Category: History

For Immediate Release – January 19, 2020 – Oklahoma City, Oklahoma – The National Reining Horse Association (NRHA) is proud to officially congratulate NRHA Professional Cade McCutcheon for becoming an NRHA Million Dollar Rider.

At just 19 years old, McCutcheon is the third member of his immediate family to cross this milestone. His parents, Tom and Mandy McCutcheon, reached the milestone consecutively—Tom in 2006 and Mandy in 2007. In 2014 Mandy reached her second milestone, becoming an NRHA Two Million Dollar Rider. Tim McQuay, McCutcheon’s grandfather, is an NRHA Three Million Dollar Rider as well as an NRHA Million Dollar Owner.

“It’s been a whirlwind; I never could’ve expected the year that I’ve had,” McCutcheon said. “I set the goal to become an NRHA Million Dollar Rider when I was 12. Before the [NRHA] Futurity, I joked about the idea of winning first [in the Level(L) 4 Open] and placing with my other two horses to make it happen.”

Who knew that reality would far surpass the joke? McCutcheon’s wins at the 2019 NRHA Futurity pushed him past the million-dollar mark by more than $70,000. For those who know McCutcheon, it’s not surprising he reached a goal long before he planned. He originally set the goal of crossing the million dollar mark by his 25^th birthday.

A horse named “Turbo” equipped 6-year-old McCutcheon with the need for speed and helped the young horseman build the work ethic he needed to become a horse trainer.

“I had a hard time getting him to lope,” McCutcheon said of the gelding. “He’d always take me over to the gate. It took me about six months before I got him to finally lope. Once I got him loping, I never walked or trotted again.”

Perhaps Turbo secured McCutcheon’s fate to carry on the family legacy as an NRHA Professional. Or maybe it was simply bred into the third-generation reiner from the get-go.

McCutcheon’s first year as an NRHA Professional—2019—is hard work personified. Not only was he the Run for a Million Invitational co-champion, McCutcheon also topped the NRHA L3 Open Derby and placed first and second in three levels of the 2019 NRHA Futurity Open Finals.

“I was competing at the 2018 World Equestrian Games when I thought to myself ‘I can play with the big dogs,’” McCutcheon said. It was in that moment McCutcheon decided to officially take his riding to the next level as a professional.

Reaching the pinnacle of reining as a 19-year-old presents McCutcheon with a strong foundation to continue building on in 2020.

“There are a million people I could thank for this,” McCutcheon said. “I’ve been very lucky to have a good support system around me.”

McCutcheon’s 2019 NRHA Futurity Placings:

• Super Marioo (Gunnatrashya x HA Chic A Tune): L4-2 Open Champion
  Guns And Dynamite (Gunners Special Nite x Chic Olena Starbuck) L4 Open Co-Reserve Champion and L3-2 Open Reserve Champion
  Deja Vu With A Gun (Gunner x Dun Its Déjà vu) Open L4-2 Finalist

For Immediate Release – January 13, 2020 – Oklahoma City, Oklahoma – The National Reining Horse Association (NRHA) is proud to recognize Snip O Gun as an NRHA Million Dollar Dam. Owned by Hilldale Farm, Snip O Gun is one of only three dams to produce offspring that reached the million-dollar earnings mark to date. She crossed the million-dollar milestone during the 2019 NRHA Futurity where her offspring earned more than $50,000.

Snip O Gun, affectionately known as “Snip,” made a name for herself despite harboring no show record of her own. The 1993 bay mare produced big-name reiners, including Inferno Sixty Six (by Gunnatrashya), Big Chex To Cash (by Nu Chex To Cash), Hot Smokin Chex (by Nu Chex To Cash) and Chexmaster (by Nu Chex To Cash).

“If a mare doesn’t have a show record, or you can’t afford one that does, you buy a mare with the best conformation and pedigree to cross with your stallions,” said owner Tammye Hutton of Hilldale Farm. “The only stud we had was Nu Chex To Cash, so we bought mares for him. I felt Snip was the perfect cross.”

Snip’s conformation emulates the foundational bloodlines of the American Quarter Horse. That, paired with her “cool” temperament, made her an ideal match for Nu Chex To Cash. Once he was done breeding, Hutton knew Snip would also cross well with Gunnatrashya and Colonels Shining Gun.

“Snip is just very calm, cool, and collected,” Hutton said. “I’m guessing if she would’ve had more than 30 days under saddle she would’ve been extremely athletic; she’s made for it. But she’s so laid back that you would’ve had to really ask her to do what you wanted; but that’s probably why she works well on different stallions.”

Hutton said, “She’s round from the tip of her nose to the tip of her tail.”

“She has a big, soft, intelligent eye,” Hutton added. “She has a pretty neck that ties into her shoulder perfectly. She has a lot of bone, substance, and depth.”

Not to mention she stands on four strong feet.

Perhaps it’s just personal bias, or it’s the bold-face truth, Hutton said she’d be hard-pressed to find a fault in the mare. In the end, it was Snip’s personality and demeanor that captured Hutton’s heart.

“She’s very sweet, quiet, and laid back,” Hutton said. “She likes to graze and be with her horse buddies, but she’s also the first one to the gate when I whistle.”

Snip O Gun’s top-performing offspring include:

• Inferno Sixy Six (by Gunnatrashya): $205,690 LTE
• Big Chex To Cash (by Nu Chex To Cash): $194,260 LTE
• Hot Smokin Chex (by Nu Chex To Cash): $186,598 LTE
• Chexmaster (by Nu Chex To Cash): $103,911 LTE
• Snips Shining Gun (by Gunner): $52,817 LTE
• Snip O Satellite (by Nu Chex To Cash): $52,057 LTE
• Snip O Chex (by Nu Chex To Cash): $50,648 LTE
• Chexamillion (by Nu Chex To Cash): $35,377 LTE
• Rio Killer Gun (by CFR Centenario Wimpy): $33,752 LTE
• Snip O One (by A Sparkling Vintage): $31,911 LTE