Two prominent sires in the National Reining Horse Association (NRHA) crossed multi-million dollar sire milestones. NRHA Hall of Famer Gunnatrashya is the fourth $12 Million Sire in NRHA history, and Spooks Gotta Whiz is an $8 Million Sire.
Gunnatrashya
Bred by Katarina Dorminy, the 2006 stallion by NRHA Hall of Famer Gunner and out of Natrasha boasts an impeccable pedigree and outstanding athleticism. The stallion is owned by NRHA’s only $3 Million Owner, Arcese Quarter Horses USA.
Throughout his career in the show pen under the guidance of NRHA Hall of Famer Shawn Flarida, Gunnatrashya amassed nearly $220,000 in NRHA lifetime earnings (LTE). The pair secured championship titles at the 2009 All American Quarter Horse Congress Level (L) 4 Open Futurity, the 2009 NRHA L4 Open Futurity and the 2010 NRHA L4 Open Derby, solidifying Gunnatrashya’s legacy as a remarkable competitor.
Gunnatrashya’s top earning offspring include:
Gunna Stop (out of Stop Little Sister), owned by Amber Gokey, bred and nominated by NRHA Corporate Partner Toyon Ranch LLC, $672,762 NRHA LTE
Andiamoe (out of Wimpys Little Chic), owned, bred and nominated by Arcese Quarter Horses USA, $438,139 NRHA LTE
Ten Thirty (out of Dainty Little Step), owned by Rancho El Fortin, bred and nominated by Brooke Wharton, $418,788 NRHA LTE
Gunnabebigtime (out of Big Time Jazzy), owned, bred and nominated by Tami Nelson, $362,903 NRHA LTE
Super Marioo (HA Chic A Tune), owned by Tom and Mandy McCutcheon, bred and nominated by Hillis Akin Family Partnership, $338,891 NRHA LTE
Spooks Gotta Whiz
After crossing the NRHA $7 Million Sire milestone earlier this year, Spooks Gotta Whiz’s offspring have already pushed him past the $8 million mark.
The 2007 stallion owned Michell Anne Kimball earned the 2010 NRHA L4 Open Futurity Championship with NRHA $3 Million Rider Jordan Larson. Bred by Clint Haverty, his illustrious career continued with NRHA Hall of Famer Shawn Flarida when the team won the L4 Open Championship at the 2012 NRHA Derby and the National Reining Breeders Classic that same year. The team wrapped up their career with an individual gold medal at the 2014 World Equestrian Games held in Normandy, France.
Spooks Gotta Whiz’s top earning offspring include:
Alpha Jac Sparrow (out of Chexanicki), owned by Fritz Leeman, bred and nominated by Alpha Quarter Horses LLC, $273,097 NRHA LTE
Mic Dropp (out of Dun Dry Whiz), owned by Tim Anderson and Clark Reining Horses LLC, bred and nominated by Clark Reining Horses LLC, $257,390 NRHA LTE
Spooks Gotta Spark (out of Dolittle Lena), owned by Kevin Truax, bred and nominated by Bobby Lewis, $215,585 NRHA LTE
Spooky Whiz (out of Myo Starlight), owned by Bosque Ranch Performance Horses LLC, bred and nominated by Spence Bell, $186,043 NRHA LTE
Gotta Twist It Up (out of Make It With A Twist), owned, bred and nominated by Sandra Bentien, $183,837 NRHA LTE
As of July 2024, Gunnatrashya is the year’s NRHA Leading Sire by a margin of $60,000. There are 370 competing offspring, with total earnings of $1,272,207. Spooks Gotta Whiz is shortly behind, sitting in second place with $1,217,623 in NRHA LTE.
Congratulations to Arcese Quarter Horses USA, Michell Anne Kimball and all who have had a role in these stallion’s careers.
Current members can vote for open positions during the NRHA election.
Compiled by NRHA Staff
The NRHA Executive Committee and board of directors are responsible for managing the business of the Association and for representing the best interests of its members and NRHA as a whole. Each year, NRHA opens nominations and hosts elections for a variety of leadership positions.
Each year, the election nomination process gives affiliates and members the opportunity to put forward candidates to be considered in the voting process. Two candidates for the NRHA Board of Directors seat that represents North America’s Southeast region made this June 1 deadline.
The Southeast Region is comprised of North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi and Virginia. Members in the Southeast region can cast their vote for either Bundy Lane (Gates, North Carolina) or Alicia Rapp (Tampa, Florida).
The member receiving the most votes will be elected to serve a term on the board from January 1, 2025, through December 31, 2026.
Voting
Voting in this year’s election will begin at noon CDT Sept. 3, 2024 will end at noon CDT Sept. 17, 2024. Individuals with a General membership (excluding partnerships, businesses and joint memberships) have voting privileges; however, youth and associate members do not have voting rights.
Voting information will be sent to eligible voters via email. The emails will be sent to the member’s ReinerSuite email address (username email). If the member is not a registered ReinerSuite user, it will be sent to any other email address on that member’s NRHA account information.
For more details on the election, visit the NRHA Elections page, or contact NRHA’s Christa Morris-Stone for assistance (cmorris@nrha.com or 405-946-7400, ext. 105).
Bundy Lane Gates, North Carolina
From the Candidate: As a member of NRHA for over 40 years and raising my children in this sport of reining, I am now at a time in my life where I think I can help guide this organization forward. The training and experience I have gained from sitting on a Farm Credit bank board for 15 years along with building and managing a family farming business has prepared me well in all matters of finance as well as board functions.
From being the first NRHA Youth 14-18 world champion in 1986 to my daughter competing for Team USA in 2017 and 2019, I have loved this sport and the challenges it presents. Reining is magic when you get it right. I want more people to experience the thrill and excitement I feel when riding a good, broke horse, and helping this sport do that is my goal for being on this board.
Alicia Rapp Tampa, Florida
From the Candidate: I believe I would be a strong candidate choice for the Southeast Region director position given [my] extensive and deep passion for the sport of reining. With my leadership skills that I have demonstrated in the reining community, I feel that I am well-equipped to collaborate with fellow board members and help drive NRHA in a positive direction.
I have a solid commitment to ethical integrity and the willingness to dedicate my time and passion for the reining industry and its future, I feel I would be a valuable contribution to the NRHA as the Southeast Region Director.
Other Positions
Several other elected leadership positions will be filled for the same two-year term. The following uncontested seats will be elected by acclamation by the Board of Directors. Those seats are:
The National Reining Horse Association (NRHA) announces new Million Dollar Owner: Clark Reining Horses LLC. Owned by NRHA Past President and current executive committee member Rick Clark, the accolade adds to Clark’s significant contributions to the reining horse industry.
“It is a tremendous milestone for me,” said Clark. “A lot of effort has gone into this, and it has been fun. I think back to when I was a non pro and showing, and then I got hurt. The pros then took over, and I have owned and still own some really great horses. It is all due to my trainers. They work so hard, and I am so appreciative of them.”
Clark has invested more than 25 years in NRHA as a competitor, owner, and now Corporate Partner through Clark’s Pump-N-Shop. He has also served two separate terms as NRHA President and over a decade of leadership positions within NRHA.
Clark owned the 2014 NRHA Level 4 Open Futurity Co-Champion Shine N Spook (Smart Spook x Ebony Shines), who was ridden by NRHA Hall of Famer Shawn Flarida and bred by nominator Rosanne Sternberg. Since that accomplishment, he still has the goal of winning every major event.
“To be one of the million dollar owners is truly an accomplishment, and I am really proud of it,” he said. “I got there quicker because of the purses and what we have accomplished as an industry. If you are competing, you set goals, and this was one of my milestones. I am so happy to be able to accomplish it. It has been a tremendous run, and I hope we are just getting started.”
Clark thanks NRHA Hall of Famers Shawn Flarida and Andrea Fappani, NRHA $2 Million Rider Cade McCutcheon, and NRHA Professional Kaci O’Rourke for their talents in helping him reach this milestone. He also highlighted a key gelding in the beginning of his career, Wimps Chocolate Chip, a gelding which he and Flarida both showed to $64,000 in NRHA Lifetime Earnings.
Clark’s success is a testament to his keen eye for top-tier talent, his investment in the development of exceptional horses, and his partnership with some of the industry’s most skilled trainers and riders.
Clark Reining Horses LLC’s top earners:
Mic Dropp (Spooks Gotta Whiz x Dun Dry Whiz), owned in partnership with Tim Anderson, bred by Clark Reining Horses LLC, earner of $257,390
Shine N Spook (Smart Spook x Ebony Shines), bred by Rosanne Sternberg, earner of $219,827
Varsity Blu (Wimpy Chic x Flo N Blu Boon), bred by Alpha Quarter Horses LLC, earner of $160,942
Wimps Chocolate Chip (Wimpys Little Step x Tejana Chic), bred by Brent Loseke, earner of $65,323
Read more about Clark Reining Horses LLC’s journey to the million in the September issue of the Reiner Magazine.
The Reining Horse Foundation and NRHA mourn the passing of Tim Katona of Belleville, Michigan, on July 12, 2024.
Tim Katona demonstrated a lifetime of dedication to the sport of reining as a trainer, coach and volunteer with NRHA and the Michigan Reining Horse Association. He was honored with the NRHA Dale Wilkinson Lifetime Achievement Award in 2017.
The family is requesting that memorial gifts may be made to the Reining Horse Foundation’s NRHyA Scholarship fund.
If mailing a check, put “In Memory of Tim Katona” in the memo section. Donate online via the RHF website. It will notify RHF that your gift is in memory of Tim. Your gift will be acknowledged.
One individual and three horses will be inducted into the NRHA Hall of Fame as the 2024 class is formally announced.
Andrea Fappani, Snow Gun, Wind Her Up Chic, and Wind Her Up Shiner will join reining’s elite as they are recognized with the sport’s most prestigious honor.
Also announced is the 2024 NRHA Dale Wilkinson Lifetime Achievement Recipient, NRHA Corporate Partner, Markel.
“Our 2024 class exemplifies the passion and spirit of the reining industry, and we look forward to formally acknowledging and celebrating their contributions to the sport,” said NRHA Commissioner Billy Smith.
Each year, the NRHA Hall of Fame Committee carefully selects individuals and horses that meet the criteria for nomination and put forward their official recommendations to the NRHA Board of Directors and past Hall of Fame inductees for a final vote.
“This year we had a great slate of candidates that were nominated, and I want to thank the committee for their hard work,” said NRHA Director-at-Large and Hall of Fame Committee Chair Rick Clark. “Each inductee has demonstrated their lasting impact on reining and is deserving of this prestigious award,” Clark continued.
The NRHA Hall of Fame is an official project of the Reining Horse Foundation (RHF), and honorees are recognized each year at Sliders’ Night Out presented by Toyon Ranch. This year’s celebration will be held on Wednesday, December 4.
Read more about the following industry icons in the November and December issues of the Reiner Magazine.
Andrea Fappani
Few names are as synonymous with repeated excellence as Andrea Fappani. For more than 20 years, he has been among NRHA’s top professionals, showcasing his ability to adapt and evolve, along with a fierce dedication known and admired by all who know him.
Fappani has already made an indelible mark in NRHA’s history books with his success in the show pen, not only as NRHA’s all-time leading rider and only $8 Million Dollar Rider but also as a Million Dollar Owner.
For the Italian-born reiner, his impact reaches far beyond the show pen. Fappani is an educator, mentor, and promoter of the sport. With a successful podcast, Along for the Ride, and an in-person symposium, he continues to bring new members from around the globe into the reining community.
Wind Her Up Chic
This summer, Wind Her Up Chic made history by becoming the ninth NRHA Million Dollar Dam. Now, she adds to her legacy with this prestigious honor. Owned by Tim Anderson of NRHA Corporate Partner 21 Ranch, Wind Her Up Chic has consistently demonstrated exceptional talent, athleticism, and versatility in her offspring. At 21 years old, she has already produced an NRHA Level 4 Open Derby Champion, a National Reining Breeders Classic Level 4 Open Champion, and an NRHA Level 4 Open Futurity Reserve Champion.
The David Nogle-bred mare also boasts an impressive performance record of $102,711 in NRHA LTE, all with NRHA $2 Million Rider Todd Bergen and NRHA $3 Million Rider Jordan Larson at the reins.
“Windy,” by NRHA Hall of Famer Smart Chic Olena and out of Wind Her Up Doc, is a half-sibling to another NRHA Million Dollar Dam and 2024 NRHA Hall of Fame Inductee, Wind Her Up Shiner—further showcasing her royal lineage. Wind Her Up Chic is NRHA’s ninth all-time leading dam with $40,874 in average earnings per offspring.
Anderson, president of the Reining Horse Foundation (RHF), has also used the success of Windy to leave a larger mark on NRHA. In 2021, Anderson donated a Wind Her Up Chic embryo to the Sliders’ Night Out auction which raised $170,000 for RHF, the nonprofit arm of NRHA.
Wind Her Up Shiner
In a fateful series of events, NRHA Million Dollar Rider José Vazquez purchased Wind Her Up Shiner, a 1998 mare sired by NRHA Hall of Famer Shining Spark and out of Wind Her Up Doc, when she was a 3-year-old.
Wind Her Up Shiner lived in NRHA Professional Ed Fear’s barn, where Vazquez rode as a non pro. Vazquez had an opportunity to purchase the mare as a 2-year-old and declined, but that changed when he had a futurity prospect spot open.
With nearly $34,000 NRHA lifetime earnings (LTE) with Vazquez at the reins, Wind Her Up Shiner continued to shine as a broodmare. She posthumously became NRHA’s sixth Million Dollar Dam in 2022 and is the only dam to do so with all offspring by the same sire. The mare has only been bred to the late Smart Like Juice, an NRHA Hall of Fame inductee also owned by Vazquez. Together, the two have 25 offspring with earnings in the show pen.
Wind Her Up Shiner is NRHA’s seventh-highest leading dam with average offspring earnings of $43,703.
Snow Gun
The late Snow Gun, owned by NRHA Board member Andre de Bellefeuille, rounds out the 2024 NRHA Hall of Fame inductees. The mare, by NRHA Hall of Famer Gunner and out of Natrasha, shares a pedigree destined for greatness with her full sibling, NRHA Hall of Famer Gunnatrashya.
Snow Gun is remembered for her extended overo color, incredible feel and intelligence, and for having characteristics reiners still look for today.
With more than $120,000 in NRHA LTE, she went on to have great success in the breeding shed. She is the dam of De Bellefeuille’s stallion Electric Snow (by NRHA $4 Million Sire Jacs Electric Spark), who won more than $110,000 in NRHA competition. She also produced Yankee Gun (LTE $156,967), Its All Gun (LTE $61,289), Gunstep (LTE $58,778), and Wimpys Snow Step (LTE $45,311).
Snow Gun spent her breeding years at the Colorado State University Equine and Reproduction Laboratory. Each year after breeding season, the students would gather outside to say goodbye, often with tears. She had a charisma that impacted all who knew her.
Markel
Markel is synonymous with quality, trust, and innovation. As NRHA celebrates more than 30 years with the long-standing corporate partner, it is a natural honor to crown the association’s official equine insurance partner as the 2024 Dale Wilkinson Lifetime Achievement Award recipient.
Many NRHA trainers, owners, and breeders trust Markel with their insurance needs for their horses, ranches, and businesses. More than that, Markel is a staple in the reining community. Markel has attended every NRHA Derby and Futurity for the past 30 years, is the presenting sponsor of the 6666 NRHA Derby held annually at the OKC Fairgrounds in June, and is the title sponsor of the NRHA Markel Futurity Sales. At each step of the way, Markel champions the growth of the reining industry.
Markel’s global presence and sponsorship have made an irreplaceable impact on the sport and the equine community.
Frank Costantini, Markel Senior Director of Western Disciplines, was inducted into the NRHA Hall of Fame in 2001. He has also served as NRHA President twice and RHF President three times.
With over 50 years of knowledge and experience in insuring horses, farms, and horse-related businesses, Markel remains committed to the horse industry.
For more information on Sliders’ Night Out, presented by Toyon Ranch, and to purchase tickets, visit reiningfoundation.com/sno.
