Category: Shows

The 2020 National Reining Horse Association (NRHA) Futurity and Adequan® North American Affiliate Championships (NAAC) are in full swing, with the first section of the first go of the highly anticipated Open Futurity in the books. The 345 entries originally slated to compete in the Open Futurity at the State Fair Park in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, will be whittled down over the next week to determine which elite horse and rider teams will compete in the clean-slate MS Diamonds TX Level (L)4 Open Finals on Saturday, Dec. 5. The Level 4 Open Semifinals, co-sponsored by Not Ruf At All and Tamarack Ranch, will feature the top 75 Level 4 horses, plus ties, following the first go-round.

Despite it being a year fraught with setbacks and changes, the 2020 NRHA Futurity is set to be the largest in the event’s history. Thanks to generous support from Futurity Challenge Donors, this year’s Level 4 Open Champion will, for the first time in history, receive a check for $250,000.

Not only that, the Level 4 Non Pro Champion will win a guaranteed $60,000, and the added money for the Adequan® NAAC is double that of 2019.

Setting himself up for early success is Brian Bell of Pilot Point, Texas, who guided Gunnabebigtime to the high score of the day with an impressive 223.5. Gunnabebigtime, owned by Tami Nelson, is by NRHA Two Million Dollar Sire Gunnatrashya out of Big Time Jazzy. Big-time competition isn’t new to Bell, as he’s one of the NRHA’s Million Dollar Riders.

Currently tied for the lead of the L3 Open with a score of 219.5 is Ryan Rushing with TR Ice Ice Baby. Owned by Alison Bendele, TR Ice Ice Baby is by SG Frozen Enterprise out of Ms Whiz Dunit.

Tied with Rushing for the Level 3 high score, as well as topping the L2 Open, is Sebastian Petroll and Dunit The Walla Way with a 219.5. Dunit The Walla Way, a mare by NRHA Three Million Dollar Sire Walla Walla Whiz out of Dunit The Gunner Way, is owned by Ellen Lloyd Cummins.

Sitting atop the L1 leaderboard with a 214 is Julia Roshelli on Frank Costantini’s Gunsdynamitesnchics. Gunsdynamitesnchics is by Gunnin For Chics out of Lenas Dynamite Chic.

Martin Larcombe currently leads the Open Prime Time with a score of 220.5 on Smokin 66. By Inferno Sixty Six out of Nuthin Chic, the mare is owned by Lance Griffin.

The first section of the NRHA Open Futurity continues through Saturday, after which time the top 75 plus ties in Levels 1 through 4 will advance to the semi-final round, which begins Monday. The clean-slate MS Diamonds TX L4 Open Futurity Finals, where the Champion will take home a check for a quarter-million dollars, will be held Saturday, Dec. 5.

Complete results, as well as the latest news, updates, and draws, can be found at NRHAFuturity.com.

In addition to the aged event taking place in the Jim Norick Coliseum, the National Reining Horse Association (NRHA) Futurity features the Adequan® North American Affiliate Championship (NAAC), which kicked off on Thursday, November 26. Exhibitors are vying for double the added money this year over last in the Adequan® NAAC, a program that helps spotlight a variety of members and horses from across North America who qualify to compete here in Oklahoma City.

Sara Honegger, NRHA Youth and Professionals Program Manager, was excited to crown the first of the 2020 Adequan® NAAC Champions. “With the changes to the 2020 qualification process, we are excited to see many new faces here during the NAAC. We appreciate all of our exhibitors who have turned up to compete, in spite of all the difficulties they have faced this year. I, with the entire NRHA Staff and Show Management team, wish all of our exhibitors the best of luck while they are here in Oklahoma City,” she said.

In addition to incredible prizes from NRHA Corporate Partners, the champion of each NAAC class will be presented an Adequan® Championship vest the following day in the Jim Norick Coliseum as a show of support for these successful affiliate riders.

Robin Schoeller Wins Adequan® NAAC Open Riding Tinseltown Flash

Robin Schoeller, Bloomingburg, Ohio, earned the Adequan® NAAC Open victory on Tinseltown Flash with a 219.5. In addition to a check for $3,171, the pair won a saddle from Kyle Tack, a Platinum Performance champion’s jacket, a 10-lb. bucket of Platinum Performance, a custom Montana Silversmiths trophy buckle, a Bluebonnet Feed gift certificate, SmartPak SmartTherapy Quick Wraps, a garment bag from Brandt Blankets, a Classic Equine fleece cooler, and Eqvalan from Dr. Joe Carter.

Schoeller and Tinseltown Flash finished second in the ancillary Open, worth an additional $1,581. They were also eligible for the Adequan® Affiliate 500, which resulted in a $500 bonus!

“It was another great run on this horse,” Schoeller said. “This horse has been tremendous for me throughout his whole career. The run in [pattern] coming in the gate on him is a blast. He ran down strong, stopped big, backed up really nice, got turned around really good and stayed out of the penalties. He stopped really honest and good; he was good as gold.”

Tinseltown Flash, owned by Ruoff Dietter Reining Horses Inc., is by NRHA Two Million Dollar Sire Hollywoodstinseltown out of Billie Gun Flash. He has been in Schoeller’s hands since being purchased by Ruoff Dietter Reining Horses from Jonathan Gauthier as a 2-year-old.

“Beth Himes owns him and she’s been a huge supporter of my program since day one,” Schoeller said. “It’s just really good to see her own such a nice animal. We enjoy him very much. We started standing him at stud two years ago, so his first babies are going to be 2-year-olds next year.”

Schoeller noted that Tinseltown Flash may be shown more by his owner in the coming year, but it will remain to be seen how heavy his respective show and breeding schedules will be. The 2012 stallion had NRHA lifetime earnings (LTE) of more than $130,000 prior to arriving here in Oklahoma City. “We have to go home and see what we’re going to do,” Schoeller said. “If we load up to go to a show somewhere he nickers at us, he gets upset if he’s not going.”

Schoeller expressed his gratitude to generous NRHA sponsors as well as the entire support team that helped him achieve the 2020 NAAC Open title. “Without the sponsors, the horse show wouldn’t be possible—especially Adequan® for sponsoring this affiliate championship,” Schoeller said. “Beth Himes for being such a great supporter; my wife Laura, she’s such a huge part of our business, my help and all my owners and the non pros that are in my barn. It takes a village… I couldn’t do it by myself, that’s for sure.”

Shauna Larcombe Wins Adequan® NAAC Int. Open on Shiners Chic

Any reining fan who has been around the sport for a bit of time has likely heard of Shiners Chic. The 15-year-old gelding, owned by Rosanne Sternberg, has racked up countless wins with numerous riders over his career.

On Thanksgiving Day, an additional $6,190 was added to his resume, when he and Shauna Larcombe won the Adequan® NAAC Intermediate Open and ancillary Intermediate Open. They also finished as Adequan® NAAC Open Reserve Champions and finished third in the ancillary Open. During the awards ceremony, they were presented with a saddle from Kyle Tack, a Platinum Performance champion’s jacket, a 10-lb. bucket of Platinum Performance, a custom Montana Silversmiths trophy buckle, a Bluebonnet Feed gift certificate, SmartPak SmartTherapy Quick Wraps, a garment bag from Brandt Blankets, a Classic Equine fleece cooler, and Eqvalan from Dr. Joe Carter.

Sweetening the pot even more was the Adequan® Affiliate 500, which added an additional $500 to the day’s take.

“I was really happy with him. He was last in his set, so it was a little hard to find great ground. One stop I kind of messed up a little bit, but he was great for me,” Larcombe said of the pair’s 218.5 run. “He’s just a trooper and if I stay out of his way, he knows what his job is and will do it.”

Shiners Chic is by NRHA Seven Million Dollar Sire Smart Chic Olena out of Ebony Shines. “I have been riding him the last three or four years, and Rosanne’s daughter Jessica Sternberg usually shows him,” Larcombe explained. “Because of COVID, she is stuck in Europe, so I’ve gotten to show him. We put him over the $300,000 mark in earnings a few weeks ago, so that’s pretty exciting.”

Larcombe extended a special thank you to both Rosanne and Jessica. “Thank you to Rosanne, of course. It’s been a pleasure to show him, and I thank Jessica for sharing him with me. I also thank Emily, my assistant, who has done a fantastic job, and of course I thank my family,” she said. “After this show we will regroup and see what we have for next year.”

Brian Bell Wins NRHA Ancillary Open on Mr Hollywood Cee

With a crowd-pleasing 220.5, Brian Bell and Mr Hollywood Cee won the ancillary open, which ran concurrently with the Adequan® NAAC. The win netted owners George R. Bell and Carol Bell a check for $2,139.

Bell, of Pilot Point, Texas, was proud of the 2014 palomino stallion’s winning performance, as well as of his championship lineage. Out of the mare Miss Hollywood Cee, Mr Hollywood Cee is by NRHA Two Million Dollar Sire Hollywoodstinseltown.

“Our family bred this horse. We own his mother, his grandmother and used to own his great grandmother,” Bell said. “I’ve shown him this year. I marked a 227.5 on him to win Tulsa and was fifth in the NRHA Derby with him. I wasn’t actually supposed to show him here but about three weeks ago they said, ‘Can you get him ready to show?’ So, I did.”

In the coming year, the stallion will continue to be shown in hopes of adding more NRHA LTE to his record, as well as to that of his dam’s. Bell credits Mr Hollywood Cee for being a solid performer that is enjoyable to train and show.

“I’d like to thank my dad and Carol, they have a lot of good horses and they’ve been kind of letting me do what I want to do with them this year,” Bell said. “It’s been a lot of fun. My dad normally shows this horse, but he quit showing him this year so I could.”

In light of 2020 being an atypical show year, Bell is particularly pleased to be competing and winning here in Oklahoma City.

“We’re glad for every show we get to go to this year. We’re excited to get to show here at the futurity,” added Bell.

Complete results from the NRHA Futurity and Adequan® NAAC can be found at NRHAFuturity.com.

The State Fair Park in Oklahoma City is buzzing with activity as the reining industry’s largest and most prestigious event gets underway on Thursday, November 26, and runs through Saturday, December 5. The 2020 National Reining Horse Association Futurity and Adequan® North American Affiliate Championships is expected to feature the largest purse awarded in the event’s history. Thanks to record entries, coupled with the generosity of Futurity Challenge Donors, the Level 4 Open Futurity Champion will win $250,000, the Level 4 Non Pro Futurity Champion will receive $60,000, and the added money for the Adequan® NAAC is double that of last year.

Competition begins Thanksgiving Day with the first section of the first go-round of the highly anticipated Open Futurity preliminaries in the Jim Norick Coliseum. Futurity riders competing with their elite reining horses are working to qualify for one of the clean-slate finals in their respective divisions. The event, which has seen a record 1,670-plus stall reservations and attracted 750 rider entries and more than 1,250 horses—with entries still coming in—promises to be one for the record books.

“It is game time,” said NRHA Commissioner Gary Carpenter. “Our reiners have gone through so much to get here this year, this will be an exceptionally rewarding futurity—over and above the increased purses.”

In order to safely exhibit the greatest reining horses in the industry through the course of the next nine days, Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt has, in close coordination with NRHA, asked all exhibitors to “Cowboy Up, Mask Up.” All attendees are encouraged to see Mayor Holt’s message and become familiar with the associated COVID-19 Health Protocols at nrhafuturity.com.

The Level 4 Open Semifinals, co-sponsored by Not Ruf At All and Tamarack Ranch, will feature the top 75 Level 4 horses (plus ties) following the first go-round. In what promises to be an unforgettable competition, the MS Diamonds TX Level 4 Open Futurity Finals will feature the top 30 (plus ties) competing in Levels 4-1. The CINCH Non Pro Futurity Finals consists of the top 25 (plus ties) advancing in Levels 4-1, and the top five (plus ties) from the CINCH Consolation Round.

The Futurity won’t be the only opportunity to win titles, money, and prizes at this year’s event; reiners from across North America have traveled to the Sooner State to compete for NAAC titles in 17 different divisions. Highlighting this slate of classes is the Toyon Ranch Rookie of the Year. In addition to incredible prizes from NRHA Corporate Partners, the Champion of each NAAC class will be presented an Adequan® Championship vest the following day in the Jim Norick Coliseum as a show of support for these successful affiliate riders.

Special events at the NRHA Futurity include the Platinum Performance Virtual Draw Party via the event’s live webcast, virtual Cowboy Church with Pastor Mike Seay, the Markel Insurance NRHA Futurity Sales, and the NRHyA Stallion Breeding Auction during the NRHA Futurity Sales.

While the NRHA Futurity is closed to the general public people involved in the horse world are encouraged to attend and enter through the barn entrances. There are several ways to see the excitement of this year’s NRHA Futurity. The live webcast, as well as live scoring, can be accessed on the website at NRHAFuturity.com. NRHA Official social media platforms including Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram will be regularly updated not only with up-to-date news but also with additional photos and fun facts.