Section two of the Non Pro, Intermediate Non Pro and Prime Time Non Pro ancillary classes wrapped up Wednesday morning, and the leaders from the previous night held for the win. Sarah Armenta and Morris Kulmer each added more titles to an already successful showing.
 
Armenta, who topped the Adequan® North American Affiliate Championship Non Pro and Intermediate Non Pro on Hangin On The Line (Shine On Line x Spooks Hangten), won the Non Pro and Intermediate Non Pro titles with her score of 222. She collected $1,864 from the Non Pro and another $1,270 from the Intermediate Non Pro with her Mary Jansma-bred mare.
 
After winning the NAAC Prime Time Non Pro title with NVR What A Lucky Joe (Lil Joe Cash x What A Lucky Hit), who was bred by Gary Vickrey, Kulmer’s score of 218.5 also took the Prime Time Non Pro title. He banked a check worth $232.
 
Section one of the Adequan® NAAC Toyon Ranch Rookie of the Year, which includes the prelims for the Toyon Ranch Rookie of the Year Showdown; Adequan® NAAC Rookie L2, including the prelims for the Bob’s Custom Saddles Showdown; Adequan® NAAC Rookie Prime Time; and the ancillary Rookie Level 1, Rookie Level 2 and Prime Time Rookie will take place Thursday, Dec. 2 starting at 7 a.m.
 
Complete results can be found at NRHAFuturity.com.

The sixth day of the National Reining Horse Association Futurity wrapped up on Tuesday, Nov. 30, with the first section of the Open Semi-Finals for Levels 3, 2 and 1. The finalists for all levels of the Open will be determined during Wednesday’s Level 4 Open Semi-Finals sponsored by Not Ruf At All. The top 30 composite scores from the go-round and semi-finals, including ties, will advance to the clean-slate finals on Saturday, Dec. 4.
 
There, the Open Champion, who will be decided during the MS Diamonds TX L4 Open Finals, will be awarded a check for $350,000 – the largest in the Association’s history.
 
Holding the No. 1 spot in the L3 Open are Flinn Got Sandy and Peter DeFreitas, who had a 435 composite after marking a 216.5 in the first go and a 218.5 in the second. Flinn Got Sandy (In Like Flinn x Ritas Sandy Jo) is owned by Molly Morgenstern and was nominated by Double Run Farm.
 
Leading the L2 Open are Lil Voodoo, who is by NRHA Two Million Dollar Sire Shiners Voodoo Dr and out of Little Gun, and Tanner Boyes. The duo scored a 214.5 in the first go and a 219 in the second for a 433.5 composite. Lil Voodoo was nominated by Equine Plus and is owned by White River Ag Products.
 
The high score in the L1 so far belongs to Shining Like Flinn and Wade McDonald. The horse (In Like Flinn x Lil Shining Suzana), who is owned by Pastorino Hay and Ranch Supply and was nominated by Mary Jansma, marked a 216.5 in go one and a 216 in go two for a 432.5 composite.
 
The high score of today’s Prime Time Open was a 217 (with handicap), which was posted by Patrice St-Onge riding Mabnum Shining Gun (Colonel Shining Gun x Miss Magnum Pine). The pair also leads the composite with a 436.5 after scoring a 213.5 in the first go. The gelding is owned by St-Onge Reining Horses and was nominated by Marc Andre Bourbeau.
 
The L4 Open qualifiers will compete on Wednesday, Dec. 2, during the Semi-Finals, sponsored by Not Ruf At All. The top 30, plus ties, will earn a place in the MS Diamonds TX L4 Open Futurity Finals, to be held Dec. 4. There the L4 Open Champion will win $350,000 – the largest Championship payout in NRHA history.
 
For complete results, visit NRHAFuturity.com.

The 2021 National Reining Horse Association Futurity and Adequan® North American Affiliate Championship continued on Tuesday, Nov. 30, with the first section of the Non Pro, Intermediate Non Pro and Prime Time Non Pro finals. Two champions were crowned in the NAAC, while section two, consisting of the remainder of the ancillary riders, is scheduled to continue on Wednesday.

Sarah Armenta Lands NAAC Non Pro and NAAC Intermediate Non Pro Titles on Hangin On The Line

Sixty-six horses and riders ran for the NAAC Non Pro title on Tuesday, but it was Sarah Armenta on board Hangin On The Line (Shine On Line x Spooks Hangten) who bested the crowd when they scored a 222. The pair also won the NAAC Intermediate Non Pro, garnering a total check worth $8,671.

While those were impressive feats in their own rights, what made the duo’s success even sweeter was the fact that the mare is a roping horse belonging to Armenta’s family. It was only by accident that Armenta discovered “Gunny’s” talent in the reining pen.

Gunny was started by Robbie Berti as a 2-year-old, and she had a little reining training then. Unfortunately, an injury, which kept her from changing leads to the right, quickly dashed any show pen dreams. The Armentas purchased her and used her as a rope horse ever since, until one fateful day.

“One day I was bored and I didn’t want to ride my stud, so I got on her and I started turning her,” Armenta said. “She turned very fast with not even practicing at all, and I called my dad and I said, ‘Can you come up to the arena?’

“He watched me turn her each way, and I said, ‘Can I show her?’” Armenta continued. “We put her in training with Robbie Berti, and I went to my first show at Lazy E in May.”

Since then, the duo has excelled, garnering nearly $9,000. Armenta said the mare, who recovered from her original injury and has no problems changing leads, is great at all the maneuvers. The pair competed the day prior in the Novice Horse Non Pro, placing third in the NAAC and ancillary Levels 2 and 1, and taking Reserve in the Level 3.

Thanks to their win in the NAAC Intermediate Non Pro, the duo will compete again on Friday, Dec. 3, in the Bob’s Custom Saddles NAAC Intermediate Non Pro Showdown. For Armenta, qualifying for that event was the icing on the cake of a great event for the mare.

“Obviously you want to win every class you go in, but to win it on a horse like this, when no one expects a roper to go be a reiner, it’s a big deal,” Armenta said. “I cried. It was a big deal to me to win on such a cool mare.

“After we show again on Friday, we plan on sending her down the road for the NFR [National Finals Rodeo],” she added, thanking her parents, Kathleen and Lorenzo; Berti; and everybody in the barn. “We don’t know who we want to ride her yet, but that’s our goal. Then, after one year of the NFR, she’ll be turned out and have babies.”

The top 10 finishers of the Adequan® NAAC Intermediate Non Pro earn a spot in the clean-slate Bob’s Custom Saddles Intermediate Non Pro Showdown, which will be held Friday, Dec. 3. All qualifiers must check in and confirm their spot in the Showdown no later than noon on Dec. 2.
Bob’s Custom Saddles Intermediate Non Pro Showdown Qualifiers:

• Hangin On The Line & Sarah Armenta
• The Crowd Goes Wildd & Rebecca Asmussen           
• Roseswhiz & Raeanna Thayn
• Neverthoughtiwould & Tiffany Peterson
• Magnum Starlight & Paige Vernon
• Lil Gunin Whiz & Brooke Leneatha Whitmarsh
• Tinker With Pistols & Abby Mills
• Gunnadream & Abby Budd
• North Sail Solitaire & Jade Whitmarsh
• Lil Red Dreamer & Faith Horner

Morris Kulmer and NVR What A Lucky Joe Clinch NAAC Prime Time Non Pro

Two years ago, Morris Kulmer rode NVR What A Lucky Joe to the 2019 NAAC Prime Time Non Pro Championship with a 215. This year, he upped the ante even more with a 218.5, winning the title yet again and $1,956. While he gave a nod to his horse for being so good in the show pen, he said a lot of the credit went to his granddaughter, Alexandra, who he calls “Rosie.”

“One of my mental training coaches is my 16-year-old granddaughter,” Kulmer said. “She’s a competitive tennis player, and she tells me a lot. I generally run off a 50-amp fuse, so I’m kind of amped up, so she tells me to breathe and slow down. She asked me, ‘You expect to win, don’t you?’ I said, ‘Should I?’ She said, ‘Absolutely. If you just hope you’re going to win, that’s not going to work. You have to expect it.’ So, I take lessons from her.”

Rosie’s advice helped, as Kulmer was able to put together what he called an “OK” run — not his best, but certainly not his worst. Some parts were exceptionally good, he said, and some could have been better.

“The run-in today was really good,” Kulmer said. “The one thing about this horse, all year long, in every show he’s been in, there has not been one set of circles left or right that he didn’t get a plus from every judge he’s shown in front of. He circles as good as any horse on the grounds here.”

“Joey,” (Lil Joe Cash x What A Lucky Hit) who will be 8 in 2022, has officially aged out of the derbies, but he went out on a good note, winning the Level 4 Non Pro at the California Reining Horse Association Challenge Derby and Stakes prior to heading to the NAAC. Kulmer hopes to show him in some of the maturities in the future, while his wife, Merrily, plans to use him as her new trail horse at the couple’s ranch in Utah. Whichever path the horse takes, Kulmer is grateful to have had the chance to ride him the last few years.

“It was bittersweet because I know he won’t be able to derby again,” Kulmer said. “I’d like to put him in one of those time capsules so I can back him up to be a 3-year-old again.

“It’s pretty special to win a title in the NAAC,” Kulmer added. “Everybody from all the affiliates around the country is trying to get in there. It means a whole lot. I think that’s the area of the industry that will continue to grow because the numbers are amazing. They’re going to keep on coming, and that’s a really good thing.”

Complete results can be found at NRHAFuturity.com.

With Monday’s classes in the books, the 2021 National Reining Horse Association Futurity and Adequan® North American Affiliate Championship has passed the halfway point. The Adequan® NAAC titles have grown over the years to be one of the most prestigious awards a reiner can win, with competitors traveling hundreds of miles to compete at the State Fair Park in Oklahoma City.

Jose Vazquez Wins NAAC Novice Horse Non Pro Level 1 & 2 Co-Championship on Rock It Sassy Girl

Jose Vazquez and Rock It Sassy Girl laid down an impressive run in the Adequan® Arena, marking a 220 to tie for the win of the NAAC Novice Horse Levels 1 and 2. They also tied for the win of the ancillary Novice Horse Non Pro Levels 1 and 2, and won Level 3 outright, bringing the day’s earnings to $5,064.

Vazquez also won a saddle from Continental Saddlery, a Montana Silversmiths buckle, product from Dr. Joe Carter, Platinum Performance and Classic Equine, and a gift certificate for Bluebonnet Feed.

“It means a lot to me to win here. I don’t have a lot of opportunities to come here and show. This is probably the second or third time for me to show in the NAAC because I usually just bring Futurity horses,” Vazquez, who will be inducted to NRHA’s Hall of Fame on Wednesday night, explained. “So to come out here and win is great. The competition is people from everywhere, and I knew it wouldn’t be easy.”

Rock It Sassy Girl, a 4-year-old mare, has a pedigree most any reining enthusiast would be proud to have. She’s by NRHA Twelve Million Dollar Sire and former NRHA Futurity Champion Wimpys Little Step, and out of another former Futurity Champion Shining N Sassy.

“I felt bad because I missed the Futurity finals last year on her by just a little bit. I felt bad I didn’t because she is good enough to be there, and it’s one of those things I wish I could have a second chance with,” Vazquez admitted. “We showed today and she was very good. To come to a show like this and win with 100-something horses is awesome. I am really happy with myself and for my family to be here with me.”

Vazquez made sure to mention the people who have helped him. “I thank all of my family, my trainer who has been excellent with all my horses, and my NRHA family,” he said. “I am very happy my whole family is here and I have a trophy to show the kids that grandpa can be ok sometimes.”

Kyla Thurlow and Double Guns Tonite Claim NAAC Novice Horse Non Pro Level 1 & 2 Co-Championship

Kyla Thurlow and Double Guns Tonite won the NAAC Novice Horse Non Pro Level 1 title in 2020. The duo returned to the Adequan® Arena to defend their title, marked a 220, and ended as co-champions of the NAAC Novice Horse Non Pro Levels 1 and 2!

The pair also finished as co-champions of the ancillary Novice Horse Non Pro Levels 1 and 2, for earnings totaling $4,373. They won prizes including a saddle from Continental Saddlery, a Montana Silversmiths buckle, product from Dr. Joe Carter, Platinum Performance and Classic Equine, and a gift certificate for Bluebonnet Feed. In addition, Thurlow had signed up for the Adequan® 500, so she took home the $500 for both NAAC Novice Horse Non Pro classes!

“This is probably the best she’s shown for me in a long time,” Thurlow shared. “She was super quiet. She turned good and was with me in the circles, and she stopped great. It seems like the NAAC classes here are getting bigger every year, which is great. It means there are a lot more people, and makes you feel even better when you do well.”

Double Guns Tonite is a 5-year-old mare by Top Gun Tonite out of Gunners Dazey. “My favorite thing about her is she’s just like a gelding. She’s big and pretty. She’s sweet and a little sensitive like a mare but doesn’t hold a grudge and she’s just the same every day. She always tries.”

Thurlow also piloted her other entry, Kachina Olena Tag, to a top five finish in the Novice Horse Non Pro Level 2.

Thurlow rides with NRHA Professionals Mark and Shannon Rafacz. “I thank Mark and Shannon for sure. I Live in Massachusetts and I do a lot of catch riding, and I never have to worry about my horses because they’re always prepped when I get here. That says a lot about their program that someone can just show up, ride, and have the success that I have had,” she said. “Of course, I thank my barn family. We have a big group here and everyone was cheering. Then of course I thank my mom and dad who were cheering from afar.”

Complete results can be found at NRHAFuturity.com.

Over the past several days of competition, the top 3-year-old reining horses and riders from across the country have vied for a spot in the finals of the National Reining Horse Association Futurity. With the conclusion of Monday’s preliminary round, most of the field is set for the CINCH Non Pro Futurity Finals, which will be held on Friday, December 3.

Topping the Level 4 and Level 3 of the CINCH Non Pro Futurity first round with a 219.5 is Jennifer Gilliam and Surprizing Sixty Six. The 3-year-old mare is by Inferno Sixty Six out of Dun With Surprizes and was bred and nominated to the NRHA by Valentin Rascon. Earlier this year, Gilliam and Surprizing Sixty Six won the High Roller Reining Classic Level 4 and 3 Non Pro Championship.

Carlee McCutcheon and Starlights Voodoo competed late in the second section and marked a 217.5. That not only topped the Level 2, it also qualified the pair back to the Non Pro finals in Levels 3 and 4. Starlights Voodoo is by NRHA Million Dollar Sire Shiners Voodoo Dr out of Whizen Starlight. Bred by Kellie Meier and nominated by Jackson Porath, Starlights Voodoo has already won more than $7,900 in competition.

Gavin Warren and A Chic A Nite topped the Level 1 with a 214. A Chic A Nite is by NRHA Six Million Dollar Sire Magnum Chic Dream out of One More Nite. 

NRHA’s newest Million Dollar Owner, Andre De Bellefeuille of Equine Plus, topped the Non Pro Prime Time with a 219.5 (including handicap). De Bellefeuille, of Canada, rode Its All Gun, by Its All About Smart out of De Bellefeuille’s great producing mare Snow Gun.

Topping the Youth and tying for second in Level 4 is Addisyn Schmersal and Ta Dunit Redhot. The pair marked a 218. Ta Dunit Redhot is by NRHA Two Million Dollar Sire Pale Face Dunnit out of Redhot Walla.

To secure a spot in the CINCH Level 4 Non Pro Futurity, it took a score of 214, while a 212 was the magic number for the Level 3. Riders with a 211 or higher earned a place in the Level 2, as did those in the Level 1 with a 207.5 or higher. The bubble for the Prime Time is a 212 (including handicap), while the one for the Youth is 206.

For those not advancing directly to the finals from the first go, hope is still alive. That’s because of the CINCH Non Pro Futurity Consolation Round on Wednesday morning. The next 30 horses (plus ties) in the Level 4, next 12 in the Level 3, and next 10 in Levels 1 and 2, will compete for a spot in the finals. The top five in each of the four Levels will earn a spot in Friday’s finals.