Let It Rein: 2014 Reining By The Bay Shows an Unprecedented 55% Increase in Participation

By: Alden Corrigan for RBB, Inc.

You know it’s going to be a week-long battle in the saddle in every division when the increase in top horse and rider combinations over last year is a whopping 55%. The depth of talent was incredible and day after day the spectators were treated to an action packed competition as the best in the west battled it out for over $200,000 in added money and prizes.

Winners took home truckloads of awards generously donated by Bob’s Custom Saddles, Gist Buckles, Markel Insurance, Finish Line, Back On Track, Ice Horse, Santa Cruz Animal Health, Reiner’s World, Auburn Labs, Equithrive, Pard’s Western Shop, Equine Oasis, Tom McCutcheon’s Virtual HorseHelp.com, Professionals Choice, Cowgirl Tuff, Cinch and Ariat.

Reining By The Bay has had the great fortune of double digit increases in spectators and sponsors attending the event, and the Brumley Management Group~Reining By The Bay team continues to go above and beyond to make sure that everyone is treated as a valued guest. This year the VIP tent was gone, and in its place a huge tent that ran the length of the berm with VIP tables front and center surrounded by tall tables. Great attention was paid to the daily culinary offering that would make any “foodies” heart sing. In addition, a second general admission spectator tent was located on the north end of the enormous Bay Arena pen.

Based in the heart of Silicon Valley, Reining By The Bay has always been a leader in the use of Social Media technology, and this year iEquine.com a Corporate Sponsor and host of the live streaming online webcast reported unprecedented viewership numbers: Reining By The Bay had over 383,000 viewers logon worldwide which doubled last year’s viewership over the 5 day event.

Highlights From The Aged Events

The $5,000 Added SmartPak Non Pro L4 Maturity

Tish Fappani and her longtime partner the Premier Diamond (Like A Diamond x Sexy Chexy Nic) took top honors in the class of 17 exhibitors earning $2,307.

“I’ve shown Premier Diamond through all of his Derby years, he’s a really special horse. One of Andrea’s clients bred and raised him, so he’s been with Andrea forever, and we got to buy him as a 4-year-old. He got hurt as a 3-year-old so he didn’t have a Futurity career. I have had a blast on him for the last four years. We’ve had offers to sell him over the years but he’s part of the family. He’s such a good gentle horse and something that both our kids can get on, lope around and change leads on,” says Tish.

How would she describe her run? “Overall, for the pattern, I didn’t get him turned to the left as well as I should have so I know I had a penalty there, but other than that he was really good. He has actually gotten better to show, as he’s gotten older. He doesn’t try to think ahead of you. I have a blast on him.”

Tish’s thoughts on the Maturity division: “I think it’s great. We had 17 in the L4 division here at Reining By The Bay. It gives all those older horses a place to show. Like this horse, he never got to show when he was younger due to injuries. He was able to get through his Derby years, he’s still fresh, and this division gives him a place to keep going and showing.”

Reining By The Bay is one of Tish’s favorite shows. “Pat Warren and the Brumley Management team work so hard on this show, and we so appreciate that. The fact that our kids can go run amok in the trees and build forts and we don’t have to worry about them, makes this a special experience every year and one that we look forward to.”

The $40,000 Added Protect The Harvest Non L4 & L3 Non Pro Derby

When the dust settled after 48 runs, it was Kelly Moran aboard the 5-year old mare Wimpy’s Mega Step (Wimpys Little Step x Moonstone Mega) who pulled off a clean sweep of the L4 & L3 divisions of the Non Pro Derby marking a score of 219.5 earning a paycheck for the day of $7,798.

“We got Wimpy’s Mega Step about a year and a half ago from Martin Larcombe in Texas. She’s a really sweet horse and very ADD, which is why I was a little worried about pattern 6, because there is a whole lot to look at outside that big pen. My goal was to keep her going fast enough that she wouldn’t have time to look at anything. I was a little concerned in my last stop because my reins were all tangled up so I didn’t have any steering, so I kicked and she went with it. Tracer (Gilson) has done an amazing job with her this year at the NRHA Derby and the NRBC, but this was our first time winning a L4 Derby so that was really exciting and very surreal.”

Kelly has been coming to Reining By Bay for the last 10 years. “Reining By The Bay, High Roller Reining Classic, and NRBC are my top three shows for the entire year. The weather is great, although a bit toasty this year, gorgeous facility, there is a great crowd that comes, and it’s always a really good time.”

Cam Essick and Who Loves You still lead the 2014 Non Pro Trifecta Reining Challenge standings for the six-day trip to the Four Seasons Resort in Punta Mita, Mexico through Reining By The Bay with earnings of $9,886.61 between Cactus Reining Classic and Reining By The Bay. Who will be on that plane to Mexico? We’ll have to wait until High Roller Reining Classic to see.

From Reining By The Bay to Normandy

The $5,000 Added SmartPak L4 Open Maturity

Martin Muehlstaetter and his 2014 Alltech World Equestrian Games mount 10-year old Wimpy’s Little Buddy (Wimpys Little Step x All Thats Dun) could not be beaten in the $5,000 Added SmartPak L4 Open Maturity and took home a check for $3,470.

Martin said of his WEG partner, “We bought him as a 4-year-old from Andrea Fappani. He showed him at the NRBC, NRHA Futurity and NRHA Derby. My wife showed him for two years and did really well on him. Then, I started showing him as an early 6-year-old, and then took him to the 2010 World Equestrian Games in Kentucky and represented Team Austria. We sold him to a client of ours who showed him very successfully for the last two or three years, and we just recently bought him back a few weeks ago. We are planning on taking him to WEG in Normandy, France.”

Martin and his wife Kim are big fans of Reining By The Bay. “This is one of the best, if not the best, horse shows. The weather is great, the people are nice, the venue is amazing, the view is phenomenal, and the competition is deep. Everyone brings their best horses here.”

The $55,000 Added L4 and L3 3 Year Old Futurity

Once again it was Martin Muehlstaetter in the winners circle, this time on Electric Barbie (Jacs Electric Spark x MJ Hollywood Barbie) owned and bred by Marc Gordon & Kathy Gordon. The pair marked a 222.5 earning Electric Barbie $8,868 in total prize money.

Martin talks about the big stopping mare. “Dan Huss had her in training as a 2-year-old all the way to April of this year when I got her. She has a big stop, big turn, she circles really nice, she is good minded and really, really mature. She acts more like a four or five-year-old rather than a 3-year-old and feels like she has a really big heart.”

This was the first show for Martin and the mare, and he couldn’t have been more pleased. “This was very first show. I took her to a show just to ride around, but this was her first time competing.”

The $65,000 Added Lucas Oil L4 Open Derby

It was a knock down, drag out fight for the win in the Level 4 Open Derby, and the scores reflected the incredible efforts put forth by the 21 horses and riders. At the end of the day, it was Andrea Fappani and Mr. Electric Spark (Jacs Electric Spark x Sailin Rowdy) owned by Reining Partners LLC marking a 226.0 taking home the top honors and a check for $10,994.

Andrea had a 100% success rate only showing one horse in the Open Derby. “I only took one horse that I felt I had a good shot with. Mr. Electric Spark is a 5-year-old that I’ve only had for a couple months, but I’ve been involved a little bit with the training of the horse along the way helping Tyson Randall, who owns part of him. I know the horse pretty well, but I didn’t start showing him until the NRBC and then the NRHA Derby before coming to Reining By The Bay.”

“I was excited about showing him. He’s definitely fun to train and show. The best part of his run this time was his circles. I pushed him hard in the circles and it paid off. He was right there for me. He’s the style of horse I like. He’s very elegant, very collected when he lopes, and when he goes really fast he looks like he’s floating.”

About Andrea’s first trip to the World Equestrian Games in Normandy: “I switched my nationality with the FEI in 2010 when I first tried out for the team. I moved over here because I wanted to compete at the highest level. Four years ago when I tried, I didn’t make the team. I wasn’t going to wait another four years.”

Bringing Home the Big Bucks

The $65,000 Added Lucas Oil L3 and L2 Open Derby

Dan Huss and 4-year-old Tags Golden Star (Whiz N Tag Chex-Boogies Smart Star) owned by Robert Shearer marked a 225 in the L3 and L2 Open Derby garnering a $13,980 paycheck for their efforts.

Huss has had the gelding in his program for the last two years and showed him last year at Reining By The Bay in the Open Derby marking a 225. “His owner Bob Shearer showed him at Cactus Reining Classic this year and placed in all four divisions. Since he’s been so busy with his work, he hasn’t had the time to show him. In fact, he was scheduled to show him at Reining By The Bay, but he called and said he couldn’t make it, so I said I’d be more than happy to show him. That’s what we did.”

“I had to fly to Albuquerque on Sunday night and was there through Thursday. I have to thank my wife Wendy and my assistant Daniel Schloemer for getting him ready during the week, so I could drive Friday and show him on Saturday.”

Trading Reins Presented by Markel

Frank Costantini Director of Western Disciplines at Markel International:

 “As custodians of the horse industry, we have a responsibility. That responsibility in my mind is to introduce people to horses. We felt that we should show the people at Reining By The Bay how people from other disciplines, in this case the Hunter/Jumper and Saddlebred world what it’s like to participate in the reining world and show the reiners what it’s like to participate in the jumping world.”

“We felt it would be a great benefit to encourage the entire horse industry to participate. That included Olympic and WEG Show Jumper Guy Thomas, who graciously brought his horses for the Reiners to ride; Sean McBurney from Rhodes River Ranch who coached the English riders; as well as the reining professionals who offered their horses for the english riders to ride. Whether you ride english or western we felt that the horse experience was something that we would like to present the opportunity for the spectators to interact with the equestrian athletes that are here at Reining By The Bay.”

Horse show producer and co-founder Amanda Brumley had this to say about the 2014 event. “Coming into this year’s event, we were completely shocked at the huge increase in exhibitor participation, catching us a bit off guard. We had to make some adjustments to accommodate it with a facility without lights. Our exhibitors are awesome! They cruised through the last minute changes and were really understanding. Another shock was the spectator turnout. WOW! From day one, the seats were full. During the Open Derby followed by Trading Reins, it was standing room only. Since the first Reining by the Bay in 1999, this event has come a long, long way and I’m so grateful for the support we have received to get this event to what it is today.”

For complete results go to: www.reiningbythebay.com/results