2016 Wild Card Reining Recap- First Major 4-Year-Old Futurity Concept

Day 3:

Friday started early with a seminar by Jody Brainard, widely respected NRHA judge and noted for his world famous “Secrets of Judging” clinic which he synopsized for the Wild Card. With thirty years in the business, Brainard has judged every major NRHA competition and it really shows in the humor and quality of his presentation. Anytime a new show offers a free seminar there’s always the chance that only two or three people will show. Not so here. Over a hundred came, and extra chairs had to be quickly hunted up to accommodate everyone. Jody’s presentation was on the Rotunda and it was followed immediately by Andrea Fappani’s clinic in the main arena. Andrea went over some of his unique and innovative training techniques, featuring his personal methods for circling and speed control: basic exercises he considers to be an important key to fine tuning and winning with high performance horses. In addition to being a great trainer and rider, Fappani has become an outstanding teacher and advocate of exceptional horsemanship.

The morning clinics were followed by youth competition. Luca Fappani won the Youth 13 & Under with Gimme Major Bucks. Taylor Stephens and Custom Big Chex won the Youth 14 to 18, with Paige Neufeld and her Arabian, Black Jack Jerry taking top honors in the 14 to 18 Breed Restricted. McKenna Bein won the 10 & Under Short Stirrup on MK Check Please. In the Rookie divisions, Taylor Bradshaw and Tinselena Nic (AKA “Lucas”) won both the Level 1 and 2, while Leah Miller and Jac Be Whizzard laid claim to the Green As Grass, Green Reiner,and DRHA Rookie divisions. Misty Steinhauer and Short Circuit Jac took home the Prime Time Rookie title and Lorraine Larramendy won the Rookie Masters on Timber Winner.

The Wild Card Reining 4-Year-Old Non Pro Futurity was a big deal for Lindy Longfellow and her sweet Palomino, CW On Juice. The pair came home with wins in Levels 2, 3 and 4. Jill Ramleth and her wildly colored Crystalized Gunner won the Level 1, and Abbey Weiss and TR Flash Flood won the HA Level 4. The Half-Arabian ARBC competition didn’t start until early evening but it pretty much went home with Crystal McNutt, who won well over $20,000 with her 1^st (TR Por Quixote), 2^nd (TR Flash Flood) and 3^rd (Wheres Wanda RA) place finishes. Nathan Kent won the Level 1 and $6,396.15 riding SH Smoke N Sparks for owner Connie Cole O’Brien and his brother, Preston, took second with SH Rockin Reminic.

 It was a very good day with the WPR team competition finishing up in style and giving the crowds a real good look at determination and courage on horseback. Tonight, everyone is looking forward to veterinarian Kris Crowe’s Wild Card seminar on getting equine athletes ready for top competition, Saturday morning at 9 am.

Day 4:

Saturday at the Wild Card Reining Challenge began with the Khris Crowe Seminar. Dr Crowe is an outstanding Texas-based veterinarian. Her level of expertise as a master of breeding and conditioning horses is extraordinary and widely respected. She actually gave two clinics, one that covered aspects of preparing athletes for high level competition and its accompanying stress and one that simply offered a short, delightful overview of the amazing and unique aspects of our beloved horses.

The show got underway mid-morning with Taylor Bradshaw continuing her winning ways, taking top honors in Rookie Level 1 and 2 with her Tinselena Nic. Susan Copeland and Stop On Time won the DRHA Rookie, Sharon Gray and KR Next Exit took the Prime Time Rookie. Lorraine Larramendy and Timber Winner won the Rookie Masters and Leah Miller and her Jac Be Whizard won both the Green As Grass and the Green Reiner.

Of course, on Saturday afternoon, it all came down to the $65,000 Added Tamarack Ranch Open 4 Year Old Futurity, the first of its kind and a legitimate “idea whose time has come.” It’s one thing to talk about a concept like the 4-Year-Old Futurity … and quite another to have it up and running. Congratulations to Brumley Management Group, LLC and the Wild Card Reining Futurity for making this happen.

The competition among the four-year-olds was actually quite intense, with some strong performances. At day’s end, a white-faced mare with a sense of humor named Wallawhizagun and NRHA Professional Gabe Hutchins from Tamarack Ranch LLC, turned in the high score to win the Level 3 and 4 and take home over $11,000. Right behind this strong lady was yet another one. The dynamic rider Abby Mixon and her Ruf Nite tied with Andrea Fappani and Gunners Hitman for the second spot in the Level 4. That put Abby second in the Level 3 and at the top of the Level 2, sending her home with a check for $9,366 tucked in her jacket.  California trainer Nicolas Barthelemy and Dunits Lil Gun won the Level 1 section for owner David Adams netting them a total of just under $6,000.

There’s just one more morning of action for the first Wild Card Reining Challenge and then it becomes one more show for the Reining horse history books. Here’s an event that featured free education, great competition, top prize money, fun and a concept that’s been patiently waiting for this moment for fifty years. Applause is in order!

Day 5: 

It was the final morning of the first Wild Card Reining Challenge show in Las Vegas, Nevada. The day was going to be short so everyone was getting horses ready to run and packing the rigs at the same time. Headed back to Arizona, California and Texas, there would be many driving into the evening to make it home before it got too late.

At the South Point Arena at 9 am in the morning the first one in the gate was Martin Muehlstaetter on Michael Garnett’s Spooksgottachicolena. It must have been a charmed placement for the well turned out duo because the score they posted held right to the end of the session and the team won the Open. Ashley Kelkenberg, who had a very good show all the way around with Juli Moran’s horse Nite Eyes, added another good run to the list, winning both the Intermediate Open and the Limited. June Tabor and Vaquero In A Mask had their best run of the whole show, clearing up some bobbles that had haunted them earlier in the week, and running in the money for all of the Open divisions, while winning the Rookie Professional. Jessica Bein showed two Arabian horses, Twylite Zone and SH Karlotta, taking a second in the Intermediate Open with the former and placing one-two with the pair in the Breed Restricted.

There were so many things to discuss and applaud about the new show as it approached its closing hours on Sunday. The Wild Card Reining Challenge offered the first major 4-Year-Old Futurity, presenting a serious alternative to putting 3-year-olds into fierce competition too early in the game. The $65,000 Tamarack Four-Year-Old Futurity is an idea whose time has come. Hopefully it will give birth to other strictly 4-year-old competitions, both Futurities and Stakes.

“The four-year-old futurity horse concept has been discussed by good horsemen and breeders for years,” says Amanda Brumley, whose company produced the Wild Card Reining Challenge. “This show should challenge other horsemen to provide more opportunities for young horses that need extra time to mature, train and prepare for competitive reining, both physically and mentally.” The show also jumped ahead in providing free educational seminars and clinics.

In all, the show was exceptional, including over $125,000 in prize money for Pro and Non Pro horsemen, Youth and WPR riders.  Certainly those who came and competed were delighted, impressed and promised to return to Las Vegas and the Wild Card Reining Challenge next year over Memorial Day weekend 2017.