Competing in front of a packed house at the South Point Arena, they marked a 226 in the cow work to complement a 222 in the rein work and take the win with a composite score of 448, worth $55,000.
“My goal was to keep him happy and in shape. If I stayed out of his way, I knew he would do his job. I was way more nervous than him when I broke through those gates. As soon as I kicked the cow in, I just let him do his job and tried to stay out of his way. He was amazing. I couldn’t love a horse any more,” said Taormino who rode to the top in a field of 15 top cow horse professionals.
The 2016 stallion, owned by Linda Mars and bred by Taylor Carbo, is by Metallic Cat and out of Scooters Daisy Dukes by Dual Smart Rey. He’s been with Taormino his entire career and won the 2025 NRCHA World’s Greatest Horseman and boasts a total of more than $488,000 in lifetime earnings.
“Coming here with him gives me a lot of confidence, because if everything falls into place, you know what can happen. He’s so athletic and so talented that my preparation for him is minimal. He’s one of the best horses I’ve ever had,” the $1.5 million rider said. “To bring an animal like him to a stage like this time and time again, you can’t replace it.”
Hazardouz Material and Taormino have shown at TRFAM in 2022, 2024, 2025, finishing as TRFAM Cow Horse Challenge reserve champions in 2024. This year, the duo can finally add TRFAM championship to their resumes.
“I always want him to do his best. I want to do good for the horse. It’s not even for myself, but he deserves to look good. He deserves the win,” Taormino said. “He’s been here four years now, and to finally win, it’s unbelievable. I want to thank all my family and friends, and most importantly, Linda Mars. She’s been behind me from Day One. She is amazing.”
Hazardouz Material also took home AQHA Fan Favorite award from the $200k Cow Horse Challenge.
Taking reserve honors was Justin Wright riding Snapdragons (Gunnatrashya x Cat Naps x Highbrow Cat), a 2017 AQHA/APHA stallion owned by Snapdragons Partners. The pair topped the reinwork with a 223.5 and closed the fence work with a 221.5 adding $40,000 to their $322,000+ LTE.
Full results here
Edited Press Release – Reported by International Horse Press/Simona Diale
