It will come as no surprise to reiners and horsemen around the world that the Reining Horse Sports Foundation (RHSF) has instituted a Memorial Fund fitting for the man so instrumental in the formation of the National Reining Horse Association and promotion of the sport of Reining – Dale Wilkinson.

The NRHA Hall of Fame’s first inductee and without question one of Reining’s most well-respected iconic legends, Wilkinson was often referred to as the “Father of Modern-Day Reining.”

An educator with an unquenchable thirst for knowledge about his favorite subject – the horse, Wilkinson co-founded the University of Findlay Equestrian Program in 1976 and is the only professional horse trainer to win the National Reining Horse Association Futurity and the National Cutting Horse Association Futurity.

A member of the NRHA, AQHA, NCHA, OQHA Halls of Fame and the recipient of the first Zane Schulte Memorial Award he was also awarded an Honorary Doctorate for Equine Entrepreneurial Management by the University of Findlay. One would be hard-pressed to find a more honored, heralded, thought-provoking and well-thought-of horseman.

For more information or to make a donation please contact Brian Bendele, Manager of RHSF and NRHA Youth Programs at [email protected] or 405-946-7400, extension 130. Won’t you help us keep the memory of Dale Wilkinson and our other Hall of Famers alive?