Category: History

OKC CVB head to receive honor from equine sport’s Oklahoma City-based organization

Following the presentation of the National Reining Horse Association (NRHA) Hall of Fame Committee’s recommended nominees, the Board of Directors and past Hall of Fame inductees voted to approve the late Sally Brown and the late Jerry Kimmel for induction into the NRHA Hall of Fame, a project of the Reining Horse Foundation (RHF). Also announced was selection of Oklahoma City Convention and Visitors Bureau President Mike Carrier as the 2020 NRHA Dale Wilkinson Lifetime Achievement Award recipient.

The Dale Wilkinson Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes people and horses who have contributed significantly to the sport or the NRHA. Nominees also must have a personal passion for the sport and have impacted reining in a positive way. They do not need to be NRHA members, active or former competitors, owners or breeders.

The award is named in honor of Dale Wilkinson, a multiple NRHA Futurity champion remembered as the “father of reining.” He was of the NRHA’s founding members, and an educator, promoter of the sport and mentor to reiners – professional and non pro – on how competitors should conduct themselves, and train and exhibit a horse.

The honorees will be recognized during the 2020 NRHA Futurity and then formally celebrated at a future banquet after COVID-19 restrictions are lifted.

Mike Carrier

Impact on reining, passion for the sport, and a record for drawing people to the industry are all selection criteria for the NRHA Dale Wilkinson Lifetime Achievement Award and the 2020 recipient, Mike Carrier, checks all the boxes. It’s hard to imagine where NRHA would be in recent years had he not been an advocate for the sport.

Mike is not a reiner, doesn’t own horses, and only recently got a really great hat, but he has been a champion of the association as a whole. As President of the Oklahoma City Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB), Mike promoted both NRHA and the reining horse. Over the years his face has become familiar to reiners from around the world and his ebullient spirit and engaging personality have endeared him to those who have come to know him.

Mike’s retirement in the fall of 2020 marks the end of an era, and he will long be remembered for understanding the importance and impact of reining, not only to Oklahoma City, but to the entire equine industry throughout his 13 years with the Oklahoma City CVB. Whether through a corporate partnership, the NRHA Futurity Freestyle sponsorship, assisting with the NRHA Convention, or simply advocating for the association and its members at the government level, Mike has always been loyal to the association.

He was instrumental in helping secure the new Coliseum to be built at State Fair Park, and several years ago, recognized NRHA as a “Hometown Hero,” an award proudly displayed in the NRHA Office. Most recently, Mike was vital in conversations with the city and Mayor David Holt regarding the COVID-19 pandemic and pushing for NRHA to be able to hold the 2020 NRHA Derby. That was not unusual – he has consistently been a resource to the association by sharing introductions and contacts to help position NRHA as a pillar of the business community.

On a personal level, Mike has supported the nonprofit RHF and is a member of its Reiners Club recognizing unrestricted gifts. He regularly attends reining meetings and events and loves introducing his staff, friends, and family to the sport.

His contributions will have a long-lasting impact after he steps away at the professional level.

Following the presentation of the National Reining Horse Association (NRHA) Hall of Fame Committee’s recommended nominees, the Board of Directors and past Hall of Fame inductees voted to approve Sally Brown and Jerry Kimmel for induction into the NRHA Hall of Fame, a project of the Reining Horse Foundation (RHF). Induction is recognized as the sport’s highest honor.

Also announced was the selection of Oklahoma City Convention and Visitors Bureau President Mike Carrier as the NRHA Dale Wilkinson Lifetime Achievement Award recipient for 2020.

These honorees will be recognized during the 2020 NRHA Futurity and then formally celebrated at a future banquet after COVID-19 restrictions are lifted.

Sally Brown

Sally Brown was first involved in breeding cutting horses but when she switched to reining, she changed the industry forever. Her vision, innovation, knowledge of pedigrees, and innate management style put her far ahead of her time, in an era when reining breeding programs did not yet exist.

Although an accident left her unable to ride, she impacted the industry with leadership and influence that will continue for generations. Of course, she is known for co-owning Hollywood Jac 86, reining’s first Million Dollar Sire, but as singular as he was, that was just the tip of the iceberg.

When Sally and lifetime partner Buck Hazledine moved her operation to Maple Plain, Minnesota, establishing Fox Meadow Farm, things began to take shape. With guidance from neighbor and friend NRHA Three Million Dollar Rider Tim McQuay, who counseled that having a great stallion was only part of the equation, Sally and Hall of Famer Richard Greenberg formed the Jac Pac breeding partnership. The Jac Pac alliance did center around Hollywood Jac 86, but it also included broodmares brought to the partnership by both parties.

Sally continued actively working to promote reining in Minnesota and supporting the local NRHA Affiliate, the North Central Reining Horse Association. She is credited, along with Tim and Colleen McQuay and Jim Robins, with initiating the NRHA Derby in St. Paul. Former Fox Meadow head trainer Troy Heikes said, “Many members told me that when they were putting that show together the question would come up, ‘How are we going to pay for that?’ and Sally would reply, ‘I’ve got that covered.’”

The ensuing decades brought more success and laurels to Fox Meadow Farm. Hollywood Jac 86 would ultimately be inducted into the NRHA Hall of Fame. In 1999, Whizard Jac, a product of Sally’s breeding program, won the first United States Equestrian Team (USET) Reining Championship in Gladstone, New Jersey.

Her breeding program continued after Hollywood Jac 86’s passing as she booked her great mares to sires such as NRHA Four Million Dollar Sire Shining Spark and NRHA Twelve Million Dollar Sire Topsail Whiz. Sally was known for supporting local trainers throughout the area – and across the US. She wanted to give everyone and their career a chance with a good horse. Her generosity gave a jump-start to the careers of many young professionals.

She became the NRHA’s Leading Breeder and her program produced champions of every major reining competition and program that existed, but she remained humble about the accolades. No matter whether they were a champion or beginner, Sally always took the time to talk about horses with anyone she met. She wanted nothing more than to bring new people into reining and her kindness and love for the industry is still remembered – both in the hearts of reiners and on the pedigrees of great horses.

In 2008, the year after her passing, Sally was honored as the recipient of the first NRHA Dale Wilkinson Lifetime Achievement award in recognition of her contributions to and support of NRHA across so many platforms.

Jerry Kimmel

Jerry Kimmel is the hundredth inductee into the NRHA Hall of Fame. An extremely successful businessman who immersed himself into the horse world upon retirement, not even his vision could have predicted the impact he would have on the reining industry.

Jerry was born and raised in Marshall, Michigan, where he began a business called Kevco Inc. with his friend Bill Everett. Over three decades, the business expanded to become one of the country’s leading distributors of plumbing and building materials, and its headquarters were moved to Fort Worth, Texas. It continued to grow and went public in the 90s. Jerry thrived in the corporate world but after decades of hard work, retired and settled down with his wife, Carmen, on a 225-acre ranch in Granbury, Texas.

Shortly after his retirement began, Jerry got involved in the world of western pleasure with trainer Cleve Wells. He may not have stayed with that discipline, but its moniker accurately defined exactly what he got from horses – sheer pleasure. He once stated, “I retired totally from business. For me, horses are just fun.”

After making his mark in the western pleasure pen, Jerry began to pour his heart, soul, and wallet into the reining world.  Along the way, his love for horses created a legacy of friendship and goodwill that has seldom been replicated.

It all started with one reining horse, Indy Star Dun It, which Jerry showed in NRHA Non Pro competition, but it was soon apparent that one would never be enough. He loved showing as a Non Pro, and a finalist slot earned at an event like the National Reining Breeders Classic (NRBC) would have him bubbling with excitement. Through Jerry’s ability to make friends and the success of his horses, Kimmel Reining Horses became well known to reiners worldwide. His longtime relationship with NRHA Three Million Dollar Rider Tim McQuay and McQuay Stables centered around showing and breeding great horses and ultimately focused on his two beloved stallions, Dun Gotta Gun and Mister Nicadual.

His home base, J Bar C Ranch in Granbury, Texas, worked in tandem with McQuay Stables to produce top reining horses. Jerry and Carmen lived on the property and their granddaughter Lindsey Raymond subsequently oversaw much of the breeding and fitting operations.

Jerry’s love for the discipline expanded and he became an avid supporter of reining and reiners at all levels. Whether it was an auction for youth activities or a fundraiser for a fellow reiner in need, he was all in. His dream for reining was to have full stands and engaged fans, as he wanted to give others an opportunity to enjoy the horses he loved. Jerry became involved with horse show production, partnering with Ray Roles to found the Scottsdale Classic Futurity and Quarter Horse Show. Later he joined Colleen McQuay and Anne-Marie Burns in creating Global Reining Sport Group, which produces the Tulsa Reining Classic. He also was a donor to RHF and a member of its Reiners Club in recognition of his unrestricted annual gifts. In 2014, he was honored with NRHA’s Dale Wilkinson Lifetime Achievement Award.

A defining moment for Jerry came with the 2006 Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI) World Equestrian Games when he paid for Team USA to travel to Aachen, Germany. His son, Greg Kimmel, recalled. “They couldn’t raise all of the money for the trip, and Dad said, ‘We’re going. We’re doing this.’ He told everybody on that team, ‘Pack your bags. We’re going!’”

It was the trip of a lifetime. With Tim McQuay aboard, Kimmel’s stallion Mister Nicadual won team gold and an individual silver. It was a treasured honor and a proud moment for the unassuming man who had literally made it happen from behind the scenes.

The man who “loved horses and the people who love them” passed away this year at the age of 82 but his impact on the reining horse world will live on forever. Kimmel Reining Horses is still in operation thanks to Jerry’s daughter, Chris Pearce, who relocated the business and its horses to her ranch in Weatherford, Texas, in 2018.

For Immediate Release – July 23, 2020 – Oklahoma City, Oklahoma – National Reining Horse Association (NRHA) Two Million Dollar Sire Hollywoodstinseltown (Hollywood Dun It x Miss Tinseltown) passed away on July 5, 2020. Hollywoodstinseltown will be sincerely missed by NRHA and the reining industry.

Hollywoodstinseltown was laid to rest early in the morning on July 5 on a hilltop at Silva Reining Horses in Pilot Point, Texas. The 16-year-old palomino stallion was owned by Dave and Bonnie Silva and has long been the senior star of their reining endeavors.

Hollywoodstinseltown boasts both an NRHA Hall of Fame sire and dam. This son of NRHA Seven Million Dollar Sire Hollywood Dun It out of Miss Tinseltown, Hollywoodstinseltown was a product of the McQuay Stables training program. He earned Level (L)4 Open finalist slots at both the NRHA Futurity and Derby with Tim McQuay at the reins, who is an NRHA Hall of Famer, NRHA Three Million Dollar Rider, and NRHA Two Million Dollar Owner.

With that auspicious start, Hollywoodstinseltown went on to gather a list of titles and laurels with McQuay’s assistant trainer Marco Ricotta that included the National Reining Breeders Classic (NRBC) L3 Championship and an NRHA Derby L4 Reserve Championship and L3 Championship. His lifetime record would ultimately include earnings over $185,000 plus a World Equestrian Games gold medal with McQuay.

As his competitive career was winding down it was already evident that Hollywoodstinseltown would leave as dramatic a mark on the breeding world as he had in the arena. His foals showed promise early, catapulting him past the NRHA Million Dollar Sire mark in 2017, then crossing the $2 million milestone in 2019. His offspring currently have earnings over $2.5 million.

Tinseltown Fly Guy, out of Fly Flashy Jac, is Hollywoodstinseltown’s highest money earning offspring with over $250,000 in NRHA earnings. He is followed by Shining In Town, out of Shine Ann, with almost $200,000 earned.

For the Silvas, Hollywoodstinseltown, or “Dave” as he was affectionately known, was much more than just an accomplished athlete and successful sire. He was part of the family and his humane euthanization due to the complications of a bacterial infection was heartbreaking. Their consolation will come from watching his legacy continue to grow and live on through his many foals – and those yet to be born.

Press release courtesy of McQuay Stables

The 2020 National Reining Horse Association (NRHA) Derby presented by Markel set many records, including three new NRHA Two Million Dollar milestones being reached: Rancho Oso Rio LLC became the newest NRHA Two Million Dollar owners, Jason Vanlandingham crossed the NRHA Two Million Dollar Rider mark, and A Sparkling Vintage became an NRHA Two Million Dollar Sire.

Rancho Oso Rio: NRHA Two Million Dollar Owners

Rancho Oso Rio LLC, owned by Jim and Pat Warren, is the third owner to reach this historic milestone, joining Arcese Quarter Horses, USA, and Rosanne Sternberg. The Scottsdale, Arizona, ranch reached the one-million-dollar mark in 2012.

Rancho Oso Rio came into the 2020 NRHA Derby presented by Markel just $1,000 short of the achievement. Ranch manager and NRHA Five Million Dollar Rider Andrea Fappani piloted Rancho Oso Rio-owned Shine Plum Shine (Shine Chic Shine x Plum Reyning) to tie to win the $6,000-added ancillary open class on Day Two of the marquee event, which paid $1,846—just enough to push Rancho Oso Rio onto the short list of NRHA Two Million Dollar Owners.

“This recognition is really all about Pat and Jim Warren,” said Fappani, head trainer at Rancho Oso Rio for 10 years. “They’ve been part of the sport for a long time. When they started, these major events didn’t pay as much as they do now. They stuck with it and hired some of the most influential trainers in the business, including Dell Hendricks, Randy Paul, and now myself. It’s special because they’ve been part of the entire circle, from breeding and raising foals to Pat showing in the non pro to having very successful open-caliber horses.”

The outstanding stock that represents Rancho Oso Rio could fill a book of its own, but a few standout horses have helped the ranch make headlines and win big checks. Here are just a handful of those horses and their most notable accomplishments.

• Spooky Whiz (currently owned by Kristie Banks)—2013 gelding by Spooks Gotta Whiz and out of Myo Starlight by Paddys Irish Whiskey; NRHA Lifetime Earnings (LTE) $184,715. Spooky Whiz won the 2016 NRHA Futurity Open Level 4 and now shows in the non pro.
• Electric Genes (currently owned by Tamarack Ranch LLC)—2010 mare by Jacs Electric Spark and out of Taris Designer Genes by Mr Boomerjac; LTE $89,913. Electric Genes’ years in the show pen found her in the top five it the 2013 NRHA Futurity Open and reserve champion in other large open events. Her star continues to rise thanks to her offspring.
• Custom Spook (currently owned by Rancho Oso Rio)—2007 gelding by Smart Spook and out of Custom Spinderella by Custom Crome; LTE $235,749. Most recently, Andrea Fappani showed this treasured gelding to win the $50,000 Freestyle Invitational at the 2019 Run for a Million.
• Tinker With Guns (currently owned by Silver Spurs Equine)—2006 sorrel stallion by Gunner and out of Tinker Nic by Reminic; LTE $344,117. Tinker With Guns placed in the top five at the 2009 NRHA Futurity, was the 2011 NRHA Derby Open champion, and came back in 2012 to tie for reserve in the NRHA Derby Open.
• Taris Designer Genes (currently owned by Tamarack Ranch)—2003 buckskin mare by Mr Boomerjac and out of Taris Little Vintage by Peppy San Badger; LTE $253,065. This standout mare won the 2006 NRHA Futurity Open. She’s the dam of earners of $423,529.
• Mr Boomerjac (currently owned by Christine Brazeau)—1994 stallion by Boomernic out of Boggies Last Jac by Hollywood Jac 86; LTE $138,829. Mr Boomerjac placed in the top five of the open division at the 1997 NRHA Futurity, won the 1998 National Reining Breeders Cup (now called the National Reining Breeders Classic), and competed in the 2007 FEI World Reining Masters.

Jason Vanlandingham Crosses $2 Million

In just five years’ time, NRHA Professional Jason Vanlandingham accumulated enough earnings to become the newest NRHA Two Million Dollar Rider at the 2020 NRHA Derby presented by Markel, after finishing third in the go-round and winning the Level 4 Open Finals with A Vintage Smoke.

“The second million was a lot easier to get than the first million,” the Whitesboro, Texas, trainer said. “It took 15 years to get the first million and five to get the second. When you’re riding good horses and figure out how to get one shown, it comes faster.”

Vanlandingham began his career training horses in 1998. He won his first NRHA Futurity Open title in 2013 with Not Ruf At All, a 2010 stallion by A Sparkling Vintage and out of All Ruffed Up, owned by Vaughn Zimmerman. That pair went on to win top honors at the 2014 NRHA Derby and the 2016 National Reining Breeders Classic. Vanlandingham reached the NRHA One Million Dollar Rider mark in 2015.

Many talented horses helped Vanlandingham bring in the checks to reach his second million, but one horse stands out. Arguably the most influential on the last five years of his career is A Vintage Smoke, a 2015 stallion by A Sparkling Vintage and out of Lady Smoke Peppy, owned by Diane Mesmer. Along with winning this year’s NRHA Derby Level 4 Open, Vanlandingham and the black stud took top open honors at the 2018 NRHA Futurity and tied to win the 2019 National Reining Breeders Classic. The also placed fifth in the inaugural Run for a Million.

“The good horses have always taught me something,” Vanlandingham shared. “Starting way back with A Smoking Whiz, he taught me how fast a horse can turn. Not Ruf At All taught me a whole different level of horse. I’ve learned something from all the good ones, and I try to make every horse I have be close to that, if not better. Good horses have taught me more than anything.”

A Sparkling Vintage Becomes an NRHA Two Million Dollar Sire

Owned by Petra Zeitler Conner and Silver Spurs Equine LLC, A Sparkling Vintage has had quite an influence on the reining world. The 1997 bay stallion by NRHA Four Million Dollar Sire Shining Spark and out of Vintage Badger crossed the million-dollar mark in 2016, coincidentally with a co-reserve championship at the 2016 NRHA Derby with Not Ruf At All, shown by Jason Vanlandingham, and Platinum Vintage, shown by Todd Bergen.

With earnings in both the States and Europe, A Sparkling Vintage’s influence is widespread. He was shown by Jeff Kasten, Ruben Vandorp, Fredrik Thomsson, Emanuel Ernst in Europe, and finally by Harper Conner. He stands for breeding at Silver Spurs Equine LLC in Arizona alongside one of his top-performing sons, Platinum Vintage.

“(A Sparkling Vintage) has never had big foal crops like other big sires, and his first million was achieved from offspring I bred out of my mares,” Conner shared. “Vintage passes on his huge heart and very correct conformation to be physically able to use that heart in the show ring. What makes me especially happy as a breeder is that you have very talented, performing fillies by him as well.”

A Sparkling Vintage offspring continue to make waves in the show pen, bringing home solid scores and big checks for their riders and owners. Here are a few highlights from his most notable progeny.

• A Vintage Smoke (2015 stallion out of Lady Smoke Peppy by Mister Dual Pep); LTE $400,082. 2018 NRHA Futurity Level 4 Open Champion; 2019 NRBC Level 4 Open Co-Champion; 2020 NRHA Derby presented by Markel Level 4 Open Champion.
• Not Ruf At All (2010 stallion out of All Ruffed Up by Lil Ruff Peppy); LTE $456,437. 2013 NRHA Futurity Level 4 Open Champion; 2014 NRHA Derby Level 4 Open Champion; 2016 National Reining Breeders Classic Level 4 Open Champion.
• Platinum Vintage (2010 stallion out of Starjac Miss by Hollywood Jac 86); LTE $308,062. 2013 NRHA Futurity Open Finalist; 2014 NRHA Derby Level 4 Open Champion; 2016 NRHA Derby Level 4 Open Co-Reserve Champion.
• All American Vintage (2014 stallion out of All Ruffed Up by Lil Ruf Peppy); LTE 169,615. 2017 NRHA Futurity Level 4 Open Reserve Champion.

Wife, mother, daughter, sister, coach, trainer, friend, fighter: these all describe Becky Hanson who passed away on May 25, 2020, after a seven-year battle with glioblastoma multiforme. Along with the entire reining community, the National Reining Horse Association (NRHA) mourns the loss of this NRHA Professional who leaves behind a legacy of philanthropy and tenacity, plus a vibrant zeal for life, horses, and family.

Born on September 1, 1971, in Mountain View, California, Becky essentially grew up in Eagle, Idaho. And that’s where she graduated high school. Life after that was a roller coaster, in the best way.

Long before the chemotherapy and radiation, Becky graduated from Eastern Oregon University in 1993 with an English literature degree and a minor in secondary education. She intended to teach high school students. Instead, she became a horse trainer.

Married in July 1994, Becky and her husband, David, moved to Italy the very next year. It was clear educating high school students wasn’t an option when Becky was training horses for Eleuterio Arcese and family. Becky’s love for horses stemmed from her foundation in cow horses, cutting, and college rodeo as a breakaway roper.

David said Becky loved teaching, and that made her a perfect match for working with young horses. She redirected her love for teaching into giving lessons and had an uncanny knack for pairing horses and riders that complimented each other.

Becky and David spent five years training reining horses in Italy before coming back to California. Becky made the NRHA Derby finals and earned several North American Affiliate Championship placings. She also won the rookie pro title in 2006 as well as major event awards across the globe, all while coaching countless non pros to victory.

In 2000, Becky and David made their home in Clements, California, where the pair raised and trained reining horses together as Hanson Performance Horses. They were blessed with two children: Caden, now 18, and Lauren, now 16.

Representing the West Coast, Becky served on the NRHA Board on a recommendation from Rick Clark and was on the Eligibility and Affiliate Committees. During that time, Becky became close with several members, but one, in particular, was Joao Marcos, NRHA Board member. This led Joao to invite Becky and David to serve as instructors at his facility, along with NRHA Professional Ruben Van Dorp, for the first Reining Horse Foundation Rookie Day in Sao Paulo, Brazil, in 2016.

After 20 years’ training reiners with her husband, Becky’s life was turned upside down with a diagnosis in March 2013. She never let cancer become the story of her life; it simply became a platform. Becky dubbed her dance with glioblastoma multiforme as “My Little Tumor Adventure.” Get Becky’s take on it, here.

In December 2019, the NRHA Professional Horsewoman of the Year Award was renamed to honor Becky. In naming this award, the Professional’s Committee hopes her legacy will serve as a continuous reminder about what it means to be named Horsewoman of the Year. Becky was honored, proud, and truly humbled by it. Her emotions bubbled to the surface every time it came up.

Becky is known for her incredible photos of the Western lifestyle. The hobby quickly evolved into a business after returning stateside when Becky went digital and started selling her photos. Perhaps she is best known for her image of a large oak tree that sits in the front yard of the Hanson’s family home. It helped shape her successful photography business. Get Becky’s view of “The Tree,” here.

Behind a lens, Becky was legendary. On a horse, she was iconic. But as a friend, she was irreplaceable. Upon her diagnosis, Becky felt the love of her horse community from near and far. It was the continuous display of humanity that hit harder than cancer ever could. It’s what helped Becky fight the good fight. Here is just a small example of the love and support from the reining community.

David said whenever Becky couldn’t ride, she would return to writing about her situation and taking photos. This allowed her to connect to a whole new group of people. It shouldn’t be surprising to all who knew her that Becky donated her body to science in hopes that she can help save at least one life.

Becky is survived by her parents, Rich and Diane, and is the eldest of three brothers: Scott and twins Kevin and Keith Anderson. The family will announce celebration of life information later this year. As more information is available, NRHA will provide it here.

The family requests that in lieu of flowers, gifts in Becky’s memory be made to the Reining Horse Foundation’s Crisis Fund. Donations can be made online at reiningfoundation.com or mailed to RHF, 3021 W Reno Ave, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, 73107.