The NRCHA’s Strong Sense Of Community And Family Is Drawing A New Generation Of Riders

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NRCHA Million Dollar Rider Jake Telford in an emotional moment with his 2015 Snaffle Bit Futurity Champion horse, Starlight Kisses (Shady Lil Starlight x Kiss My Shiny Lips x Shining Spark), owned by Holy Cow Performance Horses, LLC.. Primo Morales photo

As a hardcore reining enthusiast the cow horse world is kind of in the dark for me. Only a select few reiners are also successful in the cow horse world. Reining is more precise than the loose and informal version of reining that the cow horse world uses, however reining horses couldn’t even think about working a cow. So the experience of watching, and writing about the snaffle bit futurity was interesting, and maybe even a little confusing

The open Snaffle Bit Futurity Champion is Jake Telford on Starlight Kisses. Jake Telford is a NRCHA million dollar rider, and this is his first open futurity win. Starlight Kisses is owned by Holy Cow Performance horses, and is a 2012 quarter horse mare. The pair earned a 216 in herd work, a 218.5 in reined work, and a 221.5 in cow work earning the a composite score of 656. The reserve champions are Erin Taormino and Plain Wright, with a composite score of 655.5. Todd Bergen, NRHA two million dollar rider, reached the NRCHA two million rider status after his rides at the Snaffle Bit futurity.

The Non-Pro champion was Laurie Ward on Kiss Me A Lot. The pair scored a 216 in herd work, a 214.5 in rein work, and a 218.5 in cow work earning them a composite score of 649. The non-pro futurity reserve champion was Terry Forst and Seven S Indian Maid, the pair also won the Futurity Intermediate and Novice Non-Pro championships. The pair scored a 214 in herd work, a 211 in reined work (with a reviewed score), and a 216 in cow work earning a 641 for the non-pro finals.

The Cinch Intermediate Open Champions are Nicolas Barthelemy and Mr Shiney Lights, the duo earned a 219.5 in herd work, a 217 in rein work, and an amazing 225 in cow work earning the pair a total score of 661.5. The Limited Open champion was Shine Smarter and Sarah Dawson with a composite score of 654. The Open Hackamore champion is Darrel Norcutt on top of Over A Barrel. Over A Barrel is a 2011 gelding by Nic It In The Bud. And Finally the Open Bridle Champions where Tuckers Smart Cat and Lyn Anderson with a composite score of 445(in this class there are is no herd work).

Photo Credit: Stephanie Duquette - From NRCHA Facebook — Photo Credit: Stephanie Duquette Courtesy NRCHA Facebook

Since this is my first time watching the Snaffle Bit Futurity, the experience was fun and interesting. I have watched a little bit of cow work before but when watching it live and at one of the biggest events, it was extremely intense. Even when watching the futurity I could sense a strong feeling of community, and that everyone cared for one another. And in the reining world, yeah that happens, but not like that. The NRCHA is like a family, and next year you bet that I will be watching the Snaffle Bit Futurity. To find out more about this exciting sport visit http://www.nrcha.com.

Written By Youth Contributor Sam Berendes. Share this on Facebook if you love cow horses!