While the Custom Made Dunit Non Pro Futurity was in full swing inside the Hardy Murphy Coliseum at the Southwest Reining Horse Association Futurity on October 22, the Green Reiners, Youth Riders, Short Stirrup and Ride and Slide classes took center stage in the Ancillary Arena.
Once the Futurity was over, the Coliseum was a place of levity, with the Rein In Cancer Dog Races, followed by the Spooky Halloween Leadline and Walk/Trot classes.
The evening finished up with the veteran members of the SWRHA showing their stuff in the Outta Dough Masters Non Pro, for riders 60 and older, and the Petroll Reining Horses Platinum Non Pro, for riders 70 years and older.
The Open Slate 1 classes also wrapped up late at night October 21. Complete results can be found at www.SWRHA.com.
Open (1) Co-Champion—Gunny Mathison and Sparkys Shining Doll
The successful partnership between trainer Gunny Mathison and owner Rhea Pole saw yet another winner at the SWRHA Futurity, as Mathison rode 9-year-old stallion Sparkys Shining Doll (Friday Night Shiner x BB Holly Doll x Star Chex Badger) to a 77 to tie with Dany Tremblay for the ancillary Open (1) championship.
“It was 16 years ago, his name was Starlight Slim (Grays Starlight x Tanya Lena). It was off a whim just like this, with Rhea thinking the horse was really good. I ended up second in the Open that night, then went on to make the NRBC finals on him and was in the top 10 there, so it was a fun deal,” Mathison said of the horse that won around $40,000 for his late owner Larry Woods. “With this horse [Sparkys Shining Doll], Rhea asked if I wanted to show him. She had schooled him and said he was good in the pen. You always know how talented they are outside, but when they’re inside, they change. So when she said he was a saint when she showed him, I got excited.”
The stallion stayed true for Mathison in the class, living up to how Pole had described him. “He was a saint. The only spot where he felt like he’d been shown before was turning the corner and running to stop, but he knew his job there,” Mathison said. “He wanted to go before I wanted him to go, but we smoothed our way through it enough that it wasn’t offensive. Plus he stops huge; he has a lot of style. He’s good with his neck. But I’d say the main thing is that he is broke. I didn’t make him do all that; he just did it for me. I talked to Dean Brown a little, who had originally trained him, and he had done well on him too a long time ago. He knew he was a good horse.”
The duo also had some special luck riding with them in the class.
“I rode him in Starlight Slim’s bridle and then a headstall that Tim Lynch used to own,” Mathison said of the longtime NRHA member and former member of the NRHA Board of Director who passed away September 17 after battling cancer. “Tim was a big part of the SWRHA and a big part of Ardmore, so it was a good way to pay tribute to him.”
Stay tuned to SWRHA website and social channels for more on Mathison and Pole’s longtime good-luck horses.
Open (1) Co-Champion—Dany Tremblay and Tinker With Dreams
Tinker With Dreams (Tinker With Guns x This Chicsdundreamin) added another title to his impressive career, marking a 77 with Dany Tremblay in the saddle to tie for the victory in the Open [1].
“I didn’t want to go too hard on my horse, but he showed great. I didn’t have any penalties or anything like that. He was super fun to show,” Tremblay said of the Diamond Dub Quarter Horses-owned stallion with more than $262,500 in lifetime earnings. “He’s really, really honest. I can feel underneath me that he knows where we are and he knows what will happen, but he still does it right. He’s just not a cheater.”
Tremblay and the 7-year-old stallion pocketed their biggest victory together earlier this year at the National Reining Breeders Classic as Open Level 4 Co-Champions. The trainer says Tinker With Dreams is a simple horse to show and is thankful to have him in the barn. “We actually just keep him in shape. I don’t have any secrets on that horse,” Trembay said. “He knows his job and he does it every day. I’m not going to try to make anything different anywhere, so I just trust my horse and go for it.”
Limited Open (1) Champion—Giada Camparsi and Whos Chocolate Whiz
Aboard 9-year-old gelding Whos Chocolate Whiz (Who Whiz It x QHR Chocolena Pep x Chocolate Chic Olena), Whitesboro, Texas-based trainer Giada Camparsi marked a 74.5 to win the Limited Open class and tie for second in the Intermediate Open.
“He was awesome. He’s an old horse, so he has been shown quite a bit, especially in the ranch riding lately, so it was kind of a fresh feel in the reining,” Camparsi said. “It felt like he had never been shown—he was with me the whole time and was really good.”
Camparsi started the gelding as a 2-year-old for owner Amy Liedtke, who’s been the gelding’s main rider in the show pen.
“I have known this horse his whole life. The same owners still own him, so we have been training him, and she showed him. I don’t think anyone else ever showed him after her before last night, so that was pretty cool that I got to,” Camparsi said. “I love his heart because he tries his best all the time and never thinks ahead of you. He is always with you. He always lets you guide him, so that’s pretty cool for an older horse.”
Intermediate Open (1) Champion—Clemerson Barbalho and Spooks Gotta Outfire
Marking a big 75, Clemerson Barbalho rode 5-year-old stallion Spooks Gotta Outfire (Spooks Gotta Whiz x Black Custom Chex x Custom Crome) to win the Intermediate Open and finish third in the Open.
“He felt amazing. It was a run that I felt him more with me,” Barbalho said of the horse that has garnered more than $57,000 in lifetime earnings. “He was with me, and I could leave my reins loose. In the circles, he was just perfect.”
The Brazilian native has been training reiners for more than 10 years and has been on his own for three years with his training base in Gainesville, Texas. Barbalho says he’s loved the sport ever since he was young.
“I got started because my dad always had horses in another sport in Brazil. He started doing reining clinics to get his horses better, and I fell in love with reining. I started seeing his friend who was a reiner, just going to his house and helping. When I started riding professionally, I decided that was what I wanted to do,” Barbalho said. “I moved to another state [in Brazil] to work for Eduardo Salgado. He moved to the United States, and one year later I came to help him. I worked for him for almost nine years, and now I have been on my own for almost three.”
Rookie Professional (1) Co-Champion—Katie Davis and Gunna Bend And Snap
Two Gunnatrashya mares sat atop the scoreboard of the first slate of the Rookie Professional, with riders Katie Davis and Chantal Kuhn sharing championship honors with scores of 73.
Davis rode 5-year-old Gunna Bend And Snap (Gunnatrashya x Miss San Electric x Jacs Electric Spark), owned by Elizabeth Bibbs, a mare she’s only shown twice. “It’s very fun. She really likes the run-down, and I felt she was a lot straighter this time,” Davis said of the mare futuritied by fellow Team Deary trainer Josh Tishman. “This is the second time I’ve shown her. I showed her in Tulsa and it worked out pretty well there, but I feel yesterday’s run was a lot smoother. I was really happy with it.”
Davis, who works under Casey Deary of Deary Performance Horses in Weatherford, Texas, says scoring well and pulling off wins at shows like the SWRHA Futurity are immensely helpful for budding trainers building their careers. “Having customers who put their faith in young trainers is a blessing beyond what
they know. The more exposure you get, just walking around, getting ready to show … people see and they start to look at you as more of a trainer than just somebody at the stalls. It really is a wonderful gift,” Davis said. “I thank Casey and Elizabeth Bibbs, the mare’s owners. Elizabeth is showing her later this week. I also thank my boss, Casey Deary, and all of Team Deary, including our farrier, Glen Spalding, and our vet, Dr. Frank Fluitt, DVM.”
Rookie Professional (1) Co-Champion—Chantal Kuhn and Gunnattraction
With a score of 73, Chantal Kuhn and 5-year-old mare Gunnattraction (Gunnatrashya x Wimpys Got Action x Wimpys Little Step) took co-championship honors in the Slate 1 Rookie Professional class.
“She felt really good. She’s always super honest and consistent every time I show her. She always scores very nice, usually a 73, which was my goal yesterday. I was very happy to reach it,” Kuhn said of the mare owned by Linda Lacaille. “I have had her for almost a year and a half. She’s a great mare. She’s very honest.”
Kuhn, a native of Germany, has been training and riding reining horses most of her life. She relocated to Texas five years ago to launch her own training operation in the heart of reining country in Gainesville.
“I got started in reining because of my mother. She always had reiners and trained horses so I’ve been doing it since I was little,” Kuhn said. “I’ve always been back and forth [between the United States and Germany] training and riding. I’ve ridden with Jonathan Gauthier a lot, and I’ve been in Europe with a couple trainers. I’ve learned a little bit from everywhere.”
$1,000-added Outta Dough Masters (Age 60+) Non Pro and $500-added Petroll Reining Horses Platinum (70+) Non Pro—David Silva, Sr. and Deja Vu With A Gun
Over the past several years, the Outta Dough Masters Non Pro Shootout has become the event to watch on Friday night at the SWRHA Futurity and Horse Show. Sponsored by Dorothy Queen’s stallion Outta Dough, the class was designed to give the more seasoned competitors of the Southwest—those 60 and over—a chance to compete in a class specifically for them.
According to SWRHA Board members Kathy and Lindsey McCutcheon, the event was so popular that there was a need to expand it. “Sebastian Petroll approached us about adding a Platinum division for riders 70 years and older. We thought it was a great idea, and judging by the turnout, it was widely appreciated,” Kathy said.
David Silva, Sr. took full advantage of both classes, marking a 219.5 aboard his 5-year-old stallion Deja Vu With A Gun (Gunner x Dun Its Deja Vu x Hollywood Dun In) in front of a zealous group of spectators and supporters to win both the Masters for $672 and Platinum for $395.
“He ran in really well, let me stop him, and he backed up on a loose rein. He settled good in the middle so I could turn him around crisp both directions. He waited on me everywhere, and had a nice, neat departure,” 72-year-old Silva said. “He let me send him in the circles and came back to me in the small slow, and he changed leads really well for me. I was just tickled with him everywhere out there. He stayed with me through the whole pattern. I was really, really happy with him.”
Silva has been riding Deja Vu With A Gun for just under two years, taking the reins after the stallion’s futurity year with Cade McCutcheon. He’s thankful for the opportunity to not only show but also simply spend time with such an outstanding horse.
“He’s a very special type of horse,” Silva said fondly. “I bought him as a 3-year-old for Cade to show at the Futurity. I just like the horse so much, and I keep him at home—he’s like a pet. He’s got a lot of personality and acts real quiet like an old gelding.”
The seasoned reiner is especially grateful for the opportunity to stay competitive in the sport he loves to which he has dedicated much of his life. “I look forward to coming just for this. I’m 72 years old, and it’s so hard to compete with the younger groups. I was really happy they had these classes here,” Silva said.
“I made the point of telling my wife that I am going to show in this class. I put a lot of effort into trying to win it, and it worked.”
Great prizes included a Bob’s Custom Saddle for the Outta Dough Masters Championship, and every exhibitor was rewarded with a prize for their efforts. “We thank both Dorothy Queen and Outta Dough, and Sebastian Petroll of Petroll Reining Horses, for sponsoring this event. Thank you also to Deanna Merrill of Merrill’s Salon and Spa for being such a loyal sponsor these last five years. Thanks to these great sponsors, every exhibitor in the Masters and Platinum Non Pro received prizes,” Lindsey shared.
Green Reiner Level 1 & 2 Champion—Teddy Gerrald and Extra Rev My Holly
Teddy Gerrald and Xtra Rev My Holly (Einsteins Revolution x Holly Duns Duel) accomplished a clean sweep as they won Levels 1 and 2 of the Green Reiner with a 72.
After a 27-year hiatus, Gerrald is happy to be back in the show pen. “This year we started with some AQHA shows and playdays, but this is my first NRHA show since I’ve been back,” he explained.
The team has already had a successful week; they won the first slate of the Rookie Levels 1 and 2 on Thursday. “I was better today than I was yesterday,” Gerrald said. “Xtra Rev My Holly is always good, we have just been working on me mostly if I could just conquer my nerves.”
After putting showing on the back burner for so long, Gerrald has big goals going forward. “Life, kids, jobs… it finally went full circle and we’re back,” he said.
His next stop is the NRHA Futurity in Oklahoma City.
Green Reiner Prime Time Champions—Katherine Wallis and Lil Dream Ride
Winning the Green Reiner Prime Time, Katherine Wallis rode her horse Lil Dream Ride (Magnum Chic Dream x Ruf Ride). Going into the pen, Wallis was battling her nerves.
“I just wanted to go in there and keep her quiet and stay on pattern,” she explained. “Tomorrow we will be more prepared and have a little more warm up time.”
Wallis has been showing for eight years, and before reining she competed on western pleasure and hunter/jumper horses.
“It’s the same precision with more forward motion. It’s a lot of fun,” she said.
Youth 13 & Under Champions—Ireland Faith Lawler and Docs Tinseltown Chic
Ireland Faith Lawler and Docs Tinseltown Chic (Hollywoodstinseltown x Chuka Chic) scored a 68 to win the first slate of the Youth 13 & Under.
“We practiced a lot in the warm up pen beforehand to make sure we were prepared,” Lawler said. “We went in and did everything right, and I am so happy with the outcome. He was really listening.”
Lawler and “Oscar” have been showing together since the start of the year, and they are proving to be quite the team. “I love him,” she said.
Short Stirrup Co-Champions—Lilly Walters and Kynley Bell
The highly competitive Short Stirrup was full of excitement as the future of reining competed for the title of Champion. The title went to not one, but two, as Kynley Bell and Lilly Walters scored a 71.5 to win the title of Co-Champions.
“We are both champions today,” Bell said.
Kynley Bell rode her horse Snap N Go (Master Snapper x Miss Jerry Cat). “It went good. I need to work on overspinning to the right and the stops,” Bell said. “The turns and the slowdowns were really good.”
The pair has been working hard for this show. “She really shuts down on me right before the stops, so we will keep running to the fence to work on that.”
Just before the run, her trainer, Fred Thomsson, gave her some quick advice, telling her, “Don’t trot in your lead changes.”
Clearly Bell took that advice into the arena.
Bell thanked her mother, Kristen Bell, her father Spence Bell, and Fred Thomsson and Alex Pierce.
Walters has been showing for two years, but this was her first time showing her horse Magnums Guns R Reddy (Magnum Chic Dream x Guns R Reddy), known around the barn as Sabrina.
“I feel like her stops were really good, but I feel like I could go a little bit longer,” Walters said. “Besides that I feel like we did really good, especially being our first show together.”
When asked if she received any special advice before her run, Walters laughed and said, “My coach Dany Tremblay says, ‘Suck it up buttercup.’”
Walters thanked her trainers Dany Tremblay and Mandy Faust, as well as her mother Kalicia Walters.
Ride & Slide L1 Non Pro Champions—Lindsey Lester and Dreamin About Sailin
The Ride & Slide Level 1 Non Pro title went to Lindsey Lester aboard Dreamin About Sailin (Magnum Chic Dream x Pennys For Sail). Dreamin About Sailin is lovingly known as ‘Cookie.’
The duo has only been together since June, and this was their third show competing together. “We did really good, besides a slight overspin, but everything else was super good,” Lester said. “I am so proud.”
The next stop is the NRHA Futurity in Oklahoma City, and Lester hopes to stay consistent leading up to it.
Ride and Slide Open L1-2 Champion—Marie ONeal and RS Twistin Nic
Two years ago, Marie ONeal phoned a friend looking for recommendations for a trainer in the United States. She then loaded up, left France, and began training with Yonathan Baruch. “I wanted to learn from the best,” ONeal said.
The two years of training has proven to be successful, as she scored a 68.5 and a 70.5 on RS Twistin Nic (Nic It In The Bud x Twisters Enola Gay) to win the Ride and Slide Open Levels 1-2. The SWRHA Futurity is ONeal’s first show ever.
“We had a little trouble in our lead changes in our first run,” she said. “I got to fix the mistakes from our first run in our second run, and we did that.”
Ride & Slide Non Pro Level 2 Champions—Sara Janiece Blevins and Kashnkarry
Sarah Janiece Blevins and Kashnkarry (Lil Joe Cash x Mizzen Shine) won the Ride & Slide Non Pro Level 2 with a score of 69.
“He was good,” Blevins said of the horse known as ‘Ryker.’ “I just wanted to focus on keeping him quiet.”
She did just that. “He was really solid. We warmed up a little extra and worked on our circles as well,” she said.
Blevins has been showing Ryker for just over three years. She thanked her trainers Yonathan Baruch and Nieve Bar Am.