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Hart Trailers Announced as NRHA Official Trailer and Para Reining Sponsor

When the 2022 Level 4 champions of the 6666 National Reining Horse Association Derby presented by Markel leave Oklahoma City, they’ll be doing so in style. This year’s largest prizes, a year’s usage of a Hart Tradition Four Horse Gooseneck with the Original Smart Tack for the winner of the Open Futurity, a Solution Four Horse with Smart Tack II for the Open Derby, and Hart Solution Three Horse trailers with the Smart Tack II in the Non Pro divisions of both the Derby and Futurity, come courtesy of NRHA’s newest Corporate Partner, Hart Trailers.

For more than 54 years, Hart Trailers has been privately owned and operated by the Hart family. That kind of longevity has become increasingly rare in today’s fast-paced environment and is one of the numerous reasons NRHA Commissioner Gary Carpenter is excited to have the brand as an NRHA Corporate Partner. “In a world where everything is moving fast, it’s a comfort to be partnered with a business that has the reputation of being steady and reliable, and Hart Trailers is the epitome of endurance,” Carpenter said.

Tracy Hart Graham, Hart Trailer CEO, added she looks forward to seeing this new partnership flourish. “The NRHA has a wonderful name and is a great organization, and it was something that we felt would be a good fit for us. We strive to make a good quality product, and we like to be partnered with people and organizations who feel the same way we do,” Hart Graham shared.

An exciting addendum to this new Corporate Partnership is that Hart Trailers is also NRHA’s Official Para Reining Sponsor. That stemmed from Hart Graham’s involvement with Amberley Snyder, a professional barrel racer who is paralyzed from the waist down but still competes at the highest levels.

“We built a trailer for Amberley in 2018, and it was our first time to work with someone who was in a wheelchair. We developed a great relationship with her, and she came back to us in 2020 to design a trailer with a living quarter that would accommodate her and her team on the road,” Graham Hart recalled. “To be a part of her journey, and to design this trailer for her specific needs so that she can continue to strive to reach for her goals, has been very inspiring. When we realized that NRHA had a program to support the riders in para reining, we knew it was something we wanted to be a part of.”

Hart Graham’s parents, Anthony and Kay Hart, started the company in 1968. From the age of 10 years old, she was working in the shops. “I drove my father crazy until he eventually handed me a broom one day and said, ‘Go to work,’” she recalled. “I went to work that day, and I have never looked back. There is not a day that goes by that I am not thankful for what I do.”

Hart Graham added that it’s not only the company that has proven to have staying power; the Hart employees do, too, with many having been there for more than a decade!

“When you learn about Hart Trailers, you immediately get a sense of family. This partnership between our reining family and the Hart Trailers family just feels right,” Carpenter said.

To learn more about Hart Trailers, watch this short documentary, or visit HartTrailer.com.

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2021 NRHA World & Reserve World Champions to Be Recognized in Special Ceremony

Novice Horse Open L2 Champion Dreaming Of Guns & Bobby Avila

A World Championship in the National Reining Horse Association is one of the most sought-after accolades in the reining horse industry. Exhibitors traverse the highways competing all year at events to earn money that go towards the title race.

The 2021 World and Reserve World Champions will be recognized next month during the Four Sixes Ranch NRHA Derby presented by Markel. On June 18, at 6:15 p.m., those titlists will be presented with their commemorative Montana Silversmiths buckles during the buckle ceremony in the Sale Arena at the Oklahoma City Fairgrounds.

“The NRHA Board of Directors knows how important the World Championship race is to our members, and worked together to plan an appropriate way to honor them,” noted Christa Morris-Stone, NRHA Assistant Commissioner. “They felt that recognizing these members during the reining industry’s second-largest event was not only appropriate, but it would allow these accomplishments to be celebrated by each winner’s family, friends, and peers.”

In addition to the buckle presentation to the World and Reserve World Champions, the Top 20 Owners, Professionals, and Non Pros will be recognized. “We will have a special memento for those individuals who made the Top 20 lists, and we will also recognize all the Top 10 winners on screen,” Morris-Stone said.

World & Reserve World Champions

  • Open World Champion – Shines Like Spook & Ann Fonck
  • Open Reserve World Champion – Cody Rooster Delmaso & Klaus Lechner
  • Int. Open World Champion – Mr Gun WR San Jo & Tiara Van Dongen
  • Int. Open Reserve World Champion – HA Handsome Harry & Patryk Peszke
  • Ltd. Open World Champion – Show Stopping Juice & Jesse Gentile/Julia Beth Henderson
  • Rookie Pro. World Champion – Dun It Smoking Gun & Alex Gerard Case
  • Rookie Pro. Reserve World Champion – Found By Mistress & Taylor Davis
  • Non Pro World Champion – Nikolai Stiller & Hollywood Gunrunner
  • Non Pro Reserve World Champion – Adrienne Speidel & ARC Walla Smart
  • Int. Non Pro World Champion – Raeanna Thayn & Roseswhiz
  • Int. Non Pro Reserve World Champion – Michael Hancock & Nics Custom Dually
  • Ltd. Non Pro World Champion – Emerson Madonia & This Chic Is Dreamy
  • Ltd. Non Pro Reserve World Champion – Sydney Weaver & Whizards Little Step
  • Prime Time Non Pro World Champion – Parker MIchin & Conquered This Town
  • Prime Time Non Pro Reserve World Champion – Shawn Reynolds & Shiny Gunman
  • Nov. Horse Open L1 World Champion – DP Docs Misstrash & Peter DeFreitas
  • Nov. Horse Open L1 Reserve World Champion – Dreaming Of Guns & Bobby Avila Jr.
  • Nov. Horse Open L2 World Champion – Dreaming Of Guns & Bobby Avila Jr.
  • Nov. Horse Open L2 Reserve World Champion – Good Friday For Guns & Jesse Gentile
  • Nov. Horse Open L3 World Champion – DP Docs Misstrash & Peter DeFreitas
  • Nov. Horse Open L3 Reserve World Champion – Ruf N Trouble Whiz & Josh Murphy
  • Nov. Horse Non Pro L1 World Champion – Lisa Bricker & Lotta Mobster
  • Nov. Horse Non Pro L1 Reserve World Champion – Abby Jennings & Low Voltage Chic
  • Nov. Horse Non Pro L2 World Champion – Kyla Thurlow & Kachina Olena Tag
  • Nov. Horse Non Pro L2 Reserve World Champion – Lynn Miller & Gata Chromed Magnum
  • Nov. Horse Non Pro L3 World Champion – Kyla Thurlow & Kachina Olena Tag
  • Nov. Horse Non Pro L3 Reserve World Champion – Kary Key & Cant Spook Me
  • Youth 13 & Under World Champion – Becca Schaffhauser & Dun Got My Rest
  • Youth 13 & Under Reserve World Champion – Reed Selner & Whiz Good To Go
  • Youth 14 – 18 World Champion – Shelby Jane Lynch & Jac N Jewels Spark
  • Youth 13 – 18 Reserve World Champion – Gracie Mae Stingle & Lucky Little Seven

Complete Top 10 and Top 20 lists can be found here.

The celebration begins at 5 p.m. with cocktails and hors d’oeuvres. Admission to the Buckle Ceremony is free of charge, and the event is open to everyone, but Morris-Stone asked that people, especially award recipients, RSVP at NRHA.com/RSVP to help with a catering headcount.

Any updates to this event or others held during the 6666 Ranch NRHA Derby presented by Markel will be posted on the event’s schedule at NRHADerby.com and distributed through NRHA’s various news channels.

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Southeastern Reining Horse Association Main Event to Benefit Reining Horse Foundation

The Southeastern Reining Horse Association’s Main Event, slated for May 27–29 at the Senator Bob Martin Agri Center in Williamston, North Carolina, will be extra special in 2022. That’s because the show has elected to designate four derby classes as Reining Horse Foundation events.

“SERHA has been blessed with many members who have been supported by the Reining Horse Foundation, either by way of the Dale Wilkinson Memorial Crisis Fund or by youth scholarships,” noted Terri Mainey, SERHA Secretary. “In our gratitude for the RHF’s assistance, we hope to bring a light to the RHF’s mission with our members and those in our communities.”

To work toward that goal, SERHA will donate $5 for each individual rider entry in the Open and Non Pro Derbies to the RHF. Classes included are the Reining Horse Foundation Open and Non Pro Derbies in Levels 4 and 2, and the Reining Horse Foundation Open and Non Pro 8 & Up Derbies in Levels 4 and 2. Championship buckles, sponsored by Steven Marbry Performance Horses, will be presented, and the Level 4 Open and Non Pro Champions will win tables designed and made by Phillip and Michelle Waugh.

As a challenge to attract more entries, Terri and her husband, John Mainey, have pledged to match the donation made to the RHF.

“We applaud the Southeastern Reining Horse Association for this fundraising effort,” said Leslie Baker, executive director of the RHF. “Their leadership will help introduce the RHF to a broader audience, and the derbies are sure to be a fun addition to the Main Event show. We cannot overstate our appreciation for everyone involved in creating ways to give back to the reining community.”

There will be several new additions to the 2022 event, including:

  • Six Smokin Bones will be cooking for the Annual SERHA meeting. Six Smokin Bones will also provide dinner following the Derby on Saturday. Paying homage to Mike Hancock’s Carolina Classic tradition, there will be “Breakfast for Supper.”
  • The Youth and Para-reining entries are sponsored, and all youth will receive ribbons and prizes.
  • The Youth will enjoy a free meal on Saturday evening.
  • Langdon Farms will sponsor an ice cream social by Sisters II.
  • Championship buckles, sponsored by George and Carol Bell and the SERHA Board, will be awarded in the Green Reiner 1 and 2.
  • Trophies will be presented in the Rookie 1, 2, and Prime Time.
  • The event includes a raffle, with SERHA Youth in charge of raffle ticket sales.

“The reining community is coming together to make this a tremendous show. There are many exhibitors on the East Coast who are not familiar with the RHF, and we hope that by presenting a quality show with the Reining Horse Foundation as the named benefactor, these exhibitors will learn how our industry works together in helping reiners in need through the Dale Wilkinson Memorial Crisis Fund, providing scholarships for continuing education, and perpetuating the sport’s history through the NRHA Hall of Fame,” Mainey said.

Mainey added there are several sponsors of the Main Event Reining Horse Foundation Derbies, including Tim Anderson and Kim Niven, Rick Clark and Clark’s Pump N Shop, Mirjam and Andrea Stillo, Mike Hancock and Family, Jillane and Wesley Brown of Browe Construction, Lucinda Human of Star H Equine, George and Carol Bell Performance Horses, Platinum Performance, Matt Murphy and Bar M Performance Horses and Parker Minchin.

For more information about the SERHA Main Event, visit serha.org/may-show

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Our Condolences – Dick Pieper

On May 15, 2022, National Reining Horse Association Hall of Famer Dick Pieper passed away at the age of 82.

Dick Pieper & Texas Kicker

Dick was born on his family’s farm in Southern Ohio, where they raised cattle, sheep, and horses – both draft and saddle horses – that were used on a daily basis. Upon high school graduation, Dick attended Ohio State University and served a tour of duty in the United States Navy.

While life kept him busy, he still spent every spare moment riding and training horses. Early on, he turned to reining horses and held NRHA member number 113.

In 1977, he won the NRHA Futurity on Spanish Mountain, then returned two years later, in 1979, to take Co-Reserve Championship honors on Cee Blair Masota.

Between 1976 and 1995, Dick rode 23 NRHA Futurity finalists and was a top twenty money earner for many years following. In 1985, he showed Miss Cee Blair to the title of NRHA World Champion Open Horse, setting a record for money earned in one year that was not broken until 1994 when her son, Cee Blair Sailer, also trained by Dick, established an even higher record. In 1991, Dick showed Texas Kicker to American Quarter Horse Association World Champion Junior Reining Horse setting another record score of 228 in the finals.

Dick held judges cards for the NRHA, AQHA, National Cutting Horse Association, and the National Reined Cow Horse Association.

During his career spanning four decades, Dick won or placed in every major reining event on the North American Continent and several in Europe. His last recorded NRHA event was in 1996, and he held NRHA lifetime earnings exceeding $225,000.

Dick served the industry in a variety of ways, including a tenure as NRHA President. He was at the helm of the organization when the association adopted its judging system, as well as when it moved its marquis event, the NRHA Futurity, moved to Oklahoma City in 1986.

When Dick purchased cutting stallion Playgun in 1993, his attention shifted to NCHA, and he earned more than $350,000 in the sport. Playgun, an $8 million sire, and AQHA Reining World Champion Texas Kicker both made their home at the Pieper Ranch in Marietta, Okla.

Dick was a master horseman and well-respected in the industry. He shared his wisdom, insights, and techniques through books, videos, and with anyone who wanted to learn. Cheryl Cody, who co-wrote The Language of Horsemanship with Dick, said, “His love of horses, the horse industry and people defined him. Sharing his knowledge was as natural as breathing, and he was a master storyteller who never failed to see each new day as an opportunity for adventure.”

Services for Richard “Dick” Pieper:

Wednesday, May 18
5-6 p.m. – Visitation at Smith Funeral Home in Crowell, Texas.
6:30 – 8:30 p.m. – Fellowship and meal following at the Circle Bar Lodge.

Thursday, May 19
8 a.m. – Breakfast before services at 8 a.m. at the Cookhouse, across the road from the Lodge.
10 a.m. – Graveside service at Circle Bar Cemetery

For any questions, please contact Eugenie at 940-655-8065