bat. He went on to finish 7^th in the 1997 National Reining Horse Association Open Futurity, but by then, he had already caught the eye of new reining enthusiast José Vazquez.

Vazquez had just watched his first NRHA Futurity in 1996. Then, while attending a smaller futurity in Minnesota the following year, he saw what he believed to be the most beautiful horse yet. He kept track of the animal showing under Eppers until one fateful day. He was visiting renowned trainer Ed Fear when a man appeared asking if Fear would be interested in training a horse for him. In the video he showed of that horse, Vazquez caught sight of the beautiful rabicano stallion he had been following. He pressed the man for information, and by 11 p.m. that day, Vazquez owned his dream horse.

The names José Vazquez and Smart Like Juice would become synonymous with success over the next 25 years. After Vazquez bought Juice, he kept him in training with Fear, who rode him to great achievement, but it was in the breeding barn that Juice’s name became legendary.

Vazquez was new to reining, and to the horse industry in general, when he purchased Juice. He said, “I didn’t know anyone. I didn’t know anything about breeding, but I bought this horse that I thought was so beautiful. After Ed rode him for a few days, he said, ‘José, I don’t think you have just a show horse. I think you may have a breeding stallion, too!’ So, I went out and bought two mares.”

Vazquez later laughed at himself because, at that time, he didn’t know what he didn’t know. Of the two mares he’d acquired for his new stallion, only one of them was bred for reining. She was a daughter of Hollywood Jac 86 and had only earned $800 showing, but when paired with Smart Like Juice, the mare went on to produce more than $117,000.

Some years later, Vazquez had learned more of what it took to produce champions and to make a name in the reining horse breeding world, so he started finding better mares for Juice. In his opinion, the best mare was Wind Her Up Shiner (Shining Spark x Wind Her Up Doc) who earned $33,000 in the show pen. She was never bred to any other stallion but Smart Like Juice, and she became a Million Dollar Dam the very weekend that Smart Like Juice passed away. The magic match produced 25 surviving foals that carried her to that milestone.

Overall, Juice has sired more than 700 foals that were recorded with NRHA, and 58% of those earned money making him a $4 Million Sire and Vazquez a $2 Million Breeder. Juice’s get are known for being good-minded, trainable, athletic, willing and versatile. They are sought after by Rookies and Non Pros for their easy demeanors and Open riders for their commanding arena presence and extraordinary athleticism. In addition to outstanding ability, they are also known to last.

Vazquez threw his whole heart behind his stallion and has, himself, won over 83% of his more than $1.6 million in NRHA lifetime earnings on horses that trace back to Smart Like Juice. Juice was inducted into the NRHA Hall of Fame in 2017 and was joined by Vazquez in 2021.

Juice lived out the last several years of his breeding career under the care and management of Mary Hannagan at Hannagan Farms in Gifford, Illinois. She said, “In 2007, Ed Fear called to ask me if I would stand Juice for José. Juice was an incredible show horse with heart and longevity that he has passed to almost all his foals. He was certainly a life-changing horse for me. José & Juice have had such an amazing journey – Hall of Fame, $4 Million Sire, $1 Million Owner and $2 Million Breeder! I am so thankful I was given the chance to breed the mares and foal the babies! It’s amazing how one incredible stallion can do so much for so many!”

Smart Like Juice died peacefully in his stall at Hannagan Farms on Friday, August 5, 2022, and while the reining community will mourn his loss, the reining dynasty he created lives on.

There has never been anything cold about SG Frozen Enterprize, unofficially the National Reining Horse Association’s newest Million Dollar Sire. From the beginning, the son of Frozen Sailor out of RS Rose SJ by SJ Enterprise was on fire, wowing audiences, making fans and showing incredible ability.

He moved into the spotlight when Mirko Midili rode him to sweep the Italian Reining Horse Association Futurity in 2012. NRHA All-Time Leading Rider Andrea Fappani saw the video of that winning run and showed it to Silver Spurs Equine owner Michael Miola. Miola remembers being more than impressed. “I said he looked like something special,” he shared.

Both men felt “Iceman” was an outstanding show horse and the ideal stallion to bring to the United States as an outcross. Fappani convinced then-owner Marco Franchini to send the stallion over.

Iceman arrived in the states just weeks before the 2013 NRHA Derby, and when Fappani rode him the first time, he immediately felt his instincts had been right on point. Miola agreed, so negotiations to purchase the horse began.

Fappani piloted Iceman to the Reserve Championship of the 2013 High Roller Reining Derby and finished fifth at the NRHA Derby. During the Derby, the sale was completed, and Iceman became Silver Spurs Equine’s newest stallion prospect. The following year he was ninth at the NRHA Derby and took third at both the Cactus Reining Classic and the High Roller Reining Classic Open Derbies.

Fappani typically only shows horses he’s had in training since their 2-year-old year but made an exception for Iceman, even though it took extra work to get together with him. He consistently scored between 222 and 225, but Fappani felt certain that the horse could do better with time. He was proven right when the pair won the 2014 American Quarter Horse Association Junior Reining World Championship with a score of 229.5.

The following year Fappani and Iceman won the National Reining Breeders Classic Open title, the Cactus Reining Classic Derby Championship, and fourth at the NRHA Derby.

As Iceman reached the end of his derby years, with lifetime earnings of more than $274,000, it was time to enter the next phase of his career as a breeding stallion. Despite breeding to a small, but select group of mares, success came early.

There were only two foals that were NRHA nominated in Iceman’s first foal crop, which arrived in 2015, but one of those was Icecube (out of Taris Designer Genes by Mr Boomerjac), the horse Tish Fappani rode to win the 2018 NRHA Level 4 Non Pro Futurity. Icecube is currently SG Frozen Enterprize’s top earner, leading an impressive list of other performers.

SG Frozen Enterprize Top Money Earners:

Icecube (Taris Designer Genes) $171,808

Ice Face (Dun Painting My Face) $97,615

Whizsicle (Miss Whizzletown) $92,565

A Cool Back Story (Skeets Chexy Nic) $59,588

Electric Enterprize (Electric Genes) $42,901

Xtra Ice Ice Wimpy (Wimpy Little Sinbar) $33,058

Talladega Ice (Skeets Chexy Nic) $32,910

TR Ice Ice Baby (Ms Whiz Dunit) $29,772

Frozen Gambler (Surprise Me Gamble) $28,843

CO Frozen Asset (Top Sail Cheetah) $28,402

Sarah Flarida, Silver Spurs Equine Oklahoma ranch manager, noted, “Iceman is one of the kindest, friendliest studs I’ve ever been around. He loves people, and his foals seem to all have that same personality.”

Not only does Iceman brand the foals with his demeanor, most generally have his signature physical features. Miola explained, “Most of them are red duns. You can instantly pick them all out in the pasture. They are all just mini-Icemans!”

Flarida added, “We are thrilled at how many of his offspring are able to compete at a high level and seem to improve with age, and we look forward to following their success.”

Learn more about SG Frozen Enterprize by visiting the website or following the stallion on Facebook.

One million has become the marker by which many achievements in the National Reining Horse Association have been measured. Recently, three stallions surpassed multi-million dollar milestones, cementing their places in the history books of the reining industry.

Two of the stallions, Gunnatrashya and Walla Walla Whiz, are owned by NRHA Two Million Dollar Owner Arcese Quarter Horses USA, while the third, Whizkey N Diamonds, is owned by Rhodes River Ranch.

Gunnatrashya – $7 Million Sire

Gunnatrashya, owned by Arcese Quarter Horses USA, first became an NRHA Million Dollar Sire in 2017, less than three years after his first foal crop entered the show pen. In every subsequent year, the stallion, owned by Arcese Quarter Horses USA, has passed at least one million-dollar milestone each year, and two in 2021.

As of this writing, Gunnatrashya foals have won more than $7,311,000, and the stallion holds on to the sixth position on NRHA’s All-Time Leading Sire list. The flashy stallion was the leading sire of the 2021 NRHA Futurity and repeated that feat just weeks ago at the 6666 NRHA Derby presented by Markel, where his foals won $192,610.

Gunnatrashya, bred by Katarina Dorminy, had just as successful a show pen career as he has had in the breeding shed. With NRHA Six Million Dollar Rider and Hall of Fame Inductee Shawn Flarida at the reins, Gunnatrashya was the 2009 NRHA Open Futurity Champion, the 2010 NRHA Open Derby Champion, and the 2009 All American Quarter Horse Congress Open Futurity Champion. Even with limited showing, he accumulated more than $218,000 in NRHA lifetime earnings.

Gunnatrashya’s Top Earners (as of 7/11/2022)

Gunna Stop (Stop Little Sister) $672,762

Ten Thirty (Dainty Little Step) $369,059

Super Marioo (HA Chic A Tune) $336,562

ARC Gunnabeabigstar (Wimpys Little Chic) $298,999

Inferno Sixty Six (Snip O Gun) $205,690

Gunnarickashay (Rondas Tio)$177,871

ARC Gunna Mark Ya (Shiney Miss Marker) $163,877

Gunnabebigtime (Big Time Jazzy) $147,486

Loveya (Love Em N Lena) $131,861

Trashinyurdreams (This Chicsdundreamin) $129,361

Gunnatrashya stands at NRHA Corporate Partner Oswood Stallion Station. Find more information about the stallion at oswoodstallionstation.com/gunnatrashya or arcesequarterhorses.com

Walla Walla Whiz – $4 Million Sire

Walla Walla Whiz, by NRHA Twelve Million Dollar Sire Topsail Whiz and out of Shiney Walla Wanda, is also owned by Arcese Quarter Horses USA. The 19-year-old stallion boasts an impressive show record that puts his NRHA LTE just over $187,000. Ridden by NRHA Six Million Dollar Rider Shawn Flarida, Walla Walla Whiz raked in several top-notch finishes in just a six-year span.

Some of the most noteworthy wins of Walla Walla Whiz include the 2007 NRHA Level 4 Open Derby Championship, the 2006 Tulsa Reining Classic L4 Open Futurity Championship, and third place in the Level 4 Open at the 2007 National Reining Breeders Classic.

Walla Walla Whiz first became a Million Dollar Sire in 2015, and now sits at number 15 on NRHA’s All-Time Leading Sire list with $4,095,594 in offspring earnings.

Those earnings were bolstered in June, when his highest money-earner, Americasnexttopgun, won the Level 4 Open Championship with NRHA Three Million Dollar Rider Casey Deary at the 6666 NRHA Derby presented by Markel. All totaled, Walla Walla Whiz offspring won more than $96,000 at this year’s Derby.

Walla Walla Whiz’s Top Earners (as of 7/11/2022)

• Americasnexttopgun (Americasnextgunmodel) $345,892
• Shesouttayourleague (Wimpys Little Chic) $252,470
• Americas Supermodel (Americasnextgunmodel) $231,253
• Isnt She Perfect (Miss Silver Gun) $170,109
• Made In Walla (Hollywood Made) $133,077
• ARC Walla Dun Did It (Dainty Dunit) $114,203
• Americasnextcovrgirl (Americasnextgunmodel) $93,927
• Redhot Walla (Roosters Redhot) $74,764
• Walla Whiz A Dun It (The Bun Is Dun) $74,100
• Walla Whiz Affair (Memorable Affair) $68,927

Walla Walla Whiz stands at NRHA Corporate Partner Oswood Stallion Station. Find more information about the stallion at oswoodstallionstation.com/wallawallawhiz or arcesequarterhorses.com

Whizkey N Diamonds – $2 Million Sire

Owned by Rhodes River Ranch, Whizkey N Diamonds is by the second all-time leading sire of NRHA money earners, NRHA Twelve Million Dollar Sire Topsail Whiz, and out of NRHA Million Dollar Dam Princess In Diamonds.

Bred by Cristin Schuetz, the 16-year-old buckskin stallion earned more than $216,335 during his show career with NRHA Six Million Dollar Rider Shawn Flarida. The pair got off to a strong start, winning third in the Level 4 Open at the 2009 NRHA Futurity. After a brief hiatus from the show pen, Whizkey N Diamonds came back strong, winning the 2011 Wimpys Little Step Derby, finishing top five in the L4 Open at the NRBC, taking reserve L4 Open honors at the 2011 NRHA Derby, and winning the 2012 American Quarter Horse Association World Championship in Senior Reining, all with Flarida in the saddle.

Whizkey N Diamonds stands at Oklahoma Equine Hospital in Goldsby, Oklahoma, and his foals have followed in his sliders, winning at major events including the NRHA Futurity, NRHA Derby, and the NRBC. The stallion first became an NRHA Million Dollar Sire in 2019, just three years after his first foals began competing.

To date, Whizkey N Diamonds’ foals have won $2,069,786 in NRHA competition alone, and he has moved into the 27^th spot on NRHA’s All-Time Leading Sire list.

Whizkey N Diamonds’ Top Earners (as of 7/11/2022)

• Makendiamonds (Makeit In Tinseltown) $113,738
• Lil Ruf Whizkey (Lil Ruf Startime) $105,785
• Rsure Shot Of Whizkey (Gunners Sureshot) $80,504
• Smoke In Whizkey (Suga Suga) $74,552
• Whizkey Chaser (Sparklin Chic) $71,586
• No Mans Whizkey (SS Rosa) $66,008
• Starlightsndiamonds (Starlights Sugarwhiz) $64,787
• Dirty Diamonds (Wimpys Cat Step) $64,311
• Red Garter N Whizkey (Peppys Lightning Jac) $54,125
• Custom Made Whizkey (Customized My Gun) $46,551

For more information about Whizkey N Diamonds, visit oklahomaequinehospital.com