On Thursday, August 16, the  National Reining Horse Association (NRHA) Cowtown Classic moved into its final three days featuring non pro competition. Thursday’s events included the $20,000-added Silver Spurs Equine 7 & Up Non Pro for non pro riders and horses age seven and older and the $33,000-added Pre Futurity Non Pro. The show began on August 11 and ends on August 18 at the Will Rogers Memorial Center in Fort Worth, Tex.

SILVER SPURS 7 & UP NON PRO Choate Wins Sweeps Silver Spurs Equine 7 & Up Non Pro Layla Choate (Hazel, Ky.) and Plus One Chex (Nu Chex To Cash x CR Smart Hope by One Gun) marked a 145 to win all four levels of the $20,000 added  Silver Spurs Equine 7 & Up Non Pro. Choate has been on a hot streak in the NRHA arena for the past two years. In 2011, she earned more than $28,000 and the championship title at the inaugural “catch ride” NRHA Interscholastic Reining Championship. So far this year, she has won more than $15,000 including reserve championship honors in the level 2 and level 1 non pro divisions at the NRHA Derby. Prior to the NRHA Cowtown Classic, Upstream, Inc’s Plus One Chex earned over $42,000 in NRHA competition. The paycheck for all four levels totaled $6,388 bringing her earnings to $48,463 and Choate’s to $55,378. For each level they won, they earned one of the following prizes: NRHA Morrison trophy, Montana Silversmiths belt buckle, trophy saddle rack, $100 Pard’s Western Shop gift card, Classic Equine Contour Pedic Reiner pad, 10 pounds of Platinum Performance CJ, 9.4 pounds of Assure Guard, a pair of Rios of Mercedes boots, a bag of Purina feed, $200 SmartPak gift card, a certificate for a pair of Cruel Girl jeans, an Adequan 7-dose box, $2,500 certificate from Twister Trailer and an NRHA flash drive.

Phillips Earns Level 4 Non Pro Reserve Honors 13-year-old James Michael Phillips (Hartshorne, Okla.) and Shining Shoes (Shining Spark x Miss War Doc by Docs Prescription) were just one point shy of the championship with a 144. They took the Level 4 Non Pro Reserve Championship along with $3,627, $100 Pard’s Western Shop gift card, 3.5 Pounds of Assure Guard, a bag of Purina feed, a gift certificate for a pair of Cinch jeans, a Classic Equine cap and an NRHA flash drive. The duo recently placed in the top five in all four divisions of the 7 & Up Non Pro at the 2012 NRHA Derby. They beat North America’s top the 13 & Under qualifiers at the 2011 Adequan® North American Affiliate Championship (NAAC) in Oklahoma City last fall.

Sawyer Takes Reserve in Three Non Pro Divisions Linda Sawyer (Whitesboro, Tex.) and Hollywood Footworks (Footworks Finest x Mis Taylors Tomthumb by Docs Tom Thumb) took reserve honors in level 3, 2 and 1 along with $1,954. They loaded up on prizes earning one of each of the following for each division reserve championship: $100 Pard’s Western Shop gift card, 3.5 Pounds of Assure Guard, a bag of Purina feed, a gift certificate for a pair of Cinch jeans, a Classic Equine cap and an NRHA flash drive. Previously, the pair took the reserve championship in the level 4 non pro at the 2012 Jacspin Maturity and placed fourth in the highly-contested Rookie of the Year at the 2010 Adequan NAAC.

7 & Up Non Pro Sponsor – Silver Spurs Equine NRHA thanks Silver Spurs Equine for sponsoring the 7 & Up Non Pro. Silver Spurs Equine, creating a reining legacy one stallion at a time. Their legacy begins with NRHA Hall of Fame sire Boomernic, the stallion that ushered in the modern era of reining with Brett Stone in the driver’s seat. They continue that legacy with Conquistador Whiz, Spooks Gotta Gun, and Nic It In The Bud: stallions that are truly destined for greatness. Their philosophy is based on the belief that the true value of a stallion lies not only in his stud fee, but also in the value of his offspring. That’s why they offer the finest stallions at reasonable prices and create a partnership with their breeders. They motivate breeders with lucrative Futurity Incentive Awards and arm them with the knowledge and confidence that Silver Spurs will continually support them by promoting Silver Spurs stallions and their offspring. Join their breeding program and become the legacy at  www.silverspursequine.com.

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PRE FUTURITY NON PRO Asmussen Rides Two for Two in Pre Futurity Non Pro Jesse Asmussen of Andrew, Iowa entered the $75,000-added Pre Futurity Non Pro with the hopes of taking home bragging rights on one of the two horses he entered. He marked a 218 on his Rio Juice and a 215.5 on his Smart Chuka to claim the first and second place position in the level 4 and level 3 non pro divisions. Asmussen has accumulated more than $82,000 in NRHA Lifetime Earnings, has been a member since 2008 and was a Youth Incentive Winner. Most recently, he qualified for the level 4 and level 3 non pro finals at the 2012 NRHA Derby. His stallion Rio Juice is by NRHA Two Million Dollar Sire Smart Like Juice and out of the Doctor What mare Tari What. Smart Chuka is a son of NRHA Million Dollar Sire Smart Spook and out of the Smart Chic Olena mare Chuka Chic.

For his two rides, Asmussen earned $9,505, an NRHA Morrison trophy, Montana Silversmiths buckle, trophy saddle rack, Adequan 7-dose box, $200 SmartPak gift card, $150 Pard’s Western Shop gift card, Classic Equine Contour Pedic Reiner pad, 25 pounds of Platinum Performance CJ, $2,500 Twister Trailer certificate, 13 pounds of Assure Guard, a pair of Rios of Mercedes boots, two pairs of Cinch jeans, Classic Equine cap and two NRHA flash drives.

Taras is Level 2 and Level 1 Non Pro Champion Winnipegs’ Deanna Taras made the 1,300-mile trek from home with one chance for Cowtown gold. She marked a 213.53 on her Arc Knotty Mahogany to best her competition by 1.5 points. Taras has been a member of NRHA since 2005 and has shown primarily on a regional level. Her gelding comes from a long line of Reining success stories: bred by NRHA Million Dollar Owner Arcese Quarter Horses USA and by their Walla Walla Whiz (NRHA Derby Champion) and out of their Custom Mahogany (NRHA Open Futurity Reserve Champion by NRHA Three Million Dollar Sire Custom Crome).

Taras took home her share of the loot ($4,576) and two of the following: NRHA Morrison trophy, Montana Silversmiths buckle, trophy saddle rack, Adequan 7-dose box, $200 SmartPak gift card, $100 Pard’s Western Shop gift card, Classic Equine Contour Pedic Reiner pad, 25 pounds of Platinum Performance CJ, $2,500 Twister Trailer certificate, 9.4 pounds of Assure Guard, a pair of Rios of Mercedes boots, a pair of Cruel Girl jeans, and NRHA flash drive. For placing third in the level 4 non pro division, she won Steadfast Canine product and a Cinch cap.

Jennifer Gilliam and Janiene Borror’s Janie Stash The Cash tied with Shevin Schwatzenberger and Thetroublewithginger for reserve honors with identical scores of 212. Gilliam also placed second in the level 1 non pro division. Reserve champions in each division win the following product: $50 Pard’s Western Shop gift card, 3.5 pounds of Assure Guard, a pair of jeans from Miller International (Cinch and Cruel Girl), Classic Equine cap and an NRHA flash drive.

Party Time on Thursday NRHA, along with generous Corporate Partners Platinum Performance and Rios of Mercedes, hosted the NRHA Block Party Thursday night. The party included dinner and a free concert by Jake Hooker and The Outsiders. “The Ranch” radio was onsite with a live broadcast, contests and prizes. In addition, Rios of Mercedes’ sister company, Anderson Bean Boot Company, gave away a pair of boots during the concert.

THANKS TO NRHA CORPORATE PARTNERS AND EVENT SPONSORS The NRHA would like to thank the following Corporate Partners for their support throughout the year: Adequan®, Arenus, Bob’s Custom Saddles, Cinder Lakes Ranch and Reproduction Center, Classic Equine, Darling 888 Ranch, Downunder Horsemanship, Horse&Rider, John Deere, Kiser Arena Specialists, Markel Insurance Company, Merial, Montana Silversmiths, Oklahoma City Convention & Visitors Bureau, Pard’s Western Shop, Platinum Performance, Purina Mills, Quarter Horse News, Rios of Mercedes / Anderson Bean Boot Company, Miller International – Cinch / Cruel Girl, Silver Spurs Equine, SmartPak, Twister Trailer and World Development Group. NRHA also appreciates the contributions of Event Sponsors: Cool-A-Zone, eyeD™, KO Trading, Kyle Tack, Metro Golf Cars and Sandbur Productions.

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What is the NRHA Cowtown Classic? The second annual http://nrha.us2.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=a478fb2ef71469c6e4edec2b3&id=2832b3fb5f&e=bea5631638 NRHA Cowtown Classic offers nearly $300,000 in added money with more than 40 reining classes. In 2011, nearly 600 horses and 1,200 entries from across North America participated. The show includes a Novice Horse Open Derby (Aug. 17-18) for 4-, 5- and 6-year-olds who have won less than $20,000 in NRHA Lifetime Earnings, a Pre Futurity (Aug. 16-17) for today’s up-and-coming reining horses, the Silver Spurs Equine 7 & Up Non Pro (Aug. 16), “Rein & Shoot” (Aug. 17) featuring a competition amongst Cowboy Mounted Shooters and NRHA members, and the crowd favorite “Four Minutes of Fame Freestyle Reining” (Aug. 18). In addition, the show offers a range of classes perfect for all levels of riders including the Green Reiner, Youth, Rookie and 4D classes. Get more information on the show at http://nrha.us2.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=a478fb2ef71469c6e4edec2b3&id=1016dc16ef&e=bea5631638 www.nrhaclassic.com.

Admission and Special Offers Ticket prices for Rein & Shoot (Aug. 17) and Four Minutes of Fame Freestyle Reining (Aug. 18)

* General Admission = $7. * Reserved = $10. * Kids 10 & Under = FREE. * FREE admission all week to youth wearing clothing representing an agriculture-oriented youth association (4-H, FFA, National High School Rodeo Association, etc.). * Parking = $5.

Fun for the Family Fri., Aug. 17 – 5:30 p.m. Ice Cream Social and eyeD Demonstration – Platinum Performance Party Patio

* Visitors can build custom ice cream sundaes and watch a demonstration from eyeD™, NRHA Cowtown Classic Event Sponsor, on their animal identification that uses iris scan technology.

Fri., Aug. 17 – 7 p.m. “Rein & Shoot” – Coliseum Spectators will be thrilled by the speed, accuracy and finesse of two unique western sports – Reining and Cowboy Mounted Shooting.

* Top reining horses and NRHA riders will perform a precise pattern of small slow circles, large fast circles, a series of 360° spins done in place, rundowns, rollbacks, dirt-flying sliding stops and a backup – with virtually no visible cues from the rider. Watch this video to see Reining:  www.bit.ly/NRHAPromo. * Cowboy Mounted Shooting Association riders from the “Lonestar Regulators” will display Cowboy Mounted Shooting, an event where riders take their horses through a fast-paced obstacle course using two .45 caliber single action revolvers each loaded with five rounds of specially prepared blank ammunition. Watch Cowboy Mounted Shooting at  www.cmsaevents.com.

Sat., Aug. 18 – 7 p.m. “Four Minutes of Fame Freestyle Reining” – Coliseum

* NRHA will bring one of its most popular events to Forth Worth for the first time. Freestyle reining is a crowd favorite where riders are free to express their “style” by performing their own reining pattern to music while both horse and rider are dressed to play the part. Some ride without a saddle and others perform without a bridle for steering the horse through the required maneuvers! Have you ever seen a horse with angel’s wings or a horse and rider dressed up like a zebra, a motorcycle rider or a bride? Come to the “Four Minutes of Fame Freestyle Reining” and you might see just that! Watch the description of freestyle reining at  www.bit.ly/freestyle-reining.

Anticipated Freestyle Reining acts include:

* Shane Brown and Houston Shine to “God Gave Me You.” * John Horn and Pure Pleasin to “Cancion Del Mariachi.” * Melanie Wilhelm and A Smokin Enterprise to “I Can’t Drive 55.” * Pete Kyle and KR Ima Another to “Joy to the World.” * Barbara Aitken and Totally Dun Twistin to “Cupid Shuffle.” * Marcy Blakely and “Peptos Nic In Time to “It’s Time to Ride.” * Leslie Temple and Duntattoedavaquero to “Pink Panther.” * Rylee Justus and Bright Lil Gun to “I Love a Rainy Night.” * Plus surprise acts from Doug Milholland and Allison Smith.

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