After two legs of preliminary competition, Julie Poznoff and Lil Prize Acre have taken the lead in the race to the 2010 National Reined Cow Horse Association Snaffle Bit Futurity Amateur Championship. The Amateur division, which does not have a Finals, is decided by the preliminary round of competition, which ends on Sunday, September 26, following the cow work.

Poznoff and her 3-year-old, by Smokums Prize out of Miss Acres Of Dreams, began with a 206 in the herd work. While the herd work had proven a little tough, Poznoff came back strong with a 213 in the rein work, and collected $500 for the go-round win. Now, only the cow work is left to decide the Amateur Championship.

The Amateur Champion will receive a Bob’s Custom Saddle sponsored by Larry & Ellen Bell, a Gist Silversmiths champion buckle from Circle Y Ranch, an ESP Wool Top pad from Classic Equine, a Cinch monogrammed down vest from Bob’s Custom Saddles, Platinum Performance, and a custom handmade hat from Shorty’s Hattery.

With every point critical to earning a final’s berth, five-time Snaffle Bit Futurity Non Pro Champion Anne Reynolds has secured not only the top three spots going into the cow work of the Non Pro preliminary competition, but also the preliminary rein work win. Riding three offspring from her stallion, Very Smart Remedy, Reynolds collected $3,750 in go-round money.

The King Hill, Idaho, Non Pro rode Smart As Sister, out of Teena Cash Flo, to a 221.5, and on Very Smart Playmate, out of Gunna Be Mine, she scored a 219. Both Smart As Sister and Very Smart Playmate are owned by Reynolds’ mom Joyce Pearson. Reynolds rounded out the top three on her horse Very Shiney – a full-sibling to her 2009 Non Pro Futurity Champion, Shiney And Verysmart – with a 218.

Reynolds is known for her mental toughness, and on Thursday, September 30, will be sharing her knowledge during a seminar at the Best of the West Trade Show. “The Mental Game of Competition” is slated to begin at 3 p.m.

In the Intermediate Non Pro division, Karey Franz and High Skippin Cat, by High Rollin Cat out of Miss Sundance Skip, lead the composite with a 424, comprised of a 213.5 in the herd work and a 210.5 in the rein work.

Franz, a former Snaffle Bit Futurity Amateur Champion, also topped the Intermediate Non Pro preliminary rein work on Nics Long Pants with a 213, collecting $1,000. Nics Long Pants is by Nic It In The Bud out of Shiney Pants.

Complete results of the Snaffle Bit Futurity and horse show are posted on the official NRCHA website, www.nrcha.com. A live webcast can be accessed from the NRCHA website, and can also be found at www.gallopingvideo.com. Competition resumes at 8 a.m. Friday, and the first order of the day will be the continuation of the Open, Cinch Intermediate Open, and Limited Open preliminary rein work.

The National Reined Cow Horse Association, the governing body of cow horse competition, is responsible for promoting the sport, insuring high standards of competition and educating members and the public about the history and tradition of the cow horse. Through the support of a Corporate Partner family that includes Adequan, Bob’s Custom Saddles, Cinch, Classic Equine, Gist Silversmiths, John Deere, Markel Insurance, MD Barns, Merial products ULCERGARD and EQUIOXX, Nutrena, Pfizer Animal Health, Platinum Performance, Quarter Horse News, Rios of Mercedes, Running W Designs, the Silver Legacy, and Wide World of Horses, 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 NRCHA Official website at www.nrcha.com.