Category: Shows

For Immediate Release – November 18, 2020 – Oklahoma City, Oklahoma – Just days from move-in, the  55^th National Reining Horse Association Futurity and Adequan® North American Affiliate Championships looks to be a record-breaker – and not just with its historic, first-ever quarter of a million dollar payment to the Open Futurity  Champion!

Stall numbers now exceed 1,660, up from last year’s 1,394. Similarly, entries for the show have risen across the board. Along with increased futurity entries, the Adequan® North American Affiliate Championships and horse show classes promise record days as well, with 50% growth in most classes. Since entries do not close until the day before the class, the numbers are expected to expand even more by show time.

Competition begins with the first section of the Open Preliminaries on Nov. 26, and in recognition of rising numbers, the NRHA is emphasizing the necessity for attendees to comply with COVID-19 mandates and masking requirements.  NRHA Commissioner Gary Carpenter noted, “We expect great compliance from our NRHA members who are so passionate about this sport and our ability to hold this Futurity during this admittedly difficult time. It’s pretty simple, you must wear a mask, wash your hands and maintain social distancing.”

He will soon be joined in urging exhibitors and attendees to “Cowboy Up, Mask Up” by Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt, whose video message will be played on the arena jumbotrons and on the live feed. Carpenter added that the NRHA Board and Executive Committee are united in their support of the mask mandate as they remain excited about going forward with this historic Futurity.

Association President Mike Hancock echoed Carpenter’s sentiments. “We are committed to providing a safe environment for all who attend. We are asking industry leaders and top professionals to show their leadership by complying with the rules set in place. A complete list of protocols can be found at nrhafuturity.com.”

The NRHA Futurity and Adequan® North American Affiliate Championships,  although closed to the general public, is open to all horse enthusiasts, who may enter through the barn areas to attend performances, the Futurity Trade Show held during the entire show and the NRHA/Markel Futurity Sales, set for Thursday, Dec. 3. The event will follow whatever health mandates are in place for Oklahoma City at the time of the show, currently including masks being required and restrictions pertaining to social distancing.

When the 55^th National Reining Horse Association Futurity begins Nov. 26, it will launch a new chapter in its history. In early February of this year, the association made the landmark announcement that, thanks to the support of a committed group of donors, the 2020 NRHA Futurity champion will receive a quarter of a million dollars – a hundred thousand dollar increase from the previous year!

The news came during the association’s Annual General Meeting and was accompanied by the additional announcement that the Cinch Non Pro Futurity Champion would receive $60,000 and that the added money for the Adequan® North American Affiliate Championship classes would be doubled.

Now, as the momentous event approaches, the task force created to increase the futurity payout continues to plan ahead. Under the leadership of NRHA Vice President Rick Clark, the task force, which also includes NRHA President Mike Hancock, John Tague, Mark Blake, Doug Carpenter, Ginger Schmersal, Roseanne Sternberg and Shane Brown, is looking forward to even more growth in the next five years.

Clark said, “This is the beginning. We want to grow to awarding a half-million dollars to the open champion in the next five years and this will come from a combination of resources.”

Tague added, “The growth will initially come from supporters until we bridge to a more permanent and stable funding plan. There are many ways to build structural support for the purse. The most positive of all would be entry growth as a result of bigger purses. The work the association has done to become more efficient, along with the insights of its Board and the Executive Committee could well position the NRHA to be able to increase the added money in the years ahead.”

While the highlighted goal of the committee is the $500K Level 4 Open purse, its members also want to impact other open levels and the Non Pro divisions as well as funding additional improvements to the NAAC portion. In the coming weeks, members will reach out to other industry stakeholders, owners and trainers to join the effort.

It seems that this futurity, the exclamation point to an admittedly challenging year for the equine industry, is a perfect place to celebrate a new record payout for the Open and Non Pro Champions. With 344 entries in the Open Futurity and 176 in the Non Pro Futurity and the level of talent seen in earlier competitions, it promises to be an incredible show.

These numbers came in spite of the unfortunate cancellation of 20 international entries due to riders or horses not being able to enter the country due to COVID-19 travel restrictions. NRHA Commissioner Gary Carpenter noted, “Our hearts are with our international members who have devoted the last two years to preparing horses for this event. We share their disappointment in having their dreams delayed.”

The NRHA Futurity, although closed to the general public, is open to all horse people, who may enter through the barn areas to attend performances, the Futurity Trade Show held during the entire show and the NRHA Futurity Horse Sales, set for Thursday, Dec. 3. The event will follow whatever health mandates are in place for Oklahoma City at the time of the show, currently including masks being required and restrictions pertaining to social distancing.

The 2020 National Reining Horse Association European Futurity has been postponed to 2021 due to complications and restrictions related to the COVID-19 global pandemic.

The Futurity, originally set for November 20–28 in Cremona, Italy, will be rescheduled and new dates for the event will be announced as soon as details have been finalized.

President of the NRHA European Council, Roberto Cuoghi, along with the Italian Reining Horse Association, made the decision based on current health considerations and government restrictions. The number of COVID-19 cases in Europe has risen significantly and new mandates have forced border closures, imposed strict quarantine regulations, and limited events.

NRHA Commissioner Gary Carpenter said, “Unfortunately, we have become accustomed to a world where plans change and then they change again. As the virus continues to run its course, we must respect local conditions, government restrictions, and follow the guidance of health authorities who are striving to protect their families and friends.”

Following extensive discussion with its European Executive Board, the National Reining Horse Association announced plans for the future of the 2020 and 2021 NRHA European Derbies. The eleventh-hour cancelation of the 2020 Derby previously set for October 28–November 1 in Lyon, France had been made in consideration of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Following that decision, the goal was to create a pathway to maintain the ability of derby age horses to compete in four derbies in their careers and to create a plan in the best interest of European members, riders, owners, breeders, nominators, and fans. Ultimately, it was decided to go forward with the events with the following modifications.

The 2020 NRHA European Derby will be held in Wels, Austria May 13–16, 2021. It will be open to NRHA nominated horses that are 6 to 9 years old in 2021.

The 2021 NRHA European Derby will be held in Lyon, France in conjunction with Longines Equita Lyon October 27–31,  2021. This event will be open to NRHA nominated horses that are 5 to 8 years old in 2021.

“I have always believed in the NRHA European Futurity and Derby and have been a keen supporter of both events since their inception,” said NRHA Hall of Fame Inductee and NRHA European Council president Roberto Cuoghi. “In 2009, my good friend [NRHA Hall of Fame Inductee] Eleuterio Arcese took it upon himself to provide financial support for the first three editions of the Euro Futurity. In 2011, as I was serving on the NRHA BoD, I did the same for the Euro Derby.”

Cuoghi continued, “The NRHA European Council and I are thrilled to acknowledge that great organizers such as renowned GL events of Equita Lyon, France, and Otto Ziehfreund of Western Horse Show Wels, Austria, are willing to host the prestigious 2020 and 2021 NRHA Euro Derby next year. We truly appreciate their support and enthusiasm.“

NRHA Commissioner Gary agreed, “Both Otto and Christine Rigolet with GL events have been understanding throughout this process. I appreciate the flexibility of both the event organizers and the riders and commend their willingness to be innovative on solutions.”

For Immediate Release – October 18, 2020 – Oklahoma City, Oklahoma – As the temperatures drop, the excitement for the National Reining Horse Association (NRHA) Futurity and the Adequan^® North American Affiliate Championships (NAAC) begins to build. NRHA is pleased to announce the officials for the 2020 event:

2020 Adequan^® NAAC Judges
Doug Allen, United Kingdom
Rick Weaver, Pennsylvania
Cathy Luse, Texas
Marlin Holroyd, Michigan

2020 NRHA Futurity Judges
Filippo Masi, Italy
Van Luse, Texas
Terry Thompson, Texas
Eugenio Latorre, Spain
Margaret Fuchs, Ohio
Tom McBeath, Mississippi
Pat Wickenheiser, California
Ollie Griffith, Ohio
Bob Kail, Arizona
Shannon Fowler, Indiana
Brett Walters, Indiana
Harvey Stevens, Florida

2020 NRHA Futurity Stewards
Matt Lantz, Michigan
Lyle Jackson, Alberta, Canada
Walt Larson, Arizona
Shawn McClurg, Montana

Selection Process

The selection process for judges and stewards at each major NRHA event occurs several months before the first horse ever enters the pen. Both judges and stewards are selected at the same time using the same process. Here’s a synopsis of how your judges and stewards are selected:

• Every eligible judge across the global is contacted for their availability of the event.
• All available judges are compiled into a list and sent to each member of the judges committee.
• The Judges Committee members make selections from the list to fill the allotted slots for the event.
• These names are compiled into a short list and discussed on a conference call with all members of the Judges Committee. Nominations are allowed to be made on this conference call.
• The committee members, except for the chair, then rank their choices and each ranking equates to a certain number of points. The points are compiled and submitted to the committee chair.
• The committee chair reviews and makes recommendations based on the outcome of the vote and the needs of NRHA.
  1. Example: If five judges selected and all have judged an NRHA major event recently, the recommendation could be to move up a “newer” judge to replace the 5th judge on the list. If an inadequate number of international judges are selected, the recommendation could be to bring in the next highest-ranking international judge, etc.
• The ranked list with the Judges Committee Chair recommendations is submitted to the NRHA Board of Directors for final selection.
• Both judges and stewards

For a more detailed overview of the selection process, refer to NRHA’s statement of policy by clicking here.