Category: Partner

In May, Clark’s Pump-N-Shop became the newest Global Partner for the National Reining Horse Association. As a Global Partner, Clark’s Pump-N-Shop will directly support the NRHA European Futurity and Derby, the NRHA European Affiliate Championships, in addition to the North American events.

The company, headquartered in Ashland, Kentucky, will also become the naming sponsor of the Open and Non Pro Novice Horse Derbies at this year’s 6666 Ranch NRHA Derby presented by Markel.

Clark’s Pump-N-Shop, which operates nearly 70 stores in Kentucky, Ohio, West Virginia, and Florida, was established in 1976 by John W. Clark. The convenience store chain is now co-owned by John’s sons, Rick Clark and Brent Clark.

Rick Clark is a familiar name to those in the reining horse industry. He is currently serving his second term as NRHA President and has been a member of the association for nearly three decades. He has been involved in all aspects of reining, as an owner, breeder, competitor, Board and Committee member for NRHA and the Reining Horse Foundation. He’s also served on the NRHA Sale Committee and as a leader in the Futurity Challenge.

“Rick has contributed to NRHA on a variety of levels and has for so many years. A lot of that commitment has been behind-the-scenes through the volunteering of his time, but this Global Partnership is a more visible representation of the support he’s given to reining over the years,” noted Gary Carpenter, NRHA Commissioner.

Clark said, “I’ve been around the sport for over 25 years now and I love it – it’s my passion. My brother Brent is my business partner and he’s come to some events – even bought a cowboy hat and we now partner on some horses. The more we looked at it, we knew becoming involved in a sponsorship capacity was a good idea.”

Clark has long sponsored individual events across the country, so it was a natural way to extend his support of the industry. He said, “NRHA is not just about the big events – it’s all over – and when there is a reining in Kentucky, Ohio or Florida, I have felt like it was good to be involved. Reiners reciprocate by doing business with Clark’s Pump-N-Shop and we appreciate their support! Our hope is to keep promoting our sport along with our convenience store chain. We’re still building stores.”

His goal of giving back to the sport and helping the shows made upgrading to a Global Partnership a natural progression. He continued, “I personally sponsored the European Futurity this year, and I thought as president of NRHA, it was the right thing to do. We are an international organization and if dollars go over there, I’m fine with it. Supporting reining worldwide is important.”

Carpenter added, “Clark’s Pump-N-Shop’s expansion around the globe it is a testament to how far-reaching our sport has become. The friendships made and the cultural exchanges through reining events strengthen the fabric of NRHA.”

Creating opportunities for reiners is a consistent theme for Clark, and the Clark’s Pump-N-Shop Novice Horse Derby does just that. The $15,000 added Open Derby and a $10,000 added Non Pro division are for horses that have won less than $10,000 before May 15, 2022. Horses may also be entered into the Open or Non Pro Derby, but cross entry is not mandatory and there are no nomination requirements to enter only the Novice Horse Derby.

Clark said, “We are honored to be the title sponsor of this event. The novice derby provides a great opportunity and every time we can add an opportunity it’s an advantage to owners and exhibitors.”

For more information about Clark’s Pump – N – Shop, visit myclarkspns.com.

When the 2022 Level 4 champions of the 6666 National Reining Horse Association Derby presented by Markel leave Oklahoma City, they’ll be doing so in style. This year’s largest prizes, a year’s usage of a Hart Tradition Four Horse Gooseneck with the Original Smart Tack for the winner of the Open Futurity, a Solution Four Horse with Smart Tack II for the Open Derby, and Hart Solution Three Horse trailers with the Smart Tack II in the Non Pro divisions of both the Derby and Futurity, come courtesy of NRHA’s newest Corporate Partner, Hart Trailers.

For more than 54 years, Hart Trailers has been privately owned and operated by the Hart family. That kind of longevity has become increasingly rare in today’s fast-paced environment and is one of the numerous reasons NRHA Commissioner Gary Carpenter is excited to have the brand as an NRHA Corporate Partner. “In a world where everything is moving fast, it’s a comfort to be partnered with a business that has the reputation of being steady and reliable, and Hart Trailers is the epitome of endurance,” Carpenter said.

Tracy Hart Graham, Hart Trailer CEO, added she looks forward to seeing this new partnership flourish. “The NRHA has a wonderful name and is a great organization, and it was something that we felt would be a good fit for us. We strive to make a good quality product, and we like to be partnered with people and organizations who feel the same way we do,” Hart Graham shared.

An exciting addendum to this new Corporate Partnership is that Hart Trailers is also NRHA’s Official Para Reining Sponsor. That stemmed from Hart Graham’s involvement with Amberley Snyder, a professional barrel racer who is paralyzed from the waist down but still competes at the highest levels.

“We built a trailer for Amberley in 2018, and it was our first time to work with someone who was in a wheelchair. We developed a great relationship with her, and she came back to us in 2020 to design a trailer with a living quarter that would accommodate her and her team on the road,” Graham Hart recalled. “To be a part of her journey, and to design this trailer for her specific needs so that she can continue to strive to reach for her goals, has been very inspiring. When we realized that NRHA had a program to support the riders in para reining, we knew it was something we wanted to be a part of.”

Hart Graham’s parents, Anthony and Kay Hart, started the company in 1968. From the age of 10 years old, she was working in the shops. “I drove my father crazy until he eventually handed me a broom one day and said, ‘Go to work,’” she recalled. “I went to work that day, and I have never looked back. There is not a day that goes by that I am not thankful for what I do.”

Hart Graham added that it’s not only the company that has proven to have staying power; the Hart employees do, too, with many having been there for more than a decade!

“When you learn about Hart Trailers, you immediately get a sense of family. This partnership between our reining family and the Hart Trailers family just feels right,” Carpenter said.

To learn more about Hart Trailers, watch this short documentary, or visit HartTrailer.com.

Longtime National Reining Horse Association event sponsor Priefert has recently joined the Association’s impressive list of Corporate Partners.

It’s hard to picture the NRHA Futurity and 6666 Ranch NRHA Derby presented by Markel without the signature, high-quality Priefert panels and products that can be found around the Oklahoma State Fairgrounds. Priefert has been an Event Sponsor for the past several years, and the new Corporate Partnership will help to enhance the NRHA Award program.

Sammi Miller, NRHA Senior Director of Corporate Relations and Communications noted, “It is an honor to welcome Priefert as NRHA’s newest Corporate Partner. As a proud ‘Made in America’ manufacturer, Priefert has long supported the western and equine industries. We are thankful for Priefert’s commitment to NRHA and the sport of reining!”

Family-owned and operated since 1964, Priefert is one of the largest farm, ranch, and rodeo equipment manufacturers in the world. Priefert is recognized as having the highest quality equipment on the market and is proud to have its products used and endorsed by the top cattle, equine, rodeo and roping organizations in the country. Priefert offers horse owners practical solutions for creating a safe, functional environment for their valued animals.

Designed with the highest degree of consideration for safety of both the horse and the handler, Priefert products are proudly manufactured in Mt Pleasant, Texas. Behind its success is a workforce of almost 1,000 employees helping to create and ship a multitude of Priefert products to dealers all across the US and around the world.

Courtney Dyer, Priefert’s Director of Marketing, shared, “Priefert’s partnership with the NRHA felt like a natural fit given our shared mission of preserving and promoting the Western lifestyle. As a family-owned company, Priefert recognizes the shared values of integrity, faith, family, and leadership that both of our organizations hold dear. We look forward to serving the members of the NRHA and sharing with them how our products can help keep their equine partners safe, healthy, and happy.”

About Priefert

Priefert is considered the leading innovator in the livestock handling industry. Dedicated to developing and producing equipment that is safe and durable for both the animal and the operator. Starting with Marvin’s invention of the first side closing, gliding action headgate, Priefert has continued to lead the way by introducing the first contoured side squeeze chute, the first double pivot calf table, the first open-sided sweep, and the first full line of powder-coated products. Priefert maintains total quality control by designing and executing each part of the development and production of its products. Starting with raw steel, Priefert oversees each step of the process through to finished good, creating products that are pound for pound, dollar for dollar, the best value on the market. With a dealer network of over 1200 dealers around the world, Priefert is recognized as having the highest quality equipment on the market. For more information, visit priefert.com.

Raised in Italy, Lorenzo Lotti has always had a passion for horses, and over the years, he has transitioned that love into thriving businesses that are all equine-centered. Lotti, under the name of Foals-R-Us Reproduction Center and Stallion Station, recently joined the National Reining Horse Association Corporate Partner lineup.

“We’re thrilled to welcome Lorenzo Lotti and Foals R Us as an NRHA Corporate Partner, and we look forward to a successful partnership,” Rick Clark, NRHA President, noted. “Corporate Partners support our association and our industry in a way that is wonderful for the riders, owners, breeders, and everyone else who has committed their lives to this sport.”

A spontaneous trail ride when Lotti was just 10 years old in Italy sparked his drive to be around horses. “I haven’t been away from horses since then,” he shared. “From the age of 10 to 16, I helped every day after school in a barn close to home. From 16 to 18, I helped at Latorre Quarter Horses, and then at the end of 1998, I went to Texas to work for 50 days with (NRHA Million Dollar Rider) Craig Johnson.”

Two years later, Lotti went back to work for Johnson for three months, then began to train two-year-olds before starting work as a horseshoer assistant.

During that time, he met renowned reproductive veterinarian, Dr. David Hartman. “I got to be at the Hartman clinic pretty much daily, and I was always trying to stay longer than I needed and help if they were short-handed,” he recalled. “One day, Dr. Hartman told me, ‘If you ever need a job, just drive in and start.’”

When his boss decided to downsize his business, Lotti knew it was time to take Dr. Hartman up on that invitation. Fourteen years later, Dr. Hartman decided to retire. “He gave me the opportunity to purchase the Hartman Equine Reproduction Center, and I am excited that it is now the home of Foals-R-Us Reproduction Center & Stallion Station, the home of Pro Fit Equine and EQ Promo. I am finally able to run all my businesses under one roof.”

Lotti’s services include breeding, foaling, stallion management, semen freezing for domestic and export, on-site full-service embryo transfer, oocytes aspirations, ICSI transfers, sale fitting, sales, and more.

“I would never be where I am today if it weren’t for David. He helped me and did more for me than I can ever thank him enough for. I feel it is only right for me to take on and continue with the business,” Lotti said. “Thank you to all my past, current, and future clients for keeping me going forward.”

Learn more about Foals-R-Us, Pro Fit Equine by Lotti, and EQ Promo, visit foals-r-us.com. 

The National Reining Horse Association continues to thrive, and a major contributor to the association’s success is the support from Corporate Partners. Most recently, Teton Ridge, a wholly American-owned multi-platform brand dedicated to the American Western way of life, pledged its support to reining when it joined the NRHA Corporate Partner line up.

“The impact and promise of Teton Ridge’s influence can hardly be overstated. I believe it is an honor for NRHA to be part of this brand’s vision and future,” Gary Carpenter, NRHA Commissioner, said. “This is a paradigm-shifting development for all western horse sports, and we at NRHA look forward to years of partnership and prosperity.”

Teton Ridge has made a splash in the industry, not only through partnerships and acquisitions, but also in the show pen. At the 2021 NRHA Futurity, NRHA All Time Leading 7 Million Dollar Rider, Andrea Fappani, piloted Teton Ridge’s Winding Inferno (Inferno Sixty Six x Wind Her Up Chic) to the Level 4 Open Futurity Co-Reserve Championship.

In fact, Fappani is one of an elite group of riders who now represent Teton Ridge in the western performance horse industry as part of TEAM:TR. Joining Fappani is NRHA and National Reined Cow Horse Association Two Million Dollar Rider Todd Bergen, and NRCHA Million Dollar Rider Corey Cushing.

TEAM:TR also includes dynamic barrel racing champions Sherry Cervi, Lisa Lockhart, Brittany Pozzi-Tonozzi and Hailey Kinsel. The brand has also formed a Professional Bull Riders (PBR) team, the Arizona Ridge Riders. The new elite league features some of the world’s top bull riders and will begin games in June 2022. In addition to competing in the PBR Team Series, the Arizona Ridge Riders will host an annual bull riding event and western lifestyle festival in Glendale, Arizona to continue building on the excitement and enthusiasm for the sport.

In 2021, Teton Ridge acquired The American Rodeo, the iconic event of the rodeo circuit, to continue to expand the audiences for rodeo sports and make it the world’s premiere western culture event. The American is a beloved event in the world of rodeo, a true showcase for our nation’s most treasured way of life and the sports that grew out of western culture.

Over the course of qualifier events across the country, competitors vie for the biggest single-day paycheck of their careers. A true open competition in format, the iconic event brings together top professional rodeo athletes and honest, hardworking cowboys and cowgirls in a winner-take-all showdown, meant to crown the finest talent the world has to offer. The American Rodeo will be held on Sunday, March 6 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas and will also feature a live concert by Tim McGraw and Faith Hill.

Leading up to The American, INSP is broadcasting the world television premiere of Teton Ridge’s all-new action-packed, unscripted original series, “Guts and Glory.” The five-episode series will air on INSP every Sunday at 5 p.m. ET through Feb. 27. “Guts and Glory” chronicles twelve rodeo athletes hailing from the Midwest and beyond, as they arrive at TR9 Ranch in Weatherford, Texas to compete for the life-changing opportunity to compete for millions at The American alongside storied icons of the sport.

In addition to supporting the equine industry, the Teton Ridge Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Teton Ridge, has partnered with the NRHA’s Reining Horse Foundation, Sherry Cervi Youth Championships, Justin Cowboy Crisis Fund, Western Sports Foundation, and the Cowgirl Hall of Fame.

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