The National Reining Horse Association (NRHA) is proud to have ELEMENTA join our Corporate Partner family and sponsor the NRHA Amateur Derby, which will be held at the 6666 NRHA Derby presented by Markel on June 19 during the show, which runs at the Oklahoma City Fairgrounds from June 13 to June 23.
“Love the animal first and the sport second” is Maria Cecilia Fiorucci’s motto, and this shines through once you enter the gates of ELEMENTA, a state-of-the-art breeding facility and competition venue nestled in the hills between downtown Rome and the Lake of Bracciano. The 500-acre farm has been carefully renovated and rebuilt by Maria Cecilia and her husband Giuseppe since they purchased it in 2018. More projects are in the works, including a stadium arena with seating for 3,000 people, which is scheduled to be operational in 2025.
“Our goal is to give the south of Italy and Europe a place to host national and international reining competitions as well as other top-notch equestrian events,” says Fiorucci. “We have already built a big reining arena close to the stadium, which will be the warm-up pen, and on-site, we have outdoor arenas for show jumping along with another covered arena with seating adjacent to the second covered warm-up pen.”
“Elementa represents the kind of passionate and innovative organization that drives the reining industry,” said NRHA Commissioner Billy Smith. “We are glad to have them as part of the NRHA Corporate Partner family.”
Though her passion for reining horses is relatively new, Fiorucci’s love for equines has accompanied her throughout her life, along with the memories of palomino American Quarter Horses her father purchased and brought to Italy 35 years ago. Today, most all royal reining bloodlines are found in ELEMENTA’s breeding program, making Fiorucci one of the top reining horse owners in the world. Her horses’ show records tell important stories with close to 150 horses on the ranch, including rescues. Custom Made Gun, purchased in 2018, returned to the U.S. the following year to show at The Run For A Million and tied for the Championship with NRHA Million Dollar Rider Cade McCutcheon in the saddle. Her stallion roster also includes Yellow Jersey, USA team gold and bronze individual medalist at the FEI World Equestrian Games in Normandy.
Fiorucci’s devotion to the sport goes above and beyond what happens at home. In Europe alone, Elementa has sponsored over 600,000 euros at reining events in the last five years.
“I love horses and the sport and am a keen supporter but have very high expectations where animal welfare is concerned,” Fiorucci said. “We need to enhance the guidelines – elevate ourselves – and one of the reasons I am proud to be an NRHA Corporate Partner are the goals set in the association’s 3-5 years Strategic Plan that includes particular attention to animal welfare and growth of our youth. As sponsors, we reflect what our industry portrays, and we must bear this in mind. It is also a great honor to be the title sponsor of the NRHA Derby Amateur Division; we at ELEMENTA are thrilled to support and give a fair playing field to the up-and-coming amateurs showing their aged horses.”