Category: History

The National Reining Horse Association’s newest Million Dollar Sire Not Ruf At All’s career started with a bang when he won the 2013 NRHA Futurity. The following year “Ruf” claimed the NRHA Derby Championship. Just two years later, he added the National Reining Breeders Classic Open title to become one of only a few horses to win the three major events.

By NRHA $2 Million Sire A Sparkling Vintage and out of All Ruffed Up, the sorrel stallion is owned by NRHA Hall of Famer Vaughn Zimmerman. Always ridden by NRHA $2 Million Rider Jason Vanlandingham, he would become one of NRHA’s highest money-earning stallions, with $456,437 in lifetime earnings.

Vanlandingham vividly remembers the day when he realized just what he had in Not Ruf At All. “It was June of his 3-year-old year. My wife, Adrienne, came out, and I asked her to video him stopping. I ran down and stopped, and she just started laughing and said, ‘Oh my goodness, you’ve got to look at this.’ When I looked at the video, I knew we had something special!” he recalled.

That talent was coupled with the stallion’s monstrous heart. “Over the course of his entire career, he never missed a stop in competition. I can’t say that about any other horse I’ve had or ever seen go,” Vanlandingham shared.

He recounted the story of the NRHA Derby when, as a 5-year-old, Ruf stopped just like every time he had been shown. But after he rode the stallion from the Coliseum, Vanlandingham found his slider in the warmup pen! With a shoe or without, he never missed a stop.

For Zimmerman, watching Ruf throughout his career was pure excitement. “He was so dynamic, and I couldn’t wait until the next show,” he said.

The titles – and the purchase offers – rolled in, but there was never a question of parting with Ruf, all because of a discussion Zimmerman and Vanlandingham had early on. “Jason asked me to promise I wouldn’t sell Ruf out from under him. I told him I wouldn’t.” He laughed, then added, “The prices of the offers kept growing, and I asked him if he was sure we shouldn’t sell him. Jason said, ‘No I want to show him!’”

Multiple historic achievements and many magical moments followed, proving the decision sound, but ultimately, it was time for the next stage of Ruf’s career. “We hated to see him quit showing. He’s the best show horse we’ve ever owned,” Zimmerman admitted.

Ruf soon displayed his prepotency as a breeding stallion. “The first crops were small because we weren’t standing him to an open book. But soon we were seeing strong support from people around the globe – even Europe. People have a lot of choices because they can breed to established studs – so when you’re in the proving stages and they support you, it means a lot,” Zimmerman explained.

In the beginning, Zimmerman bred his own set of broodmares to the young stallion. When the first foals came of age in 2018, the journey of becoming a successful sire began.

Not Ruf At All’s highest money earner is Excessive Rufness (Smokin Lady Gunner), a 3-year-old this year owned by Zimmerman. Winning the inaugural Invitational Futurity with Vanlandingham boosted his earnings over the $100,000 mark.

Other notable offspring include Ruf Style Of Play (UB Stylin With Me) owned by Axel Bouchner, who was ridden to the NRHA Futurity Level 4 Non Pro title by Jesse Asmussen and has gone on to earn more than $92,000. Another Zimmerman-owned standout is Its All About Ruff (Dun Pretty Nifty), with $73,715 in lifetime earnings.

NRHA President Rick Clark noted, “Not Ruf At All was a great horse as a show horse and fun to watch. He won the three major events and so many titles, and it’s not a surprise that he has gone over a million already. Vaughn Zimmerman is an asset to the industry, and this is a huge accomplishment. On behalf of the Board and staff of NRHA, congratulations to Vaughn and all the connections of this great stallion.”

The National Reining Horse Association’s newest Million Dollar Rider Ruben Vandorp loves his life. Career-wise he loves reining, reiners, the reining community, and most of all, the horses. He’s equally passionate about his family – wife Melissa, kids Skylar and Peyton – and his church.

In fact, there are very few topics that this Netherlands import isn’t enthusiastic about, and that’s been his mindset since he came to the United States with a duffle bag and a dream. “I started in youth competition, then out of high school got a job with Nedpoint in the Netherlands,” Vandorp recalled.

After a few years, he moved to Pauls Valley, Okla., to continue working for the international exporting company that purchased horses in the U.S., then shipped them overseas. “That got me into it and made me want to buy horses and sell them and put them on airplanes,” he explained.

Indoctrination into this aspect of the reining world shaped Vandorp’s future indelibly and throughout his career, his model has been to get horses started, and then sell them. He also placed other trainers on the talented athletes when he felt that was the right direction. It has been a very successful formula but did make it harder for him to amass his own earnings in the show pen.

One of Vandorp’s friends mused that he’s probably the only rider who has won a million that didn’t set out to win a million – just to sell horses. “I’ve always taken that route of selling them when they started working,” he admitted with a laugh. “Well, with just a few exceptions.”   

Einsteins Revolution (Einstein x Fly Flashy Jac) was the first of those exceptions and the horse that put Vandorp on the reining radar screen. The now $2 Million NRHA Sire was a standout. At the 2007 National Reining Breeders Classic, Ruben won the Level(L) 3 and after a tie was second in the L4, earning more than $80,000.

Another top money earner was Legacy In Lights (Hit The Lights x Doc Berry Miss), which Vandorp rode to earnings exceeding $159,000 as a 3-year-old.  In 2020 it was Spooks Gotta Crush (Spooks Gotta Whiz x Megas Sugar Baby) that headlined with Vandorp when he rode him at the NRBC to win the Level 3 Championship and tie for fourth in the Level 4, earning $46,321.

Ruben passed the million-dollar mile marker in October at the 2021 Best of the West Show in Scottsdale, Ariz. on Mr Farenheit (Magnum Chic Dream x Wimpy Little Girl), a horse he co-owns with Max Morin. “What I’m super excited about in hitting the million is the honor of being in a group with so many trainers I respect and admire – it’s very humbling. So many of them have been so helpful – overall the whole reining community has been encouraging and helpful,” he said.

NRHA President Rick Clark was quick to note, “Ruben has been in the industry a long time. He’s an excellent showman who has worked very hard over the years to achieve this milestone. This achievement is a testament to his dedication.”

What does the future hold for Ruben? “There’s really nothing I want to change. I love what I do and love the customers I have so I want to just keep going and enjoying life.”

Photos are courtesy of Ruben Vandorp

Gunnatrashya, a 2006 sorrel stallion by National Reining Horse Association $12 Million Sire Gunner out of Natrasha, first became an NRHA Million Dollar Sire in 2017. In every subsequent year, the stallion, owned by Arcese Quarter Horses USA, has passed another million-dollar milestone, and with less than two months remaining in 2021, he’s done it again.

Gunnatrashya foals won more than $30,000 at the recent Southwest Reining Horse Association Futurity, including Makin A Little Trash (Xtra Voodoo Dora), who finished third in the Level 4 Open and reserve in the Level 3 Open.

Gunnatrashya’s first foal crop burst onto the reining scene in 2014, with show pen standouts ARC Gunnabeabigstar (LTE $289,999) and ARC Gunna Sparkya (LTE $119,605). That initial success was just a glimpse into what has become a historic stallion career.

Gunnatrashya, bred by Katarina Dorminy, had just as successful of a career in the show pen 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-earning offspring are:

• ARC Gunnabeabigstar (out of Wimpys Little Chic): $298,999
• Super Marioo (out of HA Chic A Tune): $285,348
• Inferno Sixty Six (out of Snip O Gun): $205,690
• Gunna Stop (out of Stop Little Sister): $172,762
• ARC Gunna Mark Ya (out of Shiney Miss Marker): $163,877
• Gunnabebigtime (out of Big Time Jazzy): $147,486
• Gunnarickashay (out of Rondas Tio): $147,229
• Loveya (out of Love Em N Lena): $131,861
• ARC Gunna Sparkya (out of Sailing Spark): $119,605
• Diamond Studded Guns (out of Like To Flo): $110,814

Congratulations to Gunnatrashya and Arcese Quarter Horses USA.

With more than $8,000 in earnings at the All-American Quarter Horse Congress, National Reining Horse Association Professional Brian Bell has unofficially surpassed the two million dollars in NRHA lifetime earnings.

Bell, of Pilot Point, Texas, first became an NRHA Million Dollar Rider in 2013 following the NRHA Futurity, where he qualified two horses back to the Level 4 Open finals. “I first got started around the time Bill Horn became NRHA’s first Million Dollar Rider, and that made me want to have that success, too,” Bell shared. “The first million was the hardest. I’ve learned so much since then and can do a better job now.”

That knowledge made it possible for Bell to earn his second million in less than eight years. In 2020, he won his biggest check to date when he piloted Gunnabebigtime (Gunnatrashya x Big Time Jazzy) to the NRHA Futurity Open Level 4 Reserve Championship for $113,033.

With Turn Down For What (Einsteins Revolution x My Way Marla), Bell finished fourth at the 2015 NRHA Futurity. The pair then finished as the National Reining Breeders Classic Level 4 Open Reserve Champions in 2017.

Recent performances with standout athletes including Mr Royal Hollywood, Cee Mr Stop, Mr Hollywood Cee, Mr Boaz, and Ruf Steppin have all helped propel Bell’s lifetime earnings upwards. “Most of the credit has to go to the good horses I’ve gotten to ride; the ones that want to do the job for you,” he said. “I also thank the owners who have had faith in me and have given me nice horses to ride.”

Bell started his reining career at 18 years old. He moved into the professional ranks in 1995 and quickly made his mark there as well winning several major event titles. He has successfully competed at the highest levels of reining competition, including USET Reining Championship finals, the NRHA Futurity, NRHA Derby, NRBC, All American Quarter Horse Congress and AQHA World Show.

Bell noted his father, George Bell, has been a major part of his career, beginning with youth horses and continuing to support him with good horses over the years. “My dad used to sit out on the track on a stump to watch. He did that so long that the stump finally rotted and we had to put a new one out there,” Bell recalled.

Brian Bell’s Top 10 Wins:

2020 NRHA Futurity Level 4 Open Reserve Champion – Gunnabebigtime – $113,033

2006 NRHA Futurity Level 4 Open Reserve Champion – Collenas Finest Tafy – $103,110

2015 NRHA Futurity Level 4 Open 4th – Turn Down For What – $52,636

2008 National Reining Breeders Classic Level 4 Open 3rd – Great Sun Burst – $43,000

2017 National Reining Breeders Classic Level 4 Open Reserve Champion – Turn Down For What – $41,000

2007 National Reining Breeders Classic Level 4 Open 4th – Starbucks Jazz – $37,000

2006 National Reining Breeders Classic Level 4 Open 4th – Lean With Hollywood – $36,000

2021 National Reining Breeders Classic Level 4 Open 3rd – Mr Royal Hollywood – $30,000

2020 NRHA Futurity Level 4 Open 8th – Mr Boaz – $27,481

2006 NRHA Derby Level 4 Open 4th – Lean With Hollywood – $23,281

Bell and his wife Naike own and train out of their facility in Pilot Point, Texas. For more information, visit BrianBellPerformanceHorses.com.

One million. It’s a number that triggers a pause and invokes a moment of reflection regardless of the subject. For reining enthusiasts, one million is especially significant. A million dollars in earnings solidifies a place in National Reining Horse Association history books. Recently Andre De Bellefeuille and his businesses, Equine Plus and Ferme Equestre Excalibur, of Canada, became the association’s newest Million Dollar Owner.
 
“This (becoming an NRHA Million Dollar Owner) is quite an honor. I am only the second Canadian to reach this achievement. The beauty of this is that at least 50 percent of the earnings were achieved from horses from our breeding program,” De Bellefeuille shared. “We are very proud of that.”
 
It was just a couple of years ago that De Bellefeuille became a Million Dollar Breeder, with the cornerstone of his program being the incredible mare Snow Gun. Snow Gun, by NRHA $12 Million Sire Gunner, earned more than $120,000 in the show pen. She is the dam of De Bellefeuille’s stallion Electric Snow (by NRHA $3 Million Sire Jacs Electric Spark), who won more than $110,000. She also produced Yankee Gun (LTE $156,967), Gunstep ($58,456), Wimpys Snow Step (LTE $45,225), and Wimpys Snow Gun (LTE $31,013).
 
“Like I mentioned, a good chunk of our earnings as owners came from our breeding program, and the future growth as an owner and breeder will most likely come from the breeding of our stallion Electric Snow,” De Bellefeuille said. “We own many nice prospects and see a bright future for him as a sire. Many top breeders have seen the same thing we do and bred some of their good mares to him. As owners, we are fortunate to own nice horses such as Electric Snow, Snow Gun, and well as Its All About Smart and Whizicle.”
 
De Bellefeuille emphasizes his program’s focus on healthy and happy horses. “We are first and foremost horsemen, and the health of our horses is our first priority, and I am proud we have reached this point with sound and healthy horses,” he said. “To get to where we are, we had the help of many people and some fantastic riders. They are definitely part of our success and I thanked them for that.”
 
De Bellefeuille is more than just an owner. He himself has won more than $400,000 in competition. “We still ride two to three horses every day and compete, although unfortunately not much in the last year due to the limited number of shows and restrictions on travel,” he explained. Recently with one of his homebred horses Its All Gun (Its All About Smart x Snow Gun) he was Reserve Champion in Level 2, 3, and 4 and the Prime Time winner in the Non Pro Futurity at the All American Quarter Horse Congress.
 
While reining is still a developing sport in Quebec, its popularity is quickly growing thanks in part to the foresight of enthusiasts like De Bellefeuille. De Bellefeuille served as President and vice-president of the Association Québécoise de Reining (AQR) for more than a decade. In 2011 André was inducted to the AQR Hall of Fame. On a national level, André has fulfilled several positions; active on several NRHA committees, vice-president of Reining Canada, and also involved with the Cheval Quebec (Quebec Horse Federation) regarding their breeding programs. Many awards such as breeder of the year in Canada (the only person ever winning in a Western discipline) and several times winner in Quebec.
 
De Bellefeuille thanks his family, especially his wife Danielle, for their support, understanding, and for letting him live this crazy passion.
 
Learn more about Andre de Bellefeuille and Equine Plus website www.equineplus-excalibur.com and Facebook page.