For a quarter-century, most everyone has had a favorite Gunner story or special memory. It might be the mighty moves of an astonishing athlete. It could be a joyful recollection of seeing him in the Norick Arena entrance in Oklahoma City as the crowd erupted in cheers the moment his floppy-eared profile came into sight. It might simply be an unforgettable run burned into someone’s memory – because there were plenty of those. It might be the magic at the birth of one of his foals.

From his 1996 futurity debut, Gunner’s stage presence and charisma were irresistible. Since then, generations of foals have followed and many have managed to sprinkle their own stardust. With the conclusion of the 2021 NRHA Futurity, his sons and daughters pushed him past yet another milestone and made him the National Reining Horse Association’s first $13 Million Sire.

His is a mighty legacy, as he literally changed the face of reining. Before him, excessive chrome and white faces were not common, as classes were filled with palominos, duns and buckskins.

Gunner had to do it the hard way, as his rejection by the American Quarter Horse Association for excessive white meant he and his foals could only receive American Paint Horse Association registration. Ultimately, like other quarter horse discards of the era, he was able to get his AQHA papers, but regardless of the initials on the papers, he continued to make history.

The son of Colonelfourfreckle out of Katie Gun was bred by Eric Story, then sold to Pam and Paul Rohus who took him to Clint Haverty. Clint and Gunner won the 1996 APHA World Show Open Reining Futurity as well as the NRHA Futurity reserve title. Under the ownership of Debra and Kim Sloan, they added the 1997 APHA Junior Reining world title and tied in 1998 for reserve in the National Reining Breeders Classic. In 2001, Gunner won the United States Equestrian Team Open Reining Championship with Bryant Pace in the saddle.

The stallion ended his show career with lifetime earnings over $173,000.

Gunner became an NRHA Hall of Fame inductee in 2003, then two years later the Sloans sold the stallion to Tim and Colleen McQuay. He lived out his life at McQuay Stables in Tioga, Texas, until his passing in 2013.

Of course, the story of that life continues to unfold. Gunner progeny have kept the magic alive and new foals and generations keep excelling years after his death, thanks to the foresight of the McQuays who collected semen prior to his passing.

NRHA Hall of Fame Inductee and Two Million Dollar Rider Tim McQuay says he is constantly overwhelmed by Gunner’s success. “When his foals were first and second in the NRHA Futurity (Americasnextgunmodel and Gunners Tinseltown in 2012), that’s the stuff you can’t even dream about. Gunner has definitely become our retirement program,” he said.      

With 967 competing offspring and average earnings per foal of $12,695, his top earners are:

• Tinker With Guns (Tinker Nic) $344,117
• All Bettss Are Off (Wimpys Little Chic) $307,418
• Gunners Tinseltown (Miss Tinseltown) $305,307
• Americasnextgunmodel (Cee Dun It Do It) $289,486
• No Smoking Required (Icing Required) $252,158
• Gun Dun It (Dun It In Tinseltown) $220,391
• Gunners Special Nite (Mifs Doll) $219,737
• Gunnatrashya (Natrasha) $218,046
• Always Gotyer Gunsup (Always A Dunit) $171,401
• Miss Silver Gun (Miss Taris Rey) $167,888

In what might be one of the quickest jumps to the next tier on the National Reining Horse Association’s Million Dollar Sire roster, Gunnatrashya sailed past the Six Million Dollar mark during the NRHA Futurity. As the year comes to a close, the stallion, by NRHA 13 Million Dollar Sire Gunner and out of Natrasha, sits at No. 7 on NRHA’s Leading Sire list with $6,788,072 in offspring earnings.

Gunnatrashya, owned by Arcese Quarter Horses USA, first became an NRHA Million Dollar Sire in 2017, less than three years after his first foal crop entered the show pen. In every subsequent year, the stallion, owned by Arcese Quarter Horses USA, has passed another million-dollar milestone. Thanks to major event championships, Gunnatrashya actually surpassed two in 2021.

The stallion, a former Open Futurity Champion himself, sired Ten Thirty, who won the historic $350,000 Level 4 Open Futurity Championship check with Casey Deary at the reins.

Gunnatrashya also sired Trashinyurdreams, who won Open Levels 3 and 2 and finished fourth in the Open Level 4 with Jesse Beckley, worth $120,652.

There were 18 Gunnatrashya offspring competing in the Open Futurity Finals, for total earnings of $671,856. The stallion was also well-represented in the CINCH Non Pro Futurity Finals, with eight entries earning $93,690. All totaled, Gunnatrashya foals were responsible for more than $765,545 in the aged event alone.

Gunnatrashya offspring also made waves at The Run For A Million presented by Teton Ridge. Kole Price piloted Gunna Stop (Stop Little Sister) to the $500,000 championship check, making Gunna Stop the highest-earning reining horse in history.

Gunnatrashya, bred by Katarina Dorminy, had just as successful a show pen career as he has had in the breeding shed. With NRHA Six Million Dollar Rider and Hall of Fame Inductee Shawn Flarida at the reins, Gunnatrashya was the 2009 NRHA Open Futurity Champion, the 2010 NRHA Open Derby Champion and the 2009 All American Quarter Horse Congress Open Futurity Champion. Even with limited showing, he accumulated more than $218,000 in NRHA lifetime earnings.  

Gunnatrashya’s top-earning offspring are:

• Ten Thirty (out of Dainty Little Step): $369,059
• ARC Gunnabeabigstar (out of Wimpys Little Chic): $298,999
• Super Marioo (out of HA Chic A Tune): $290,267
• Inferno Sixty Six (out of Snip O Gun): $205,690
• Gunna Stop (out of Stop Little Sister): $172,762
• ARC Gunna Mark Ya (out of Shiney Miss Marker): $163,877
• Gunnabebigtime (out of Big Time Jazzy): $147,486
• Gunnarickashay (out of Rondas Tio): $147,229
• Loveya (out of Love Em N Lena): $131,861
• Trashinyurdreams (out of This Chicsdundreamin): $124,986

Gunnatrashya now stands at NRHA Corporate Partner Oswood Stallion Station in Weatherford, Texas. You can learn more about Gunnatrashya at ArceseQuarterHorses.com, or at OswoodStallionStation.com/Gunnatrashya

Congratulations to Gunnatrashya and Arcese Quarter Horses USA.

Photo (first) by Cam Essick 
Photo (second) by Waltenberry

With earnings of $23,014 at this year’s National Reining Horse Association Futurity, Mandy McCutcheon became only the fifth rider in reining history to earn more than $3 million in the show pen.

McCutcheon, of Aubrey, Texas, joins a very small group of riders, including Seven Million Dollar Rider Andrea Fappani, Six Million Dollar Rider and Hall of Fame inductee Shawn Flarida, Four Million Dollar Rider Craig Schmersal, and her father, NRHA Three Million Dollar Rider and Hall of Fame inductee Tim McQuay.

“I didn’t realize there were only four others to win that much. That’s pretty cool,” she said. “It’s so special to be there with my dad. I can say, 100 percent, that’s the most important part to me.”

McCutcheon, also an NRHA Million Dollar Owner, is the glue that holds one of reining’s dynasties together. Her husband, Tom McCutcheon, is an NRHA Million Dollar Rider and Owner. Their children are following in their parents’ well-worn footsteps. Cade McCutcheon is now an NRHA Million Dollar Rider with an NRHA Futurity Championship and a The Run For A Million Co-Championship under his belt. Carlee McCutcheon competes in both English and reining, where, at just 16 years old, she’s won more than $125,000.

McCutcheon is quick to thank those who helped her reach this new level. “The list of people to thank is so long. I obviously thank my parents, Tom, and Cade, and all our help. My team is so big and large, and we have great people that work for us. There have been people who have been in and out of our program over the years who are longtime friends and supporters, and they’ve all had a hand in this,” she said.

When asked what, aside from her incredible support staff, has made her career so incredible, McCutcheon recalled something her father once told her. “My dad always says that the good Lord just blessed him with the ability to do this, and I think that there is something to be said for that,” she shared.

McCutcheon was born into the quintessential horse show family. Her parents, NRHA Hall of Fame members Tim and Colleen McQuay, both excelled in different arenas. Colleen focused on the hunter/jumper world, while Tim concentrated on reining.

“The best advice I ever received was from my parents, they’ve always said that the main thing is to just show the horse you have under you. That horse might not have the ability to win it that day, but if you show that horse to the best of its ability, you’ll get the best results that day.” She added, “You might just get the best ride out of that horse, and sometimes you might even win because you rode the horse the way it needed.”

For years, McCutcheon split her time between the two disciplines. In the English arena, she won championships at some of the most elite hunter and jumper shows in that world. She was the reserve junior hunter champion at the Harrisburg National Horse Show, and also won the Winners Stakes there. She won the United States Equestrian Team Youth Talent Derby at Gladstone, New Jersey, and came back a few years later to win the USET Futures Championship there. She also won two AQHA jumping world championships.

Eventually, McCutcheon decided to focus on reining, an event in which she began to compete at just 10 years old.

She won her first NRHA Futurity Non Pro Championship in 1993 on Hollywood Striker (Hollywood Dun It x Strike Zone), and to date has won 10 Non Pro Futurity championships.

She’s also won the National Reining Breeders Classic Non Pro Championship eight times and has five NRHA Derby titles to her name.

She became the first non pro and first female Million Dollar Rider in 2007 and passed $2 million in 2014.

With more than three decades of reining in the books, McCutcheon added there are a few runs that stand out above the others. “I can’t forget when I won the (2012) NRBC on Always Gotyer Gunsup up. We marked a 231 or something crazy like that. Also, my run on JLosa at this year’s NRBC stands out, not because it was out of this world, but because that mare tried to be so good for me and it was so much fun,” she said. “There are all different runs and horses that are memorable. This year I was riding one of Cade’s horses, and he showed so good for me after having a bad day before. It’s the little things like that that are special. It’s not always about the win – sometimes it’s the small, personal victory that means the most.”

Even with a lifetime of world-class competition under her belt, McCutcheon admits to still feeling the nerves when it’s time to ride into the arena. “Why would I do this if I didn’t get nervous and excited about it?” she asked. “The adrenaline rush and the thrill of it are two of the things that keep me coming back every year.”

What else drives McCutcheon? “It’s the horses. The love of those horses is the main thing, but so are the people. This is what we do. This is our life,” she said.

McCutcheon’s next goal? “I guess four million,” she quipped. “Actually, now the more important and most fun thing to me is to watch my kids be successful. Whatever I can do to help them be successful in either arena – Cade in reining and Carlee in reining and jumping – that’s my priority in life. When Tom and I do well, that’s just icing on the cake,” she said.