Category Archives: History

Talented and dedicated horsemen and women paired with gifted and prepotent horses have been mainstays in the reining industry since its beginning decades ago. That’s why the National Reining Horse Association created the NRHA Hall of Fame in 1986. With the Reining Horse Foundation, these individuals, their achievements, and their contributions to the industry are celebrated and remembered.

Following the August presentation of the NRHA Hall of Fame Committee’s recommended nominees, the Board of Directors and past Hall of Fame inductees voted to approve Jim and Pat Warren, Dutch Chapman, and Spooks Gotta Whiz for induction into the NRHA Hall of Fame.

Also announced was the selection of Dwight Sanders as the NRHA Dale Wilkinson Lifetime Achievement Award recipient for 2022.

“This year’s class represents different aspects of the industry and as a whole are very diverse in the reasons they will be recognized,” noted Mike Hancock, Chairman of the Hall of Fame Committee.

“You have the West Coast represented by Pat and Jim Warren, who have been fantastic owners, breeders, and supporters of the industry, and that continues today.

“Dutch Chapman has been around forever and is an institution on the East Coast, both as a showman himself and as a coach known for pairing horses and riders, at which he is second to none.

“Spooks Gotta Whiz had a show career that is incredible. He not only won what many refer to as the ‘Triple Crown of Reining’ but also won a gold medal at the World Equestrian Games. His offspring have been outstanding as well, winning every major event possible,” Hancock shared.

“Then you have Dwight Sanders, who to my knowledge is the first person we have recognized for the Dale Wilkinson Lifetime Achievement Award from a support area of our industry. Dwight — through blood, sweat, tears, loyalty, and knowledge – has been a major part of the industry and was integral in making it what it is today.”

On Wednesday, November 30, these honorees will be recognized and celebrated during Sliders’ Night Out presented by Toyon Ranch.

Hancock added, “Our industry and membership continue to grow and transform. For that reason, it is important for us to keep our history in front of us so we can recognize and learn from the people and horses who have made it what it is today.”

Pat & Jim Warren

In 2014, Pat Warren of Arizona was presented with the Dale Wilkinson Lifetime Achievement Award. This year, she and her husband, Jim, will both be inducted into NRHA’s Hall of Fame.

Pat is a lifelong horsewoman who got her start in the English show jumping world. She began riding with National Reined Cow Horse Association Hall of Famer Kenny Wold, who soon suggested she might be happiest riding reining horses.

Pat and Jim built a training facility and named it Rancho Oso Rio. At the time, no one could have predicted that the Arizona hub would be named an NRHA Two Million Dollar Owner, but the couple worked hard to acquire and develop NRHA Futurity prospects.

Pat and Jim hired NRHA Million Dollar Rider Dell Hendricks, who was then just emerging from an apprenticeship with NRHA Hall of Fame Inductee Bob Loomis, as their head trainer.

The Warrens’ first big success came at the 1994 NRHA Futurity when Hendricks and Taris Little Vintage (Peppy San Badger x Taris Vintage) finished third. The next year, she won the Junior Reining World Championship for the American Quarter Horse Association.

While Taris Little Vintage was impressive in the show pen, she truly shined as a producer. Her first foal, Hollywood Vintage (by Hollywood Dunit), won more than $143,000. Seven years later, Taris Designer Genes (by Mr Boomerjac) hit the ground. Three years later, another future NRHA Million Dollar Rider, Randy Paul, piloted the talented mare to the 2006 NRHA Open Futurity Championship. The mare eventually won upwards of a quarter million dollars.

Eventually, Taris Little Vintage earned a place in the NRHA’s Hall of Fame.

Rancho Oso Rio has produced countless performers, and in the early 2000s, another was born. Tinker With Guns (Gunner x Tinker Nic) won the Cactus Classic with Randy Paul before an injury sidelined him from competition.

Once recovered, he was placed with Andrea Fappani, now the NRHA’s All-Time Leading Rider, and the stallion’s earnings escalated to more than $345,000. In 2011, Fappani moved to Rancho Oso Rio as the ranch’s head trainer.

While the Warrens’ influence on the reining breeding industry can not be understated, it’s important to recognize their great contributions to several of the Association’s major events.

With Amanda Brumley at the helm, the Warrens helped bring to fruition the Reining By The Bay, the Cactus Reining Classic, and the High Roller Reining Classic, all shows that annually rank in the top 10 of NRHA-approved events.

Undoubtedly, West Coast reining would not be the same without the support of the Warrens.

Under the Rancho Oso Rio banner, the Warrens first became Million Dollar Owners in 2012 and reached the next rung on the Million Dollar Ladder in 2020.

“Pat and Jim have been part of this sport for a long time. They stuck with it and hired some of the most influential trainers in the business, including Dell (Hendricks), Randy (Paul), and myself. It’s special because they have been part of the entire circle, from breeding and raising foals to Pat showing in the non pro to having very successful open-caliber horses,” Fappani shared. “Pat and Jim are the perfect partnership. Pat has the vision, and Jim makes those visions reality. Jim supported his wife’s passion in the beginning, and now he has that passion for it, too.

“Their impact on reining has been huge. Everyone owes them a great deal of respect and gratitude. They took the sport and helped it flourish. Without them, reining could not have come as far, as fast.”

Spooks Gotta Whiz

Spooks Gotta Whiz proved his prowess in the show pen, earning more than $345,000. It quickly became apparent that the stunning stallion passed that talent on to his offspring, as his get has now won more than $4 million in NRHA competition. He is the only horse to be inducted into the NRHA Hall of Fame in 2022.

“The Hall of Fame Induction is a great honor and a huge milestone. I feel like I’ve been praying for this a very long time, and it means so very much to me,” noted Michell Anne Kimball, who owns the 15-year-old stallion. “I love this horse. Every decision I have ever made on his behalf was to benefit his welfare and well-being and has been made deliberately. The horse’s needs come first.”

By NRHA Million Dollar Sire Spooks Gotta Gun and out of Prettywhizprettydoes, Spooks Gotta Whiz was bred by Clint Haverty. Kimball purchased the colt as a 2-year-old from Duane Hicks in 2009.

“As a 2-year-old, ‘Baby’ was flirtatious and gorgeous. The moment I sat on him I could tell he was going to be special,” Kimball recalled. “I just didn’t know how special he would become and how much he would change my life.”

Started by NRHA Professional Tanya Jenkins, the flashy colt made a splash in his futurity year. With Jenkins at the reins, he finished third in the Level 4 Open at the Reining by the Bay Futurity and as the Level 4 Open Reserve Champion at the High Roller Reining Classic.

Then, just days before the 2010 NRHA Futurity, the colt moved to the barn of NRHA Professional Jordan Larson (now an NRHA Million Dollar Rider). Larson and Spooks Gotta Whiz tied for 11^th in the first round of the Futurity and then finished fourth in the second go to advance to the Finals.

There, as the second-to-last draw, the pair put together a 227 to win the prestigious event.

In 2012, Spooks Gotta Whiz was teamed up with NRHA Hall of Famer Shawn Flarida. For their first outing, Flarida and the stallion won the Level 4 Open Championship at the National Reining Breeders Classic with a sky-high 236. They followed that debut with another Level 4 Open Championship, this time at the 2012 NRHA Derby. To date, Spooks Gotta Whiz is still one of only four horses to win Level 4 Open Championships at all those three events.

His prominent wins include:

• 2010 NRHA Level 4 Open Futurity Champion ridden by Jordan Larson
• 2012 NRBC L4 Open Champion ridden by Shawn Flarida
• 2012 NRHA L4 Open Derby Champion ridden by Flarida
• Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games™ (WEG) 2014 Normandy Individual and Team Gold Medalist ridden by Flarida

“Spooks Gotta Whiz is a great horse himself with what he did and accomplished. He’s a tremendous athlete with an awesome mind. When you see him in person, you’re just in awe of him. When he walks into an environment, he commands your attention,” noted NRHA Seven Million Dollar Rider Shawn Flarida.

Spooks Gotta Whiz began his breeding career in 2011 and has sired numerous major event champions, including 2016 NRHA Futurity L4 Open Champion Spooky Whiz, 2017 NRHA L4 Non Pro Futurity Reserve Champion Night Time Spook, 2019 NRHA L4 Non Pro Futurity Reserve and L3 & L2 Champion Gotta Get Diamonds, 2016 L3 & L2 Non Pro Futurity Champion and 2017 NRHA Non Pro L4 Derby Co-Reserve Champion Gotta Twist It Up.

His biggest winner to date is Spooks Gotta Spark (out of Dolittle Lena), with lifetime earnings exceeding $210,000. Spooks Gotta Spark finished second at the 2021 The Run For A Million presented by Teton Ridge with Flarida at the reins. Flarida and the stallion also teamed up to win the Senior Reining Championship at the 2021 American Quarter Horse Association World Championship Show.

“The offspring that I’ve ridden have just been phenomenal, and they speak volumes about their sire with what they’ve won and done. It doesn’t matter what you cross on him – it works,” Flarida said. “It’s an honor to have been involved with such a great horse’s career. Now it’s fun to sit back and watch his children be good. I look at his foals all the time to try to get them into my program.”

Spooks Gotta Whiz’s Top 10 Money Earners (as of 9/1/2022):

• Spooks Gotta Spark (out of Dolittle Lena) $210,585.45
• Spooky Whiz (out of Myo Starlight) $186,042.62
• Gotta Twist It Up (out of Make It With A Twist) $183,837.21
• Spooks Show Time (out of Dolittle Lena) $175,582.06
• Spooks Grand Slam (out of Shiney Diamond Lady) $150,458.28
• Spooks Gotta Crush (out of Megas Sugar Baby) $149,597.73
• Sharp Dressed Spook (out of Dolittle Lena) $120,523.22
• Thebettertohearuwith (out of Chex Out The Cowgirl) $104,822.11
• Seven On Seven (out of Anne Get Your Gunner) $97,455.46
• Gotta Get Diamonds (out of Tinker With Diamonds) $81,744.47

“Jordan Larson winning the Futurity, and Shawn Flarida finishing his show career with wins at the NRBC, the NRHA Derby, and two Gold medals at the WEG in Normandy, France, cemented his opportunity to be a publicly standing stallion,” Kimball said. “However, credit for making him a Multi-Million Dollar Sire goes to everyone who has bred, raised, trained, or shown his offspring. It takes a village to make this achievement a reality, and his village is comprised of everyone from one-mare owners to the top breeders in the industry.”

Spooks Gotta Whiz currently stands at Cinder Lakes Ranch, an NRHA Corporate Partner, in Valley View, Texas. For more information, visit CinderLakesRanch.com.

Albert “Dutch” Chapman

Dutch Chapman had plenty of success on his own – including two NRHA World Championships – but the man’s legacy can be best measured by the countless riders he trained and mentored, including youth, non pros, and professionals.

The list of trainers who have been part of Chapman’s program is impressive and includes NRHA Four Million Dollar Rider Craig Schmersal and NRHA Two Million Dollar Rider Brian Bell.

Chapman got his first horse at age 9 when his parents traded one of their dogs for a little pinto mare. He got a saddle and learned to ride. It was with that pony named Trudy that he first began making money. A local Ford dealership had learned of him and his horse and paid the young man $50 a day to ride around in front of the dealership to promote the newly released Ford Pinto.

He entered his first horse show in 1972 and never stopped. When he was 12 years old, he attended a show where the judge would share their critique after the run. He was told he did “pretty good” but that he’d been on the wrong lead.

Unfortunately, Chapman didn’t know what a lead was, but he met a man who did – fellow NRHA Hall of Fame inductee Charlie Smith. Smith began to teach the young man, and soon Chapman would be winning the junior classes while Smith would sweep the senior.

In 1985, when Chapman was 25, Smith invited him to work at his barn. Over the years they began to travel to NRHA events, resulting in countless wins and year-end championships.

In 1993, Chapman set out on his own and continued to coach and train.

He was as committed to his riders as he expected them to be to riding. “I really would push them to do good. I thought if you were good today, you could be better tomorrow,” he recalled. “Some people came to me and said, ‘I want to learn to rein and go show and have fun.’ That’s great, and there is a place for that. Others came to me and said, ‘I want you to make me the best there is no matter what it takes.’ I told those to be careful what you wish for. There will be days you might hate me, but I’m going to make you win.”

Chapman has continuously advocated for the sport of reining, giving reining clinics in both the United States and Canada and performing reining demonstrations for events such as the Ride For Life Dressage Show and the Washington International Horse Show.

Karen Shedlauskus, a member of NRHA’s Board of Directors and of the Hall of Fame committee, is one of Chapman’s former students. “Dutch always said he was a horse trainer, a coach, a financial planner, and a psychologist. He’d work on the horses, provide instruction for his riders, help them figure out how they could afford it, and council them on controlling their nerves and acquiring a competitive strategy,” she recalled.

Shedlauskus won two world titles with Chapman. “I’d probably not be active in NRHA today if I hadn’t gotten involved with them. The program said, ‘You can do this. We do not have the most expensive horses and big fancy rigs, but we can make it happen.’ If you worked hard, Dutch would help you to get there,” she explained.

Chapman still works, these days out of Rising Star Farm in Woodbine, Maryland. He can still be found mentoring trainers and teaching non pro and youth riders.

“The guys who worked for Dutch are still in the business, making a living at whatever level,” Shedlauskus shared. “That’s one of his greatest contributions to the industry.”

Dwight Sanders – Dale Wilkinson Lifetime Achievement Award

Behind every great horse is a great farrier, and Dwight Sanders of Kenley, North Carolina, fits the bill. In his teenage years, he roped and rode bulls but seldom had anyone to shoe his horses. At 17 years old, he began shoeing his own horses, and soon other ropers were asking him to take care of theirs.

That was the start of a career that would span more than six decades.

He shod horses in many disciplines, ranging from saddlebreds to western pleasure and everything in between. He continued roping, but in the late 1970s, he was introduced to reining horses and Kay and Alan Potts. He’d had a rope horse in training with Butch Gardill, who made the transition to training reining horses. That inspired Dwight to learn about the event and how, through farrier work, he could maximize the abilities and strengths of reining horses.

At the time, there was no reining shoe that was being mass produced, so Sanders would have to take straight bar stock, turn it, and punch every shoe. He experimented with different-sized materials to learn how they would affect the horses.

Other blacksmiths heard about his endeavors and were soon calling for advice. He began to work longer hours – shoeing horses during the day, then making shoes to ship to other farriers.

He was invited to work with Anvil Brand Shoe Company to develop the equipment needed to mass produce a reining horseshoe and continued that work with Canada-based Equine Forging.

Over the years, Sanders traveled across the country and around the world as a clinician, teaching his skills and techniques to anyone interested.

At the 2002 World Equestrian Games in Jerez de la Frontera, Spain, Sanders shod for both the United States and Canadian teams. “He told people he’d been paid to see the world,” noted his wife, Bonnie. “I have seen him work miracles on horses. He knew what it took for a horse to do his job and that a minor change could make a big difference.”

Sanders has been the official farrier at many of reining’s largest and most prestigious events, including the NRHA Futurity, NRHA Derby, All American Quarter Horse Congress, the Carolina Classic, the Tradition, the Firecracker, the Florida Classic, and more.

While he’s known for his work with great horses and riders, he didn’t discriminate. “He would take care of a lot of kids and 4H riders over the years,” Bonnie recalled. “He also shod for the Ringling Brothers Circus.”

Sanders never suffered from the back problems that tend to plague farriers. Before he retired in June 2021 just shy of his 79^th birthday, he’d always told Bonnie he figured he’d die under a horse. “I told him, ‘If you do, I hope it’s a good one,’” she recalled with a laugh.

Now 80, Sanders remains active and is involved in long-range competitive shooting. His competitive nature and experience have led him to help form a new club.

Mike Hancock, one of Sanders’ former clients, shared his thoughts on this year’s Dale Wilkinson Lifetime Achievement Award recipient. “Dwight contributed so much behind the scenes and was a legend throughout the formative years of the NRHA. He still is today,” Hancock shared. “I’m proud that Dwight will get the recognition for what he accomplished himself and for the sport of reining.”

Recognition Ceremony

The Warrens, Chapman, Spooks Gotta Whiz, and Sanders will be honored at Sliders’ Night Out presented by Toyon Ranch on November 30 at State Fair Park in Oklahoma City during the NRHA Futurity. The public is invited to attend the banquet and awards ceremony. The event celebrates the sport’s history and also benefits the Reining Horse Foundation, the charitable arm of the NRHA. For details on how to become a Hall of Fame table host, an event donor, or to reserve individual seats, contact RHF Executive Director Leslie Baker at rhf@nrha.com or (405) 946-7400, ext. 106.

The reining community mourns the loss of one of its memorable members. A National Reining Horse Association Hall of Fame inductee, competitor, breeder, and judge, Ronald Sharpe’s impact on the industry was immense. He was one of the first accredited NRHA Judges when the Association was born. He is noted for judging in five of the world’s seven continents for five different associations including NRHA, for which he served in various capacities for over 45 years. He was also the longest-standing chairman of the American Quarter Horse Association Judges Committee.

As a horseman, he was one of the few to have made the futurity finals in both the NRHA and the National Cutting Horse Association. As a breeder, he was and is the leading producer of AQHA champions.

A former Marine, he had a passion for his country, horses, and his family. In fact, he was quoted for saying, “A loving wife, family, and some good horses is all a man can ask for.” Sharpe passed away at 84 years old in his home surrounded by the family that he loved on Saturday, September 3, 2022.

A memorial service will be held at Riley Funeral Home in Hamilton, Texas, on Saturday, September 10, 2022. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Star Volunteer Fire Department.

You can find his official obituary here.

In 1984, Tom McCutcheon recorded his first earnings in the National Reining Horse Association while competing in an event in St. Paul, Minnesota. In 2006 he passed one million dollars in lifetime earnings, and then in early August 2022, crossed the next million-dollar milestone.

That achievement was reached at the North American Reining Stakes, held at the World Equestrian Center in Ocala, Florida. The Aubrey, Texas, trainer piloted Gold Star Gunner (Gunners Special Nite x Belle Starr Dun It), a horse he owns with his wife, Mandy, to the Level 3 Open Championship and a fourth-place finish in the Level 4, collecting more than $28,000. Those earnings alone would have been enough to pass two million, but McCutcheon also finished in the money on his and Mandy’s other entry, Best Jac (Jacs Electric Spark x Snip O Chex), for an additional $3,771.

“What makes this accomplishment special to me is that the majority of money I have won has been on horses we’ve bred, raised, or are by stallions we stand,” McCutcheon shared.

McCutcheon grew up in the horse business, but his was not a world filled with elite athletes like it is today. Back then, McCutcheon’s father, Bob, and brothers Scott, Jimmy, and Terry were always training and showing. Bob McCutcheon was known for being able to salvage horses that others couldn’t make work.

“We trained everything that was marketable at that time. If barrel horses were hot, we trained barrel horses. If rope horses were hot, we trained rope horses. We rode a lot of cutters,” he recalled.

The youngest of the McCutcheon brothers by 10 years, Tom rodeoed from an early age and qualified for the National High School Rodeo Finals in calf roping, bull dogging, and cutting. When he was just 18 years old, McCutcheon went into business for himself, renting his own place. He chose to focus on reining because “anything that involved cattle seemed too expensive.”

McCutcheon eventually moved to Italy to train for several years, joining friends who made the same move, including Duane and Dean Latimer, Dale Harvey, Jim Kiser, and Mike Davis, as well as his brother, Jimmy McCutcheon.

When McCutcheon returned to the United States, he relocated to North Texas. He knew he wanted to focus on good horses, so in 1993, when NRHA Professional Gary Putman showed him a two-year-old named Lil Ruf Peppy (Peppy San Badger x Rufas Peppy), it was a quick sale. Tom’s customers Antonio and Lia Foti purchased the colt, and McCutcheon bought him from them a year later.

Advancing to the Quarter Horse Congress Open Futurity Finals in 1994, McCutcheon and Lil Ruf Peppy hit their stride in 1995, earning the NRHA Derby Level 4 Open Reserve Championship and winning the Limited (Level 2) Open.

Lil Ruf Peppy went on to become an NRHA Three Million Dollar Sire. That was the start of McCutcheon’s breeding program, and he, along with Mandy, are both NRHA Million Dollar Owners.

The couple operates Tom McCutcheon Reining Horses out of Aubrey, Texas. Their training facility is home to several respected NRHA Professionals, including son Cade, also an NRHA Million Dollar Rider, Debbie Brown, Jeremy Gates, Dakota Guthridge, and Antonio Aramburo.

Supplementing the training aspect of the farm is an Equine Spa & Rehabilitation Center and, of course, the breeding program which features 10 resident stallions. Stallions currently standing at Tom McCutcheon Reining Horses include NRHA Five Million Dollar Sire Gunners Special Nite, Lil Dreamin Magnum, NRHA Million Dollar Sire Lil Joe Cash, Rufanicki, Gunners Tinseltown, Mr Fahrenheit, NRHA Million Dollar Sire Smart And Shiney, Super Marioo, and Blo Gun.

McCutcheon’s biggest wins include:

2001 NRHA Futurity L4 Open 3^rd place – $74,877 on Sailin Ruf

2016 NRBC L4 Open Reserve Championship – $51,000 on The Wizster

2001 NRBC L4 Open Championship – $50,000 on Smartest Chic Olena

2019 The Run For A Million 7^th place – $35,000 on Gunna Cash Ya

2013 NRHA Futurity L4 Open 7^th place – $33,434 on Dont Miss My Guns

2006 NRHA Futurity L4 Open 7^th place – $30,047 on Lil Ruf Gay Badger

2018 NRHA Futurity L4 Open 8^th place – $29,589 on Gotta Good Nite

2006 NRBC L4 Open 8^th place – $25,037 on Major Jesse

2013 NRBC L4 Open 8^th place – $22,000 on Dun Git A Nicadual

2015 NRHA Futurity L4 Open 9^th place – $21,601 on Sunglasses At Nite

Learn more about Tom at TMReining.com, or follow him on Facebook.

Photos courtesy of Chelsea Schneider.

In 1994, a spindly-legged, sorrel colt made his first appearance, and while he was admired by many, no one could have guessed the horizons that he would reach. Born under the ownership of National Cutting Horse Association icon Lindy Burch of Weatherford, Texas, the colt, by elite stallion Smart Little Lena out of Jessies Oak by Docs Oak, was named Smart Like Juice. Reining enthusiast Justin Zimmerman saw the colt’s knack for reining and bought him in a partnership with his father, Vaughn Zimmerman.

Justin said, “I was always a fan of the Smart Little Lenas, and he was royally bred. He had great conformation, just stunning to look at. We bought him in December with some cutting training on him, but he transitioned to reining in a very short time. He was always so pleasant to be around and just wanted to please from day one.”

Vaughn added, “It was very common back then to buy reining futurity prospects from those cutting horse sales. That horse caught our eye because he moved extremely well, and you could see by the way he stopped when they were working him on a cow how he would do well in the reining pen.”

As Smart Like Juice, known simply as “Juice,” grew and developed, he confirmed Zimmerman’s impression of reining ability. The colt was brimming with athleticism and had an uncanny way of understanding what was expected of him. Through training, he was willing and eager to learn. As time went on, he matured to have a beautiful rabicano coat pattern that further added to his distinction.

Juice was teamed up with NRHA Lifetime Achievement Award winner Ken Eppers early in his show career and won the 1997 SRHA Open Futurity right off the bat. He went on to finish 7^th in the 1997 National Reining Horse Association Open Futurity, but by then, he had already caught the eye of new reining enthusiast José Vazquez.

Vazquez had just watched his first NRHA Futurity in 1996. Then, while attending a smaller futurity in Minnesota the following year, he saw what he believed to be the most beautiful horse yet. He kept track of the animal showing under Eppers until one fateful day. He was visiting renowned trainer Ed Fear when a man appeared asking if Fear would be interested in training a horse for him. In the video he showed of that horse, Vazquez caught sight of the beautiful rabicano stallion he had been following. He pressed the man for information, and by 11 p.m. that day, Vazquez owned his dream horse.

The names José Vazquez and Smart Like Juice would become synonymous with success over the next 25 years. After Vazquez bought Juice, he kept him in training with Fear, who rode him to great achievement, but it was in the breeding barn that Juice’s name became legendary.

Vazquez was new to reining, and to the horse industry in general, when he purchased Juice. He said, “I didn’t know anyone. I didn’t know anything about breeding, but I bought this horse that I thought was so beautiful. After Ed rode him for a few days, he said, ‘José, I don’t think you have just a show horse. I think you may have a breeding stallion, too!’ So, I went out and bought two mares.”

Vazquez later laughed at himself because, at that time, he didn’t know what he didn’t know. Of the two mares he’d acquired for his new stallion, only one of them was bred for reining. She was a daughter of Hollywood Jac 86 and had only earned $800 showing, but when paired with Smart Like Juice, the mare went on to produce more than $117,000.

Some years later, Vazquez had learned more of what it took to produce champions and to make a name in the reining horse breeding world, so he started finding better mares for Juice. In his opinion, the best mare was Wind Her Up Shiner (Shining Spark x Wind Her Up Doc) who earned $33,000 in the show pen. She was never bred to any other stallion but Smart Like Juice, and she became a Million Dollar Dam the very weekend that Smart Like Juice passed away. The magic match produced 25 surviving foals that carried her to that milestone.

Overall, Juice has sired more than 700 foals that were recorded with NRHA, and 58% of those earned money making him a $4 Million Sire and Vazquez a $2 Million Breeder. Juice’s get are known for being good-minded, trainable, athletic, willing and versatile. They are sought after by Rookies and Non Pros for their easy demeanors and Open riders for their commanding arena presence and extraordinary athleticism. In addition to outstanding ability, they are also known to last.

Vazquez threw his whole heart behind his stallion and has, himself, won over 83% of his more than $1.6 million in NRHA lifetime earnings on horses that trace back to Smart Like Juice. Juice was inducted into the NRHA Hall of Fame in 2017 and was joined by Vazquez in 2021.

Juice lived out the last several years of his breeding career under the care and management of Mary Hannagan at Hannagan Farms in Gifford, Illinois. She said, “In 2007, Ed Fear called to ask me if I would stand Juice for José. Juice was an incredible show horse with heart and longevity that he has passed to almost all his foals. He was certainly a life-changing horse for me. José & Juice have had such an amazing journey – Hall of Fame, $4 Million Sire, $1 Million Owner and $2 Million Breeder! I am so thankful I was given the chance to breed the mares and foal the babies! It’s amazing how one incredible stallion can do so much for so many!”

Smart Like Juice died peacefully in his stall at Hannagan Farms on Friday, August 5, 2022, and while the reining community will mourn his loss, the reining dynasty he created lives on.

There has never been anything cold about SG Frozen Enterprize, unofficially the National Reining Horse Association’s newest Million Dollar Sire. From the beginning, the son of Frozen Sailor out of RS Rose SJ by SJ Enterprise was on fire, wowing audiences, making fans and showing incredible ability.

He moved into the spotlight when Mirko Midili rode him to sweep the Italian Reining Horse Association Futurity in 2012. NRHA All-Time Leading Rider Andrea Fappani saw the video of that winning run and showed it to Silver Spurs Equine owner Michael Miola. Miola remembers being more than impressed. “I said he looked like something special,” he shared.

Both men felt “Iceman” was an outstanding show horse and the ideal stallion to bring to the United States as an outcross. Fappani convinced then-owner Marco Franchini to send the stallion over.

Iceman arrived in the states just weeks before the 2013 NRHA Derby, and when Fappani rode him the first time, he immediately felt his instincts had been right on point. Miola agreed, so negotiations to purchase the horse began.

Fappani piloted Iceman to the Reserve Championship of the 2013 High Roller Reining Derby and finished fifth at the NRHA Derby. During the Derby, the sale was completed, and Iceman became Silver Spurs Equine’s newest stallion prospect. The following year he was ninth at the NRHA Derby and took third at both the Cactus Reining Classic and the High Roller Reining Classic Open Derbies.

Fappani typically only shows horses he’s had in training since their 2-year-old year but made an exception for Iceman, even though it took extra work to get together with him. He consistently scored between 222 and 225, but Fappani felt certain that the horse could do better with time. He was proven right when the pair won the 2014 American Quarter Horse Association Junior Reining World Championship with a score of 229.5.

The following year Fappani and Iceman won the National Reining Breeders Classic Open title, the Cactus Reining Classic Derby Championship, and fourth at the NRHA Derby.

As Iceman reached the end of his derby years, with lifetime earnings of more than $274,000, it was time to enter the next phase of his career as a breeding stallion. Despite breeding to a small, but select group of mares, success came early.

There were only two foals that were NRHA nominated in Iceman’s first foal crop, which arrived in 2015, but one of those was Icecube (out of Taris Designer Genes by Mr Boomerjac), the horse Tish Fappani rode to win the 2018 NRHA Level 4 Non Pro Futurity. Icecube is currently SG Frozen Enterprize’s top earner, leading an impressive list of other performers.

SG Frozen Enterprize Top Money Earners:

Icecube (Taris Designer Genes) $171,808

Ice Face (Dun Painting My Face) $97,615

Whizsicle (Miss Whizzletown) $92,565

A Cool Back Story (Skeets Chexy Nic) $59,588

Electric Enterprize (Electric Genes) $42,901

Xtra Ice Ice Wimpy (Wimpy Little Sinbar) $33,058

Talladega Ice (Skeets Chexy Nic) $32,910

TR Ice Ice Baby (Ms Whiz Dunit) $29,772

Frozen Gambler (Surprise Me Gamble) $28,843

CO Frozen Asset (Top Sail Cheetah) $28,402

Sarah Flarida, Silver Spurs Equine Oklahoma ranch manager, noted, “Iceman is one of the kindest, friendliest studs I’ve ever been around. He loves people, and his foals seem to all have that same personality.”

Not only does Iceman brand the foals with his demeanor, most generally have his signature physical features. Miola explained, “Most of them are red duns. You can instantly pick them all out in the pasture. They are all just mini-Icemans!”

Flarida added, “We are thrilled at how many of his offspring are able to compete at a high level and seem to improve with age, and we look forward to following their success.”

Learn more about SG Frozen Enterprize by visiting the website or following the stallion on Facebook.

One million has become the marker by which many achievements in the National Reining Horse Association have been measured. Recently, three stallions surpassed multi-million dollar milestones, cementing their places in the history books of the reining industry.

Two of the stallions, Gunnatrashya and Walla Walla Whiz, are owned by NRHA Two Million Dollar Owner Arcese Quarter Horses USA, while the third, Whizkey N Diamonds, is owned by Rhodes River Ranch.

Gunnatrashya – $7 Million Sire

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 at least one million-dollar milestone each year, and two in 2021.

As of this writing, Gunnatrashya foals have won more than $7,311,000, and the stallion holds on to the sixth position on NRHA’s All-Time Leading Sire list. The flashy stallion was the leading sire of the 2021 NRHA Futurity and repeated that feat just weeks ago at the 6666 NRHA Derby presented by Markel, where his foals won $192,610.

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 Earners (as of 7/11/2022)

Gunna Stop (Stop Little Sister) $672,762

Ten Thirty (Dainty Little Step) $369,059

Super Marioo (HA Chic A Tune) $336,562

ARC Gunnabeabigstar (Wimpys Little Chic) $298,999

Inferno Sixty Six (Snip O Gun) $205,690

Gunnarickashay (Rondas Tio)$177,871

ARC Gunna Mark Ya (Shiney Miss Marker) $163,877

Gunnabebigtime (Big Time Jazzy) $147,486

Loveya (Love Em N Lena) $131,861

Trashinyurdreams (This Chicsdundreamin) $129,361

Gunnatrashya stands at NRHA Corporate Partner Oswood Stallion Station. Find more information about the stallion at oswoodstallionstation.com/gunnatrashya or arcesequarterhorses.com

Walla Walla Whiz – $4 Million Sire

Walla Walla Whiz, by NRHA Twelve Million Dollar Sire Topsail Whiz and out of Shiney Walla Wanda, is also owned by Arcese Quarter Horses USA. The 19-year-old stallion boasts an impressive show record that puts his NRHA LTE just over $187,000. Ridden by NRHA Six Million Dollar Rider Shawn Flarida, Walla Walla Whiz raked in several top-notch finishes in just a six-year span.

Some of the most noteworthy wins of Walla Walla Whiz include the 2007 NRHA Level 4 Open Derby Championship, the 2006 Tulsa Reining Classic L4 Open Futurity Championship, and third place in the Level 4 Open at the 2007 National Reining Breeders Classic.

Walla Walla Whiz first became a Million Dollar Sire in 2015, and now sits at number 15 on NRHA’s All-Time Leading Sire list with $4,095,594 in offspring earnings.

Those earnings were bolstered in June, when his highest money-earner, Americasnexttopgun, won the Level 4 Open Championship with NRHA Three Million Dollar Rider Casey Deary at the 6666 NRHA Derby presented by Markel. All totaled, Walla Walla Whiz offspring won more than $96,000 at this year’s Derby.

Walla Walla Whiz’s Top Earners (as of 7/11/2022)

• Americasnexttopgun (Americasnextgunmodel) $345,892
• Shesouttayourleague (Wimpys Little Chic) $252,470
• Americas Supermodel (Americasnextgunmodel) $231,253
• Isnt She Perfect (Miss Silver Gun) $170,109
• Made In Walla (Hollywood Made) $133,077
• ARC Walla Dun Did It (Dainty Dunit) $114,203
• Americasnextcovrgirl (Americasnextgunmodel) $93,927
• Redhot Walla (Roosters Redhot) $74,764
• Walla Whiz A Dun It (The Bun Is Dun) $74,100
• Walla Whiz Affair (Memorable Affair) $68,927

Walla Walla Whiz stands at NRHA Corporate Partner Oswood Stallion Station. Find more information about the stallion at oswoodstallionstation.com/wallawallawhiz or arcesequarterhorses.com

Whizkey N Diamonds – $2 Million Sire

Owned by Rhodes River Ranch, Whizkey N Diamonds is by the second all-time leading sire of NRHA money earners, NRHA Twelve Million Dollar Sire Topsail Whiz, and out of NRHA Million Dollar Dam Princess In Diamonds.

Bred by Cristin Schuetz, the 16-year-old buckskin stallion earned more than $216,335 during his show career with NRHA Six Million Dollar Rider Shawn Flarida. The pair got off to a strong start, winning third in the Level 4 Open at the 2009 NRHA Futurity. After a brief hiatus from the show pen, Whizkey N Diamonds came back strong, winning the 2011 Wimpys Little Step Derby, finishing top five in the L4 Open at the NRBC, taking reserve L4 Open honors at the 2011 NRHA Derby, and winning the 2012 American Quarter Horse Association World Championship in Senior Reining, all with Flarida in the saddle.

Whizkey N Diamonds stands at Oklahoma Equine Hospital in Goldsby, Oklahoma, and his foals have followed in his sliders, winning at major events including the NRHA Futurity, NRHA Derby, and the NRBC. The stallion first became an NRHA Million Dollar Sire in 2019, just three years after his first foals began competing.

To date, Whizkey N Diamonds’ foals have won $2,069,786 in NRHA competition alone, and he has moved into the 27^th spot on NRHA’s All-Time Leading Sire list.

Whizkey N Diamonds’ Top Earners (as of 7/11/2022)

• Makendiamonds (Makeit In Tinseltown) $113,738
• Lil Ruf Whizkey (Lil Ruf Startime) $105,785
• Rsure Shot Of Whizkey (Gunners Sureshot) $80,504
• Smoke In Whizkey (Suga Suga) $74,552
• Whizkey Chaser (Sparklin Chic) $71,586
• No Mans Whizkey (SS Rosa) $66,008
• Starlightsndiamonds (Starlights Sugarwhiz) $64,787
• Dirty Diamonds (Wimpys Cat Step) $64,311
• Red Garter N Whizkey (Peppys Lightning Jac) $54,125
• Custom Made Whizkey (Customized My Gun) $46,551

For more information about Whizkey N Diamonds, visit oklahomaequinehospital.com

When Casey Deary and Americasnexttopgun won the Level 4 Open Championship at the 6666 National Reining Horse Association Derby presented by Markel, an incredible $75,000 was added to the lifetime earnings of both the horse and rider.

That meant that Deary, already an NRHA Two Million Dollar Rider, was elevated to the fifth position on NRHA’s Leading Rider list. With lifetime earnings of $3,058,233, he is one of only six riders to have won more than three million. That money was won on 161 horses, bringing his average earnings per horse to $18,995.

Interestingly, it was on Americasnexttopgun (Walla Walla Whiz x Americasnextgunmodel) that Deary surpassed two million dollars in lifetime earnings. That happened when Deary and the stallion, owned by Jody and Jolan Puno, won the 2020 Level 4 Open Championship at the National Reining Breeders Classic.

Deary has won the most money on Ten Thirty (Gunnatrashya x Dainty Little Step), his 2021 NRHA Futurity Level 4 Open Champion. The stallion, owned by Rancho El Fortin, and Deary have generated payouts totaling $369,069.

Deary’s fourth-leading earner, Shesouttayourleague (Walla Walla Whiz x Wimpys Little Chic), boasts $252,470 in lifetime earnings. In fact, it was Shesouttayourleague that gave Deary his first NRHA Futurity Open Championship, and that 2015 win was enough to make Deary a Million Dollar Rider for the first time.

One would be hard-pressed to write Deary’s story without including a chapter devoted to Americasnextgunmodel, who holds the third spot of Deary’s all-time leading horses and is the dam of Americasnexttopgun, who sits at second.

The flashy mare was the one who carried Deary to his first major victory – the 2012 NRHA Futurity Level 4 Open Championship. The talented athlete, owned by NRHA Two Million Dollar Owner Arcese Quarter Horses USA, and her offspring have been responsible for more than $900,000 of Deary’s earnings.

Deary’s Top 10 Wins 9 (as of 7/1/2022):

• 2021 NRHA Futurity Championship – $332,500- Ten Thirty
• 2012 NRHA Futurity Championship – $156,750 – Americasnextgunmodel
• 2015 NRHA Futurity Championship – $142,500 – Shesouttayourleague
• 2018 NRHA Futurity 3^rd Place – $96,764 – Americas Supermodel
• 2020 NRBC Championship – $75,000 – Americasnexttopgun
• 2022 NRHA Derby Championship – $71,250 – Americasnexttopgun
• 2020 NRHA Futurity 3^rd Place – $69,122 – Down Right Amazing
• 2014 NRHA Futurity 4^th Place – $59,690 – ARC Gunna Sparkya
• 2017 NRHA Derby Championship – $57,000 – Shesouttayourleague
• 2016 NRHA Derby Championship – $57,000 – Magnum Starlights

Casey Deary and his wife, Nicole, own and operate Deary Performance Horses in Weatherford, Texas, where they live with their four children. For more information, visit DearyPerformance.com

In 2020, Inferno Sixty Six’s first foals hit the show pen. Now, less than two years later, he has become the latest stallion to become a National Reining Horse Association Million Dollar Sire.

The flashy stallion, by NRHA Seven Million Dollar Sire Gunnatrashya out of Hall of Fame mare and Million Dollar Dam Snip O Gun, has been poised for success from the beginning.

When Inferno Sixty Six was born in 2012, owner Domenico Lomuto posted the newborn’s photo on social media with the caption “First step last night for the Futurity Champion 2015!”

That prediction was pretty accurate, as Inferno Sixty Six, piloted by Million Dollar Rider Franco Bertolani, tied for the high score of the 2015 NRHA Level 4 Open Futurity Finals. The pair were edged out of the championship in the run-off by a scant half-point, but that didn’t matter. Bertolani and the stallion accumulated lifetime earnings of more than $205,000 in just three years of competition.

Inferno Sixty Six’s highest-earning foal is 4-year-old Winding Inferno (out of Wind Her Up Chic), owned by Teton Ridge. The stallion has won more than $191,000, including a co-reserve championship at the 2021 NRHA Futurity and a reserve championship at the inaugural Invitational.

His second high-money earner is the 2021 NRHA Futurity Level 4 and Level 3 Non Pro Champion Surprizing Sixty Six (out of Dun With Surprizes) with $101,610. Rounding out the top three is Starfire Sixty Six (out of Wind Her Up Chic), who was ridden to a top-five finish at the 2020 NRHA Futurity.

According to Lomuto, this milestone is one of the most important steps of the stallion’s career. “To me, reaching one million so fast is something exceptional, and is an achievement that is unbelievable,” he said. “Since the beginning, I have worked together with Franco on the training side and Giorgia (Codeluppi) on the breeding side to create something special with him. I think he’s the only horse with a fashion brand under his name—it’s a worldwide sportswear brand.”

Lomuto had just gotten his start in reining when he decided he needed to purchase another horse. His first horse was a Nu Chex To Cash, so he began perusing Tammye Hutton’s Hilldale Farm website when a mare caught his eye.

“I contacted her to try to buy a mare I picked out from her website—Snip O Gun—but I didn’t know anything about the mare. Everything was a blank screen,” he recalled with a laugh. “She asked me, ‘Are you serious?’ and then explained to me what kind of mare Snip O Gun was.”

Hutton did, however, have an embryo out of Snip O Gun by Gunnatrashya, the 2009 NRHA Futurity Champion. “I didn’t even know who Gunnatrashya really was, but I knew that he was owned by Arcese and he’s an Italian guy. I said I would buy the embryo and that would become my reining horse,” he shared.

He laughed, and added, “I’ve ridden him a couple times, but Giorgia has not allowed me to show him.”

Inferno Sixty Six now stands at NRHA Global Event Partner Toyon Ranch, owned by John Tague, in Pilot Point, Texas. “I think they are great with him and are doing a fantastic job. John is a super person, and he handles things as I like from a managerial style,” he said.

Lomuto thanked his wife and co-owner of Inferno Sixty Six, Cristiana, and daughter, Giulia, for their support and patience, and Franco and Georgia for everything they’ve done for Inferno. He added a special thank you to Inferno Sixty Six’s vet, Marcelo Grilo, who has been with the stallion from the beginning.

“I also thank all the people who have believed in this horse and have trusted him. A global thank you to all of them is a must,” he said.

Inferno Sixty Six’s Top 10 money-earners are:

• Winding Inferno (Wind Her Up Chic) – $191,256
• Surprizing Sixty Six (Dun With Surprizes) – $101,610
• Starfire Sixtysix (Wind Her Up Chic) – $58,297
• Girlz On Fire (Gotta Git Ya Dun) – $53,331
• Simple The Best 66 (ARC Yellow N Lime) – $41,757
• Blue Inferno (Showtimes Lil Step) – $39,885
• Heza Frozen Inferno (Sailor Will Win) – $36,630
• Gunna Whoa (Whoawhiz) – $36,323
• Gangsta Sixtysix (Rush N Cat) – $36,212
• Smokin 66 (Nuthin Chic) – $35,466

There may be some movement in that list in the coming week as the 6666 NRHA Derby presented by Markel has 15 Inferno Sixty Six’s in the Open preliminaries and 13 in the Non Pro.

For more information about Inferno Sixty Six, visit Inferno66.com or toyonranchllc.com/infernosixtysix

Recent successes of George Bell owned and raised equines have catapulted the charismatic North Carolinian to membership in an exclusive club of owners whose horses have won more than one million dollars in National Reining Horse Association competition.

For Bell, the achievement is a wonderful recognition and made even sweeter because the majority of money won was on horses he bred and raised. “This means a lot. It’s been a long time coming, and I’ve worked very, very hard for it. Probably way more than I wanted to work,” he said with a low laugh. “I’m also now a million-dollar breeder, and to me, that’s even more special because anyone can buy a horse, but not everyone can breed a good one.”

Bell has owned horses all his life and got into reining after watching the 1979 NRHA Futurity Co-Reserve Champion compete. “I had never seen a horse that good and wanted one like it, so I went and bought some that were bred similar to her,” he recalled. “That got me going better than what I was doing because, at the time, I really didn’t own a horse that could beat anyone doing anything. I was honest with myself, and looked at my herd and knew I couldn’t win with what I had.”

Cee Blair Masota, by Blair Cee out of Lady Masota Star, was a full sibling to 1985 World Champion and future NRHA Hall of Fame inductee Miss Cee Blair. “I ended up with both Cee Blair Masota and Miss Cee Blair when their owner, Roland Beeson, passed away. He had willed her to me because I took care of her most of her life, and I kept her until she was 37. What Roland Beeson did for me was huge,” Bell recalled.

Now the lineage of those mares can be found in most of the foals emerging from Bell’s breeding program. “I’ve never changed because it’s working. We had a Miss Cee Blair daughter, Cee Miss Hollywood (by Custom Crome), forever, and her babies have won around $500,000, and they’re still winning,” he explained. Cee Miss Hollywood’s winningest foal is the 2015 stallion Mr Royal Hollywood, by NRHA Three Million Dollar Sire Hollywoodstinseltown, with earnings exceeding $150,000.

“We’ve bred these horses so long that when we have a foal, it’s not a surprise what it is. We know going in what it was going to be and how it was going to work,” he said.

While Bell has had plenty of success with mares that have had lucrative show careers, he finds a lot of enjoyment when mares like Cee Miss Hollywood, who barely broke $2,000 in lifetime earnings, turn into great producers. “Good mares make you a hero. That’s the truth,” he said. “But I like to have a mare who hasn’t won a dime, and turn her into a good broodmare.”

Bell is also an avid showman with lifetime earnings in excess of $128,000, and can still be found competing. However, he’s always made sure that his son, NRHA Two Million Dollar Rider Brian Bell, has always ridden the cream of the crop. “I was always in the car business and had to work 80 to 90 hours a week, so I didn’t have that much time to ride when I was younger. I gave all my good horses to Brian to help him with his career, and I still do. That’s alright with me because I want to help him and always have, so that’s what I do,” he said. “It means a lot to me to watch him be successful, especially on our horses.”

Bell and his wife, Carol, live in Smithfield, North Carolina, and can be found competing and spectating at reining events across the country. “Carol loves the horses, reining, and riding. She’s really, really good with them, and enjoys the breeding and the babies,” he said. “I especially thank God, my family, especially my son Brian because he won the most money on them, my friends and the NRHA.”

The Bells’ stallion, Mr Royal Hollywood, stands at Cedar Ridge Stallion Station. For more information, visit CedarRidgeStallions.com/Mr-Royal-Hollywood or find the stallion on Facebook at Facebook.com/MrRoyalHollywood.