NRHA is saddened to learn of the passing of Peter Phinny on August 13, 2021. We send condolences to his family and friends. With a love of horses sparked in childhood, nothing pleased Peter more than to be with his own, especially Mr Melody Jac, Brennas Kid and Bootlegger—three of several reining horses that inspired him to write “Training the Reined Horse.” This book, published in 1977, represents a combination of his two passions—writing and western horses. See the web page for service details and his full obituary. The family has designated the Reining Horse Foundation for gifts in Peter’s memory.
Corinna Schumacher, of Givrins, Switzerland, has parlayed the performance of exceptional horses based at her CS and XCS Ranches into National Reining Horse Association Million Dollar Owner status, one of only 16 owners to reach that milestone. With earnings at $1.2 Million and counting, the ranches have become known for quality in horses and in horse care.
Although she grew up with a love and passion for horses, reining competition wasn’t a given for Schumacher. As the wife of legendary Formula 1 racecar driver Michael Schumacher, her time was spent traveling around the world with him.
But, as most parents know, children can and will change the path of one’s life.
When the couple’s daughter, Gina, first got a Shetland pony, the groundwork was laid for a new and ultimately very successful pursuit. Corinna purchased more horses and began showing them herself in American Quarter Horse Association competition, concentrating on trail and pleasure classes. She enjoyed showing but looked at other events – and that’s where her reining story began.
Eventually, Corinna would go on to earn NRHA European Affiliate titles and an NRHA Intermediate Non Pro World Championship. Corinna wasn’t the only Schumacher enamored with reining, as Gina had graduated from the world of English saddles and also turned her attention to the sport. She first showed a pony in reining at the age of 9, then moved on to her mother’s horses. A workable and successful pattern evolved where Corrina would ride a horse for a few seasons before passing it on to Gina.
She established CS Ranch in Givrins, Switzerland and it became the base of operations, home to about 25 reining horses and host to multiple prestigious reining events. When Corinna recognized the scope of the discipline in the United States, that led to the purchase of 460 acres in Gordonville, Texas, upon which she built a state-of-the-art facility. Named XCS Ranch and completed in 2012, it is home to an impressive show string and 130 broodmares with NRHA $2 Million Rider Duane Latimer as the resident trainer.
Now the two ranches work together. Horses are shipped from XCS Ranch to CS Ranch each year where they are shown in Europe then sold to European clients.
It’s been a successful program for both Schumacher women. In her career, Corinna won more than $53,000. Gina, now 24 years old, holds NRHA earnings over $716,000. She has amassed major reining championships and accolades in both Europe and the United States and was the only woman and Non Pro to qualify for the 2021 Run For The Million presented by Teton Ridge.
For Corinna, the milestone Million Dollar Owner accomplishment is not the focal point of her time involved in reining. Rather, it is the moments and memories along the way that she has shared with her daughter.
She explained, “This is something that Gina and I have done together. That has been the most important thing.”
Plus, she feels that they have become part of a larger family – one that is worldwide. “For us, being involved in reining is like being part of a family,” she said. “The reiners have been so accepting that we feel welcomed and comfortable wherever we go to show.”
Schumacher’s top earners (at time of ownership) include:
Revolution Is Dun – $120,294
Snip O Lution – $107,114
Gotta Nifty Gun – $69,906
Shine N Whiz – $63,054
Oh Starry Nite – $56,776
For more information about CS and XCS Ranches, visit cs-ranch.com
For a complete list of owners, riders, sires, and dams who have reached Million Dollar Milestones, visit nrha.com/milliondollar
When Dany Tremblay marked a 224.5 on Tinker With Dreams in The Run For A Million presented by Teton Ridge Open Shootout, he not only guaranteed a spot in the 2022 Million Dollar Event but also secured his place in National Reining Horse Association history.
When Tremblay, of Overbrook, Oklahoma, traveled to Las Vegas for the event, he was less than $5,000 away from achieving NRHA Million Dollar Rider status. The tie for fifth place in the Shootout paid $9,991, more than enough to (unofficially) push the NRHA Professional past the career milestone.
Dany shared he was excited about the win but was adamant about crediting his brother, Fred, for his success.
Dany & Fred
“I remember when I was a kid and I had won my first $100,000, and it was just before I had to pick if I wanted to be a Non Pro or an Open rider. Fred told me, ‘Don’t worry. You got the $100,000, and the next party we are going to have will be for a million,’” Dany recalled. “Honestly, I never believed my brother until today. The reason I am here is because of him; he made everything happen, I was just the rider.”
He added, “We have been a team from the beginning, and are the best team. Fred has taught me so much in life as far as business and has been there and believed in me since day one. He always told people, ‘You’re going to see what my brother can do someday.’”
For Fred, seeing his younger brother reach one million in earnings was the culmination of a dream. “I have wanted this for him ever since he was a kid,” Fred shared following the Shootout.
Dany and Fred’s father, Christian Tremblay, won the 1981 NRHA Futurity Non Pro Championship, so while he grew up riding different types of horses and disciplines, reining was always special.
The Tremblays relocated from Canada to the United States in 2014. Expanding upon their Canadian experience, Tremblay Performance Horses has become a premier reining horse training, coaching, and marketing programs in the industry.
Dany & Tinker With Dreams
“It was a little hard living in Canada because I always wanted to compete in the United States, so I traveled a lot,” Dany explained. “I used to come a month before the NRHA Futurity to learn more and work with great trainers. Then it was two months earlier, and soon I was splitting my time between the two countries almost equally.”
Dany has trained and worked with some of the industry’s best horsemen, including Mike Flarida, NRHA Million Dollar Rider Dell Hendricks and Two Million Dollar Rider Duane Latimer.
When asked what he credits most for his success, his answer was spending time in the show ring.
“I showed on as many horses as I could. I learned a lot from the good horses, but I think I learned even more from the bad and average ones,” he said. “Showing is probably the key to success. A lot of people can ride good horses but getting them shown is another story. Going into the show pen was where I learned the most. I can tell you that, in reining, I have figured out that you never lose: either you win, or you learn.”
Tremblay’s 10 most lucrative wins include:
2021 National Reining Breeders Classic Level 4 Open Co-Champion – Tinker With Dreams – $62,500
2017 National Reining Breeders Classic Level 4 Open Reserve Champion – PS Mega Shine Chic – $41,000
Known for their heart pounding music, beards, hats, and sunglasses, ZZ Top is a legendary rock band that was formed in Houston, Texas, more than 50 years ago. On July 28, 2021, the unexpected passing of the band’s bass player, Dusty Hill, shook fans around the globe.
A native Texan, Hill joined Lewis and Chown at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. (Photo courtesy of Jeff Lewis)
Hill was a true rock and roll icon, and was honored for his career when he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004 with the rest of his band.
What might come as a surprise, though, is that the Texan co-owned a reining horse named Hot Lil Codie.
It all started when Hill’s 13-year-old daughter, Codie, wanted a horse. Hill and his friend, Jeff Lewis, first purchased a white half-Arabian, but another followed soon after. “Dusty went to some horse shows with me and knew that I showed reiners. He became interested in getting more involved,” Lewis recalled. “I was at the NRHA Futurity Breeders Sale, and a filly came into the ring that was named Hot Lil Codie (The Hot Express X Candid Cody). Her name was spelled the same way as Dusty’s daughter Codie, so it seemed like fate. She was just young, but with her breeding we decided it was worth the chance, so we bought her together. She turned out to be a really nice horse.”
Hill and Lewis sent the mare to trainer Robert Chown, a multiple World Champion in both reining and reined cow horse events. The mare competed in many regional events, as well as the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. In Houston, Hot Lil Codie pulled double-duty, with Chown taking the Open title and Lewis claiming a victory in the Non Pro. “We won quite a few of the regional shows, and Houston was quite a big deal at the time,” Chown recalled. “We also showed quite a bit at the Texas Reining Horse Association and Southwest Reining Horse Association shows.”
Dusty Hill of ZZ Top.
Although Chown mostly worked with Lewis, he still recalled Hill’s down-to-earth demeanor. “I remember him more as quiet to be around. Every time I was around him, he was gracious and very nice,” Chown shared. “I went to a ZZ Top concert in Dallas and after watching them play, we went backstage with him and it was really cool. He didn’t have the big rockstar attitude that you would expect – loud and boisterous and everything else. He was just a really nice guy to be around.”
After her show career, Hot Lil Codie (a full sister to Hot Coded Candy, the dam of standout show horse and sire Electric Code) became a broodmare and is now retired at Lewis’s ranch in Texas. “She’s getting a little swaybacked, but she’s a sweetie. We have had a couple foals from her that Shelli Ries put time on and did well with,” Lewis said.
Hill enjoyed attending many reining events with Lewis throughout the years, including the National Reining Breeders Classic. Lewis also was able to spend time in Hill’s rock and roll world, but laughed when he added, “It could be hard to keep up with Dusty. I always said he was on rock and roll time.”
Although Hill never rode competitively, he could be found in the saddle from time to time. “He never really had any ambitions to show. I would have to classify him as an owner with an appreciation of the reining industry,” Lewis said.
John Rotz passed away on July 12, 2021, at the Rotz Farm in Warrensburg, Illinois. A member of the National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame, Rotz lived a storied life. Renowned for his humble demeanor and talent with a horse, Rotz, known by his nickname “Gentleman John,” had an extraordinary career as a jockey.
John Rotz was the 1987 Novice Horse Non Pro World Champion. (Photo by Waltenberry)
He was also a National Reining Horse Association World Champion.
Rotz was born on December 16, 1934, in Niantic, Illinois. After graduating high school in 1952, he went to work as a groom, hotwalker and exercise rider at Fairmount Park Racetrack in Collinsville, Illinois, before becoming a professional jockey in 1953.
During Rotz’s 20-year racing career he won a total of 2,907 races. In 1962 he won the Preakness Stakes on Greek Money and then the Belmont Stakes on High Echelon in 1970. He rode in the Kentucky Derby six times; his best finish was fourth on Native Charger. In both 1969 and 1970 he won more stakes races than any other jockey in American racing.
In 1973, Rotz received the George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award, given to a jockey who demonstrates high standards of personal and professional conduct, on and off the racetrack. He retired from riding that year following surgery for a foot injury but remained active in the industry.
In 1983, he and his wife, Mary, returned to Warrensburg, Illinois, where they purchased a 280-acre farm where Mary rehabilitated wildlife and Rotz began his western performance horse career.
Many people were familiar with Rotz as a superstar in the racing world but for many reiners, he was first and foremost a fellow competitor. It was after former NRHA President Rick Weaver won the NRHA Futurity in 1982 that he met Rotz. Rotz had just purchased Big Red Item and visited Weaver’s facility for help. For Weaver, it was instantly clear that Rotz had a great relationship with and a feel for horses. In 1987, Rotz went on to win the NRHA Novice Horse Non Pro World Championship on another horse named Doc Star Time.
There were fewer reining shows back then and typically only two classes to compete in, so Rotz began showing cutting horses. It reduced travel time as there were more cutting shows around Springfield. “I would see John at the state fairs, and I kept a friendship with him. When I first worked with him, some of the only reinings were at the fairs, so we would travel from fair to fair and I got to know him well,” Weaver said.
What impressed Weaver the most was the man’s humility. “I think the thing that is most important that people know about John was how he conducted himself. For a world class athlete that won the Preakness and the Belmont, I was so struck at how humble he was. It was probably my first glance of what it looked like to be going through your life and living with grace,” Weaver shared.
Weaver expanded on that thought, noting that despite all Rotz accomplishments and achievements, many people were unaware of his success unless they had read it somewhere or somebody pointed it out.
“He was such a good horseman, and the relationship he had with a horse was something that clearly served him well at the track,” Weaver recalled. “I still remember going to Churchill Downs and going through the museum there and seeing his name and pictures. It is such a loss for us all. He was a great horseman and such a gentleman.”
