The final phase of preliminary competition, the cow work, is underway for Open riders at the National Reined Cow Horse Association Snaffle Bit Futurity in Reno, Nev., to determine who will return for the clean-slate finals and a shot at the $100,000 Championship check on Saturday, September 29.
The majority of the Open, Intermediate Open and Limited Open riders showed in the cow work today, with three sets still to work tomorrow, Tuesday, September 25.
In the Futurity Open, the high scoring run of the day, a 222, belonged to Jon Roeser, Lemoore, Calif., riding Dual Smart Peppy (Mister Smart Remedy x Peppys Sassy Hobby) owned by Virgil Cotter. The composite leader after three events is Anne Reynolds, King Hill, Idaho, who scored a 221 in the cow work aboard Smart Medicine Man (Very Smart Remedy x Magical Lena), elevating her overall score to 658.5. The current second-place Open horse is Lenas Last Time (One Time Pepto x Lenas Peppy Cutter), shown by Corey Cushing. They scored a 214 in the cow work for a total 657 on three events.
The high score in the Futurity Intermediate Open composite belongs to Spark N Boon (Peptoboonsmal x Shine Smartly), shown by Shawn Hays. The duo scored a 219 in the cow work and their total on three events is 651.
In the Futurity Limited Open and Level 1 Limited Open, two riders share first place in the overall composite score. Adan Banuelos, riding Cat Diesel (One Time Pepto x Cats Glamour Girl) for owner Tiffani Banuelos, and Morgan Cromer, aboard AMR One Shiney Cat (Shady Lil Starlight x One Shiney Chic), owned by Holy Cow Performance Horses, both have a 642.5 composite. Banuelos scored a 215.5 in the cow work today, and Cromer marked a 210. The high-scoring cow work in the Limited Open, a 216.5, belongs to Whiznic (Nic It In The Bud x Covergirl Whiz), shown by Jason Gay and owned by Mystic Shadow Farm.
The Open cow work preliminaries resume tomorrow morning at 8:00 a.m. (Pacific). Catch all the action live via webcast at www.NRCHA.com or www.Gallopingvideo.com.
The National Reined Cow Horse Association, now in its 62nd year, is the governing body of cow horse competition. It is responsible for promoting the sport, ensuring high standards of competition and educating members and the public about the history and tradition of reined cow horses. With the support of a Corporate Partner family that includes Bob’s Custom Saddles, Cinch, Classic Equine, Gist Silversmiths, John Deere, Markel Insurance Company, Platinum Performance, Quarter Horse News, Rios of Mercedes, Santa Cruz Biotechnologies, Silver Legacy Hotel and Casino, Bloomer Trailers and Schwalbe Trucks presented by Great West Trailers, and Merial products UlcerGard and Equioxx, the association works to keep the vaquero tradition alive in today’s equine industry. For information on the National Reined Cow Horse Association, call 580-759-4949 or visit the official NRCHA web site at www.NRCHA.com.
