The National Reined Cow Horse Association (NRCHA) proudly announces that NRCHA professional Erin Taormino joined the association’s Million Dollar Rider club after placing second in the Cow Horse Challenge at The Run For A Million.
Born in Saskatchewan, Canada, Taormino grew up riding for fun and then at a higher level. Her naturally competitive spirit led her to success in all-around events. Taormina became an NRCHA professional in 2014, and the young phenom made her first NRCHA Snaffle Bit Futurity® Open Finals just a year later, earning the reserve champion title. That same year, she was a central focus of the documentary Down the Fence alongside legends of her sport.
At the beginning of 2024, Taormino knew surpassing the million-dollar threshold was possible. But in June, it seemed like that goal might need to go on hold after she broke her leg in an accident with a horse.
“I had a good idea that it was within reach at the start of the year,” she said. “I wasn’t keeping track, but my husband, Anthony, knew exactly how much I needed. I didn’t want to know. But then I broke my leg on June 28, had surgery on July 5 and was sidelined until August.”
Taormino spent her recovery watching her horses with other riders and leaning on her close circle of friends for support to keep her attitude in line with her goals. With just a few weeks back in the saddle before The Run For A Million at the South Point Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, Taormino leaned on her stellar mount Hazardouz Material, owned by Linda Mars.
“I feel like everything happens for a reason,” she shared. “We might not know why, but it does. That horse is one of the best I’ve had, so to do it on him, at that show in front of that crowd, was amazing. Becoming a million dollar rider was always a dream and a goal, but for me, personally, I didn’t think about it that much. It was more of a product of other, shorter-term goals I never thought it was something that I could achieve, and it happened faster than I ever thought it could. My husband and I have only had our own training business for eight years. Having my name on a banner next to people who I look up to—that’s surreal. It’s one of the best things I’ve done.”
Taormino’s top-earning horses that helped push her past one million dollars in NRCHA earnings are (as of August 27, 2024):
- Hazardouz Material (Metallic Cat x Scooters Daisy Dukes x Dual Smart Rey): $249,638.32
- Bad To Tha Boon (Peptoboonsmal x Bet On Merada x Bet On Me 498): $178,094.88
- Plain Wright (Hes Wright On x Isabellena x Lenas Right On): $90,087.10
For a complete list of NRCHA Million Dollar Riders, visit nrcha.com.
