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Andrea Stillo Elected to RHF Board of Directors

For Immediate Release – August 23, 2020 – Oklahoma City, Oklahoma – The Reining Horse Foundation Board of Directors has elected Andrea Stillo of Pilot Point, Texas, to serve on the Board of Directors. Under RHF Bylaws, the recommendation was reviewed and approved by the NRHA Board of Directors at the August meeting.

Stillo is an NRHA judge and steward and competes in reining as an NRHA Non Pro, serving as chairman of the NRHA Non Pro Committee. He has professional and volunteer experience in the fields of law, business management and fundraising. He is recognized as a 2020 RHF Reiners Club Contributor and provided volunteer support for the 2019 Sliders’ Night Out benefiting RHF. He is married to NRHA Professional Mirjam Stillo.

“I intend to support the important role of the Foundation in our industry and help to continue the growth and development of its core,” Stillo said. With his election, the RHF Board has 19 members, one shy of the maximum allowed under the bylaws. Elections for the 2021 Board are set to be held in September 2020.

The RHF Board meets via conference call at least quarterly. There are working committees and subcommittees to advance the work of the Foundation and make recommendations to the Board. Under the Bylaws, the Board is split to serve rotating terms, with members elected to serve for terms of three years.

Generally speaking, directors are eligible to serve two consecutive full, three-year terms before retiring for a minimum of one year. Officers may continue to serve while on the Executive Committee.

If you have an interest in serving, contact Tim Anderson, RHF president, at rhf@nrha.com.

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2020 Northeast ARC Moves to New Jersey

For Immediate Release – August 22, 2020 – Oklahoma City, Oklahoma – The National Reining Horse Association (NRHA) Affiliate Committee recently made the recommendation that the Eastern Pennsylvania Reining Horse Association (EPRHA) host the Northeast Affiliate Regional Championship (ARC). The decision was finalized after the Central New York Reining Horse Association (CNYRHA) couldn’t host the ARC due to state COVID-19 restrictions. The November 5-8 event will now take place in Logan Township, New Jersey.

The Northeast ARC is the final qualifying show for the 2020 Adequan® North American Affiliate Championship (NAAC) held only two weeks after the conclusion of the ARC. This presented a challenge for meeting the November 6 NAAC entry deadline. NAAC entries for the Northeast region were extended to November 12 to accommodate this later show date.

“The Eastern Pennsylvania Reining Horse Association is pleased to host the Northeast Affiliate Regional Championship and give everyone in our region a place to show to stay on track with their year,” said EPRHA president Don Burgy. “We want to welcome everyone with open arms to the New Jersey Dream Park.”

At the July 2 Board of Directors meeting the qualification standards for the 2020 NAAC were altered to accommodate for the disrupted show season. Read more about those changes here.

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NRHA Board of Directors Concludes August Meeting

For Immediate Release – August 20, 2020 – Oklahoma City, Oklahoma – The National Reining Horse Association (NRHA) Board of Directors met via video conference to conduct association business. The agenda included 2021 rule change proposals, review of the proposed 2021 fees policy and a financial report among other items of business.

“I commend our Board members from around the globe and our staff team for adapting to global conditions and making this such a productive meeting,” said Mike Hancock, NRHA President. “We appreciate their dedication to leading our association under any conditions and value members who provide input and take an active role in NRHA.”

Hancock also thanked for their service Board members whose terms will end December 31: Peter DeFreitas, Southeast Regional Director, and Bub Poplin, Mountain Regional Director. This also marked the final full Board meeting led by President Hancock, who completes his two-year term December 31. A respected businessman from Rocky Mount, North Carolina, Hancock has been a lifelong reiner, respected for his historical and contemporary knowledge of the sport and NRHA.

Rule changes formed a large portion of business for the August meeting. Complete details are available in ReinerSuite, the web-based portal for NRHA members, where members can find association business under the Library menu heading. Rules will be published in the 2021 NRHA Handbook.

Action items included:

  • Approving NRHA Board candidates by acclamation: Vice President Mark Blake, Director-At-Large John Tague; Southwest Regional Ginger Schmersal, Mountain Regional Director Drake Johnson, and Southeast Regional Director Karen Shedlauskas. All are to serve two-year terms that commence January 1, 2021
  • Moving the deadline to fill remaining NRHA Board of Directors seats to October 1 to improve the timeliness of filling vacant executive committee seats and appointing committees for the following year
  • Establishing two task forces: one to help identify additional opportunities to streamline NRHA programs and procedures and another to explore opportunities for international competition.
  • Approving the 2021 fees policy, with a move toward more digital options
  • Approving the 2021 worldwide eligibility policy with no changes from the 2020 policy
  • Changing NRHyA officer elections to include a scored interview in addition to member votes
  • Approving 2021 Adequan North American Affiliate Championship (NAAC) conditions
  • Confirming the 2020 NRHA Futurity schedule
  • Approving the 2021 NRHA Derby and Futurity conditions and 2021 Nomination conditions
  • Adding judges to the officials list
  • Approving the election of Andrea Stillo to the Reining Horse Foundation Board of Directors

Informational items covered included:

  • Financial update from Chief Financial Officer John Foy
  • Commissioner’s report from Gary Carpenter
  • Reining Horse Foundation update
  • Discussion of the 2021 NRHA Winter meeting
  • Update on the Oceania Council
  • Usage statistics for the new ReinerSuite member software
  • Futurity Challenge update
  • Corporate Partner update
  • NRHA Reiner update

Look for continued communication about NRHA news in the NRHA Reiner magazine and at nrha.com.

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The 2020 All American Quarter Horse Congress Has Been Cancelled

The Ohio Quarter Horse Association regretfully announces the cancellation of the 2020 All American Quarter Horse Congress, scheduled for September 29 – October 25. The uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic simply prevents safely moving forward in Columbus Ohio. The well-being of our workers, exhibitors and attendees is our highest priority and based on the information we have today, the risk is simply too great. Thank you for understanding this difficult decision.

“It is a sad day with the cancellation of the 2020 All American Quarter Horse Congress. Hearing all the concerns from the local and state health departments, and the CDC, it was the right decision to make to keep people safe and healthy,” said Dr. Scott Myers, CEO of the Ohio Quarter Horse Association. “It is disappointing to all who worked tirelessly in preparation for this year’s Congress, and I want to personally thank you for your continued support. I look forward to the biggest and best Congress ever in 2021.”

Sincere thanks to the many loyal Congress sponsors, exhibitors and supporters. We are in this together, our industry is strong and rest assured, the Congress will be here in 2021. Details on moving forward and further updates will be available on quarterhorsecongress.com.

The National Reining Horse Association is not responsible for the information contained in this press release. Please contact the author or submitting organization for further information, requests, or questions.

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NRHA Two Million Dollar Sire Hollywoodstinseltown Laid to Rest

For Immediate Release – July 23, 2020 – Oklahoma City, Oklahoma – National Reining Horse Association (NRHA) Two Million Dollar Sire Hollywoodstinseltown (Hollywood Dun It x Miss Tinseltown) passed away on July 5, 2020. Hollywoodstinseltown will be sincerely missed by NRHA and the reining industry.

Hollywoodstinseltown was laid to rest early in the morning on July 5 on a hilltop at Silva Reining Horses in Pilot Point, Texas. The 16-year-old palomino stallion was owned by Dave and Bonnie Silva and has long been the senior star of their reining endeavors.

Hollywoodstinseltown boasts both an NRHA Hall of Fame sire and dam. This son of NRHA Seven Million Dollar Sire Hollywood Dun It out of Miss Tinseltown, Hollywoodstinseltown was a product of the McQuay Stables training program. He earned Level (L)4 Open finalist slots at both the NRHA Futurity and Derby with Tim McQuay at the reins, who is an NRHA Hall of Famer, NRHA Three Million Dollar Rider, and NRHA Two Million Dollar Owner.

With that auspicious start, Hollywoodstinseltown went on to gather a list of titles and laurels with McQuay’s assistant trainer Marco Ricotta that included the National Reining Breeders Classic (NRBC) L3 Championship and an NRHA Derby L4 Reserve Championship and L3 Championship. His lifetime record would ultimately include earnings over $185,000 plus a World Equestrian Games gold medal with McQuay.

As his competitive career was winding down it was already evident that Hollywoodstinseltown would leave as dramatic a mark on the breeding world as he had in the arena. His foals showed promise early, catapulting him past the NRHA Million Dollar Sire mark in 2017, then crossing the $2 million milestone in 2019. His offspring currently have earnings over $2.5 million.

Tinseltown Fly Guy, out of Fly Flashy Jac, is Hollywoodstinseltown’s highest money earning offspring with over $250,000 in NRHA earnings. He is followed by Shining In Town, out of Shine Ann, with almost $200,000 earned.

For the Silvas, Hollywoodstinseltown, or “Dave” as he was affectionately known, was much more than just an accomplished athlete and successful sire. He was part of the family and his humane euthanization due to the complications of a bacterial infection was heartbreaking. Their consolation will come from watching his legacy continue to grow and live on through his many foals – and those yet to be born.

Press release courtesy of McQuay Stables