Tag Archives: National Reining Horse Association

More Than 30 Entries Received for the NRHA Open World Championship Shootout

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma – November 17, 2010 – More than 30 entries have been received for the inaugural $100,000 added National Reining Horse Association (NRHA) World Championship Shootout. The Shootout is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, December 2 at the NRHA Futurity & Adequan North American Affiliate Championship Show. It is this year’s largest added money NRHA-approved class in the world.

The $100,000 added Shootout, sponsored by Equine Sports Medicine and Kyle Tack, is an “Open-to-the-World” class where the top Open reining horses on the planet may compete in a dramatic showdown for the winner’s estimated purse of $30,000. Entries can still be submitted with the appropriate late fee.

In addition, the 2010 NRHA Open World Champion will be recognized and honored at the show – even though the World Champion and the Shootout winner may not be the same. To be named the 2010 NRHA Open World Champion, the horse must have earned money in seven or more NRHA Category 1 Open classes. Below is a list of NRHA Open World Championship contenders that have earned money at 6 or more NRHA Category 1 Open classes. These horses are scheduled to compete on December 2.

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Ariat Signs NRHA All-Time Leading Rider Shawn Flarida

Flarida Is Newest Addition to Ariat Pro Team

Union City, Calif. May 5, 2010 – Ariat International, the leading manufacturer of innovative performance equestrian footwear, apparel and belts, is delighted to announce its sponsorship of Shawn Flarida, world-renowned reiner and Western horseman.

“We are thrilled to have Shawn join forces with Ariat,” said Susan Alcala, Ariat’s vice president of marketing. “He is the consummate athlete, known for his passion and commitment to his sport, which complements our brand values perfectly.”

Flarida is the National Reining Horse Association’s all-time leading money earner, and the first ever Three Million Dollar Rider. He has five NRHA Open Futurity championships to his name and has won the All-American Quarter Horse Congress eight times. Yet despite this impressive resume, Flarida is known throughout the industry for his humility and unmatched work ethic.

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Gunner Shoots Past Another National Reining Horse Association Milestone

Colonels Smokingun (aka Gunner) is the first registered American Paint Horse to join the exclusive list of NRHA Two Million Dollar Sires. Photo Courtesy APHA/Abigail Wilder Boatwright (2007)
Colonels Smokingun (aka Gunner) is the first registered American Paint Horse to join the exclusive list of NRHA Two Million Dollar Sires. Photo Courtesy APHA/Abigail Wilder Boatwright (2007)

March 31, 2010 – Colonels Smokingun, better known as Gunner in the reining world, has recently been named the unofficial eighth National Reining Horse Association (NRHA) Two Million Dollar Sire. He accomplished this only three years after being named a NRHA One Million Dollar Sire. This was, in part, due to the recent successes of his offspring at the 2009 NRHA Open Futurity, the 2010 NRHA European Futurity and the 2010 Cactus Reining Classic, which brought his unofficial total NRHA offspring earnings to $2,000,453. Gunner was the first American Paint Horse to achieve the NRHA million-dollar mark, and is now the first Paint to reach the two million dollar mark.

Sired by Colonelfourfreckle (AQHA son of Colonel Freckles) and out of Katie Gun (AQHA), the bald-faced stallion, which is registered with the American Paint Horse Association (APHA), has an impressive lifetime record with the association. He won back-to-back World Championship Paint Horse Show Open reining titles in both 1996 and 1997, in addition to the other reining honors he earned throughout his career with APHA.

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