NRHA Announces 2024 Hall of Fame Inductees & Dale Wilkinson Lifetime Achievement Award Recipient

From NRHA:

One individual and three horses will be inducted into the NRHA Hall of Fame as the 2024 class is formally announced.

Andrea Fappani, Snow Gun, Wind Her Up Chic, and Wind Her Up Shiner will join reining’s elite as they are recognized with the sport’s most prestigious honor.

Also announced is the 2024 NRHA Dale Wilkinson Lifetime Achievement Recipient, NRHA Corporate Partner, Markel.

“Our 2024 class exemplifies the passion and spirit of the reining industry, and we look forward to formally acknowledging and celebrating their contributions to the sport,” said NRHA Commissioner Billy Smith.

Each year, the NRHA Hall of Fame Committee carefully selects individuals and horses that meet the criteria for nomination and put forward their official recommendations to the NRHA Board of Directors and past Hall of Fame inductees for a final vote.

“This year we had a great slate of candidates that were nominated, and I want to thank the committee for their hard work,” said NRHA Director-at-Large and Hall of Fame Committee Chair Rick Clark. “Each inductee has demonstrated their lasting impact on reining and is deserving of this prestigious award,” Clark continued.

The NRHA Hall of Fame is an official project of the Reining Horse Foundation (RHF), and honorees are recognized each year at Sliders’ Night Out presented by Toyon Ranch. This year’s celebration will be held on Wednesday, December 4.

Read more about the following industry icons in the November and December issues of the Reiner Magazine.

Andrea Fappani

Few names are as synonymous with repeated excellence as Andrea Fappani. For more than 20 years, he has been among NRHA’s top professionals, showcasing his ability to adapt and evolve, along with a fierce dedication known and admired by all who know him.

Fappani has already made an indelible mark in NRHA’s history books with his success in the show pen, not only as NRHA’s all-time leading rider and only $8 Million Dollar Rider but also as a Million Dollar Owner.

For the Italian-born reiner, his impact reaches far beyond the show pen. Fappani is an educator, mentor, and promoter of the sport. With a successful podcast, Along for the Ride, and an in-person symposium, he continues to bring new members from around the globe into the reining community.

Wind Her Up Chic

This summer, Wind Her Up Chic made history by becoming the ninth NRHA Million Dollar Dam. Now, she adds to her legacy with this prestigious honor. Owned by Tim Anderson of NRHA Corporate Partner 21 Ranch, Wind Her Up Chic has consistently demonstrated exceptional talent, athleticism, and versatility in her offspring. At 21 years old, she has already produced an NRHA Level 4 Open Derby Champion, a National Reining Breeders Classic Level 4 Open Champion, and an NRHA Level 4 Open Futurity Reserve Champion.

The David Nogle-bred mare also boasts an impressive performance record of $102,711 in NRHA LTE, all with NRHA $2 Million Rider Todd Bergen and NRHA $3 Million Rider Jordan Larson at the reins.

“Windy,” by NRHA Hall of Famer Smart Chic Olena and out of Wind Her Up Doc, is a half-sibling to another NRHA Million Dollar Dam and 2024 NRHA Hall of Fame Inductee, Wind Her Up Shiner—further showcasing her royal lineage. Wind Her Up Chic is NRHA’s ninth all-time leading dam with $40,874 in average earnings per offspring.

Anderson, president of the Reining Horse Foundation (RHF), has also used the success of Windy to leave a larger mark on NRHA. In 2021, Anderson donated a Wind Her Up Chic embryo to the Sliders’ Night Out auction which raised $170,000 for RHF, the nonprofit arm of NRHA.

Wind Her Up Shiner

In a fateful series of events, NRHA Million Dollar Rider José Vazquez purchased Wind Her Up Shiner, a 1998 mare sired by NRHA Hall of Famer Shining Spark and out of Wind Her Up Doc, when she was a 3-year-old.

Wind Her Up Shiner lived in NRHA Professional Ed Fear’s barn, where Vazquez rode as a non pro. Vazquez had an opportunity to purchase the mare as a 2-year-old and declined, but that changed when he had a futurity prospect spot open.

With nearly $34,000 NRHA lifetime earnings (LTE) with Vazquez at the reins, Wind Her Up Shiner continued to shine as a broodmare. She posthumously became NRHA’s sixth Million Dollar Dam in 2022 and is the only dam to do so with all offspring by the same sire. The mare has only been bred to the late Smart Like Juice, an NRHA Hall of Fame inductee also owned by Vazquez. Together, the two have 25 offspring with earnings in the show pen.

Wind Her Up Shiner is NRHA’s seventh-highest leading dam with average offspring earnings of $43,703.

 Snow Gun

The late Snow Gun, owned by NRHA Board member Andre de Bellefeuille, rounds out the 2024 NRHA Hall of Fame inductees. The mare, by NRHA Hall of Famer Gunner and out of Natrasha, shares a pedigree destined for greatness with her full sibling, NRHA Hall of Famer Gunnatrashya.

Snow Gun is remembered for her extended overo color, incredible feel and intelligence, and for having characteristics reiners still look for today.

With more than $120,000 in NRHA LTE, she went on to have great success in the breeding shed. She is the dam of De Bellefeuille’s stallion Electric Snow (by NRHA $4 Million Sire Jacs Electric Spark), who won more than $110,000 in NRHA competition. She also produced Yankee Gun (LTE $156,967), Its All Gun (LTE $61,289), Gunstep (LTE $58,778), and Wimpys Snow Step (LTE $45,311).

Snow Gun spent her breeding years at the Colorado State University Equine and Reproduction Laboratory. Each year after breeding season, the students would gather outside to say goodbye, often with tears. She had a charisma that impacted all who knew her.

Markel

Markel is synonymous with quality, trust, and innovation. As NRHA celebrates more than 30 years with the long-standing corporate partner, it is a natural honor to crown the association’s official equine insurance partner as the 2024 Dale Wilkinson Lifetime Achievement Award recipient.

Many NRHA trainers, owners, and breeders trust Markel with their insurance needs for their horses, ranches, and businesses. More than that, Markel is a staple in the reining community. Markel has attended every NRHA Derby and Futurity for the past 30 years, is the presenting sponsor of the 6666 NRHA Derby held annually at the OKC Fairgrounds in June, and is the title sponsor of the NRHA Markel Futurity Sales. At each step of the way, Markel champions the growth of the reining industry.

Markel’s global presence and sponsorship have made an irreplaceable impact on the sport and the equine community.

Frank Costantini, Markel Senior Director of Western Disciplines, was inducted into the NRHA Hall of Fame in 2001. He has also served as NRHA President twice and RHF President three times.

With over 50 years of knowledge and experience in insuring horses, farms, and horse-related businesses, Markel remains committed to the horse industry.

For more information on Sliders’ Night Out, presented by Toyon Ranch, and to purchase tickets, visit reiningfoundation.com/sno.