Winning big in Las Vegas took on a new meaning for the National Reining Horse Association’s (NRHA) newest Million Dollar Owner, Tami Nelson.
When the dust settled at the 2024 The Run For A Million, Nelson’s stallion, Gunnabebigtime, and NRHA $4 Million Rider Jason Vanlandingham took home the championship worth $500,000. This propelled Vanlandingham past the $4 million milestone, Gunnnatrashya past the $13 million milestone, and ushered Nelson into the NRHA Million Dollar Owner ranks.
Gunnabebigtime is by NRHA Hall of Famer Gunnatrashya and out of Big Time Jazzy, a mare that Nelson owns. The 7-year-old stallion now has over $862,903 in NRHA LTE, including this year’s The Run For A Million Championship, the 2023 The Run For A Million $100K Shootout Reserve Championship, the 2023 NRHA Level (L) 4 Open Derby Reserve Championship, and the 2020 NRHA L4 Open Futurity Reserve Championship.
Nelson and Big Time Jazzy had their own success in the show pen, including the 2015 NRHA Futurity L2 Non Pro Reserve Championship and Top 5 in the L3 and L4. Out of the mare’s $51,617 in NRHA Lifetime Earnings (LTE), $48,519 came with Nelson at the reins.
“I feel like this has not even soaked in, really,” said Nelson. “We have been breeding horses for over 20 years, so we think they are all special. We raised Gunnabebigtime’s mother and her [Big Time Jazzy’s] mother. It has been an amazing line, and he is so special.”
Nelson’s dream after earning a Master of Science in Equine Reproduction was to work on a big breeding farm. She ended up in the Texas Panhandle, where she and her husband raised their family with no large horse breeding operations in sight.
“When I met my husband, I raised cutters, and he raised cattle,” she said. “We had friends who brought us to the NRHA Futurity for the Open finals, and I watched it and thought, ‘That looks easy!’ Everyone knows the feeling, and it is so much harder than they make it look. Once I started reining, I didn’t want to do anything else.”
After Nelson had success on her first non pro mare, the family decided to start raising horses instead of trying to purchase additional mounts.
“The horses are amazing athletes and give us so much. I just love them – they are the ones who get all the credit for this accomplishment.”
Significant performers owned by Nelson:
- Gunnabebigtime (Gunnatrashya x Big Time Jazzy), bred, owned, and nominated by Tami Nelson, $862,903 NRHA LTE
- Big Time Jazzy (Shine Big Time x Skippin Whiz), bred, owned, and nominated by Tami Nelson, $51,617 NRHA LTE
- Plus Me Big Time (Shine Big Time x Skip The Hick O Lea), owned and bred by Tami Nelson and Jan Fleet, $50,800 NRHA LTE
- Mr Masota Star (Wimpys Little Step x Cee Another Masota), bred and nominated by Carol and Geroge Bell, now owned by Andrea Weekley, $99,384 NRHA LTE
- Crackerjac Sailor (Cee Blair Sailor x Crome Plated Jackie), bred by David Connor, now owned by Wagman Ranch Inc., $13,027 NRHA LTE