The National Reining Horse Association continues to thrive, and a major contributor to the association’s success is the support from Corporate Partners. Most recently, Teton Ridge, a wholly American-owned multi-platform brand dedicated to the American Western way of life, pledged its support to reining when it joined the NRHA Corporate Partner line up.
The late Peter Phinny will be honored by the National Reining Horse Association with the establishment of the Peter Phinny Memorial Leading Futurity Sire Award. This honor will remain a fitting representation of the legacy of this longtime NRHA member and supporter’s contributions to the association and the sport.
The perpetual award will be presented each year, beginning in 2022 at the 6666 Ranch NRHA Derby presented by Markel in June. The Mehl Lawson Bronze which represents the award will remain in the NRHA office in Oklahoma City.
In 2012, the National Reining Horse Association created the Professionals of the Year awards to recognize those members who go above and beyond to advocate for the sport, fellow members, and of course, the horses.
NRHA affiliates may nominate NRHA Professionals for the awards, which include the NRHA Professional Horseman of the Year, the NRHA Non Pro Coach of the Year, the NRHA Youth Coach of the Year, the NRHA Becky Hanson Horsewoman of the Year, and the NRHA Up-and-Coming Trainer of the Year.
The National Reining Breeders Classic has been enrolling foals in its program since 1997. The enrollments climbed steadily through 2008 then, like the rest of the equine industry, experienced a large drop in 2009, 2010 and 2011.
Since then, the numbers have gradually trended upward.
The enrollments are just being finalized for 2021, and the news is exciting! With 2,633 foals enrolled, 2021 has become the third highest enrollment year in the history of the NRBC, exceeding 2020’s enrollments by 180 foals, and nearing the high numbers set in 2007 and 2008.
National Reining Horse Association Million Dollar Sire Chocolate Chic Olena was laid to rest on January 22.
The 29-year-old stallion, by Smart Chic Olena out of Jae Bar Felcia, left his mark on the industry. With his owner Carter M Smith, he finished third at the 1996 NRHA Futurity, then the pair came back the following year to win the NRHA Derby and Super Stakes. NRHA Professional Darren Stancik and NRHA Seven Million Dollar Rider Andrea Fappani also piloted the stallion to numerous titles. Those included an American Quarter Horse Association World Championship in Senior Reining, and four AQHA Reserve World Championships in Amateur and Junior Reining.
On New Years Eve 2021, Carol Rose announced that National Reining Horse Association Four Million Dollar Sire Shining Spark had been laid to rest on December 27.
Immediately, condolences and memories began to flood the pages of social media, telling how the palomino stallion, by Genuine Doc out of Diamonds Sparkle, had affected their life.
Shining Spark became the cornerstone of Rose’s breeding program for decades, but before he left his indelible mark in his progeny, he proved his prowess in the reining arena.
When Not Ruf At All won the 2013 National Reining Horse Association Futurity Open Championship, owner Vaughn Zimmerman, of Missouri, was propelled into the elite ranks of NRHA Million Dollar Owners
The success of Not Ruf At All and Zimmerman has gone hand-in-hand, and in 2021, when Not Ruf At All became an NRHA Million Dollar Sire, Zimmerman surpassed two million dollars as an owner.
With the airing of the December 17, 2021 episode of The Last Cowboy on the Paramount Network, reining fans around the globe were able to watch history be made at The Run For A Million presented by Teton Ridge. Although the event was held August 21, a media embargo meant fans had to wait to learn who the winner was until the final episode of The Last Cowboy aired.
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.
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.
Less than a year after his offspring passed four million dollars in earnings, Gunners Special Nite has made it to the next level of National Reining Horse Association Million Dollar milestones. That makes the flashy sorrel one of only nine sires in history to cross the $5 Million threshold.
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