A highlight for the 2022 6666 National Reining Horse Association Derby presented by Markel will be the $20,000 Invitational Freestyle. Sponsored by the Oklahoma City Convention and Visitors Bureau, the popular event will take place on Thursday, June 23, at 6 p.m.
Less than four years after becoming a National Reining Horse Association Million Dollar Sire, Spooks Gotta Whiz achieved Four Million Dollar Sire status.
The stunning stallion is by NRHA Million Dollar Sire Spooks Gotta Gun and out of Prettywhizprettydoes. Bred by Clint Haverty, the 2007 stallion is owned by Michell Anne Kimball, who purchased the horse from Duane Hicks in 2009 after meeting him at the High Roller Reining Classic.
Friday, March 4, 2022—The 2022 NRHA European Futurity, originally slated to be held in Wels, Austria, changed location following the premature passing of organizer Otto Ziehfreund. Owners Grégory and Claire Morat of BO Ranch located in La Chapelle-la-Reine, France, in the heart of France’s horse country, graciously offered their beautiful facility as host to this year’s edition on May 23-29.
In recent years, the planet has been in a state of upheaval and change. COVID-19 had a staggering impact. Some marginal businesses thrived and grew. Other long successful companies couldn’t survive and people lost jobs as well as lifelong enterprises.
For the equine industry, facing a pandemic was especially challenging. In early 2020, the National Reining Horse Association Board and Executive Committee scrambled along with the rest of the horse world to make correct decisions – to plan, predict, and survive. Now, with two years of history, the state of the reining industry shows very positive statistics according to the data released during the NRHA Winter Meetings, held Feb. 13-16 in Denton, Texas.
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.
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