The Novice Horse classes of the Southwest Reining Horse Association Futurity wrapped up October 20 after two days of action, highlighted by awards for High-Point Novice Horse teams in each level.
Find complete results and live stream the show at http://www.swrha.com.
Nov. Horse Open L1-L3 Co-Champions and Nov. Horse Open High-Point Co- Champions—Peter DeFreitas and DP Docs Misstrash, Josh Murphy and Gunna Spook You
The second day of showing Oct. 20 saw co-champions across the board in the Novice Horse Open, with
Peter DeFreitas on DP Docs Misstrash and Josh Murphy on Gunna Spook You both marking scores of 72 to tie for the win in Levels 1-3 and share the High-Point Novice Horse Open title.
For DeFreitas, the victory was a sweet moment for a horse he’s always believed in, but just hasn’t had as
much time in the show pen as others.
“She got turned really good and circled nice. She was with me the whole way and really stopped good the
whole time. I’ve had her since she was a 2-year-old and showed her some as a 3-year-old, but she had some soundness trouble so this is the first full year of showing she’s had,” DeFreitas said of the 6-year-old mare by Shinin Joe and out of Natrasha, owned by Dorminy Plantation. “She’s a very nice mare and is my son’s favorite horse. She’s extremely sweet and is just the right kind of horse. She’s the kind you want to be around.”
Murphy has ridden 10-year-old gelding Gunna Spook You (Gunnatrashya x Sugarplum Chic x Smart Chic
Olena) off and on over the last few years and says the seasoned gelding stayed solid after a busy two days of showing. Part of keeping his horses fresh yet finely tuned requires conscientious schooling on Murphy’s part.
“I showed him yesterday so I hoped he wouldn’t be too tired. He was all heart as usual. He circled really great for me and stopped great, especially the last stop. That’s where he really shines,” Murphy said of the horse owned by Jennifer Richards. “The biggest thing to not tire them out is picking what is important to work on. Especially today in the warm-up, I knew he turned fine with me yesterday, so I didn’t mess with
him on that. I just made sure he was honest in the circles and running down the pen. It’s just prioritizing
what the big thing is to focus on.”
Nov. Horse Open L1-L3 Champions—Jason Vanlandingham and Excessive Rufness
Jason Vanlandingham and 3-year-old Excessive Rufness (Not Ruf At All x Smokin Lady Gunner x Colonels
Smoking Gun) dominated the Novice Horse Open of the first day of action at the SWRHA Futurity on Oct. 19, winning all three levels with a score of 74.5. The stallion, owned by Vaughn Zimmerman and bred by Karl and Debbie Hapcic, is one of Vanlandingham’s top futurity horses for this year—the pair already has a big win under their belts with the $100,000 Invitational Open in July at the North American Reining Stakes.
Vanlandingham says the SWRHA Novice Horse class helped him further prepare the young standout for the upcoming National Reining Horse Association Open Futurity. “My idea was just to get him in there; I like to use the classes to prepare and try to have a go-round type run that I would at the Futurity,” said the two-time NRHA Open Futurity champion and $2 Million Rider. “He was pretty locked in, so I was happy with him. He’s a big, nasty stopper, and he goes in there and shows.”
The Whitesboro, Texas-based trainer will continue to focus on fine-tuning Excessive Rufness and work to
see it pay off come December.
“From this stage forward, they should know how to stop, turn, circle, and change leads, so now it’s
transition stuff—making sure they’re starting the turn good, the rollback, the setup for the lead change, and coming out of the corner to the stop. If all that stuff is really good, then I think we’ll be able to go show and have some success.”
Nov. Horse Non Pro L3 High-Point Champion—Kary Key and Cant Spook Me
Cant Spook Me means the world to Kary Key and her family, and he’s proving his worth to the rest of the
world as well. Key and the 10-year-old gelding by Spooks Gotta Gun out of Te On The Trashy Side (APHA)
by Trashadeous marked a 73 in the second Novice Horse Non Pro class to earn the Level 3 High-Point
Championship and tie for second in the class.
“He probably had one of the best runs I’ve had on him today,” Key said. “I was actually planning to school
him today because I needed to, but he was so good everywhere that my trainer Jonathan Gauthier actually told me it was OK to not school today. We have made a lot of improvements this year—being an older, broke show horse doesn’t mean we don’t still have a lot to work on. Just having him come out and be sound and happy means so much. He’s just happy to do his job.”
Nov. Horse Non Pro L1-2 High-Point Champion—Lindsey McCutcheon and Cash Mi Out
Lindsey McCutcheon and her 4-year-old mare Cash Mi Out (Lil Joe Cash x Mi Mega x Marthas Mega Jac)
marked a 73 in the second day of showing in the Novice Horse Non Pro class, cinching up the High-Point
title for Levels 1 and 2, tying for the Level 1 win in the class and tying for second in Levels 2 and 3.
McCutcheon was much more pleased with her Slate Two run, saying her mare felt more relaxed compared
to their first run the day prior. “She was really quiet for me and waited. She gave me the feel that I could push her, as opposed to yesterday when she was a little ahead of me,” McCutcheon explained. “It means a lot to win this. Yesterday, I was feeling like I wasn’t really sure about her, and then today she was so much better and I was really happy with her. It’s the best feeling when it all comes together.”
Nov. Horse Non Pro L2-3 Champion—William Clutter and Gunners Shining Star
Gunners Shining Star had the type of run everyone wants when they step into the show pen, marking a 74
with William Clutter aboard to win the Novice Horse Non Pro Levels 2 and 3.
“The little mare was good today. She’s super talented. She has a lot of turn and a tremendous amount of
stop,” Clutter said of the 6-year-old mare by Gunners Special Nite out of Whiz Bang Spark. “She stayed with me the whole run and waited for me. She just stayed underneath me the whole time. It’s always nice to lay a good run down.”
Nov. Horse Non Pro L1 Co-Champion Sarah Armenta and Hangin On The Line
Sarah Armenta and 7-year-old mare Hangin On The Line (Shine On Line x Spooks Hangten) enjoyed a Level 1 victory in the Novice Horse Non Pro, tying for first with a 73, but the mare has a lot to give outside the reining pen, too. She’s lit up the roping arena, winning about $45,000 as a rope horse and making herself well known in the American Rope Horse Futurity Association with National Finals Rodeo-qualifying heeler Dakota Kirchenschlager on board.
In fact, after Sarah showed Hangin On The Line at Ardmore, her father was on his way with the mare to Fort Worth to compete in the Non Pro at the ARHFA World Championship.
As a young prospect, Hangin On The Line struggled with lead changes, which made the Armentas decide to switch disciplines and rope on her. You wouldn’t even know it now, says Sarah. “She doesn’t have a lead change problem anymore. I was bored one day, so I got on her and started turning and asked my dad to come watch. He got out there and said, ‘Well, you want to show her?’ I marked a 70 I think my first time out,” Sarah said. “I made the Derby finals on her, ended up third in almost every level at the High Roller in Vegas, and she’s always placed in any rope horse futurity she went in.
“But I don’t rope at all; I like my fingers,” Sarah added with a laugh.
The Futurities and ancillary classes will be streamed via live webcast, and that link, as well as draws, results, latest news, and schedule, can be found at www.SWRHA.com.