OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. — California reiners were hot indoors during an otherwise icy 10 days at the National Reining Horse Association Futurity, returning home with some notable performances at the national competition – both the Futurity and the Adequan North American Affiliate Championships.

This year’s NRHA Futurity paid out $2,104,900, with 1,108 Open entries vying for $1,500,950. There were 660 Non Pro Futurity entries going for $603,980. The 3,047 combined Futurity and NAAC entries were the second-largest in history, and taking into account the record-setting prices at the NRHA/Markel Insurance Futurity Sale, the mood was upbeat.

“These are great indicators of the strength of the reining horse industry not only for this year, but also for many years to come,” said NRHA spokesperson Christa Morris, adding that the sale average for the 175 sold horses increased to $17,552 from $13,746 in 2012.

While history was made in the Futurity Open, where Level 4 Reserve Champion Shawn Flarida became the first NRHA $5 Million Rider with Tinseltown Fly Guy (see Newstrader, Page 59), major wins eluded Californians. Still, there were some high-ranking performances. In the Open Level 4, Cam Essick’s Holier Than Thou (Jacs Electric Spark x Stylena), ridden by Arno Honstetter, marked a 222.5 for a fifth-place tie and $53,629 in earnings.

NAAC competition was dominated by members of the Northwest Affiliate, most of whom ride with the Northern California-based West Coast Reining Horse Association. The final tally after the Nov. 28-Dec. 7 competition put the WCRHA and Northwest Affiliate atop the nation for the first time, winning a $2,500 prize from sponsor Smart Pak for the 2013 Adequan NAAC Team Championship. The West Coast group’s 154 combined total outpointed perennial affiliate power South Central, which scored 140.

“South Central has really dominated over the years, partially due to their numbers and partially because of their proximity to the Futurity,” said WCRHA member David Hanson of Clements, who won the Ancillary and NAAC Intermediate Open Championships on Giselle Turchetse’s Load Your Gun. “West Coast is a big part of that and definitely contributed a lot of the points, but the whole Northwest Region helped make it happen.”

The NAAC championships featured 515 entries competing for $53,000 – each of them NRHA members and horses that had qualified through their respective Regional Affiliate Finals. Each finals sends its eight highest-placing riders, plus ties, to the show, held during the Futurity in the Adequan Arena, to compete for North American bragging rights.

“When David and I received the check for high-point Northwest regional Affliate, we knew our board of directors’ dream had come true,” said WCRHA President Ollie Galligan, whose group will bring a new Derby and 4-year-old Stakes competition to their line-up in 2014.

California standouts included NAAC Intermediate Non Pro Reserve Champion Sandy Bentien of Auburn on Make It With A Twist (Dun It With A Twist x SR Mischief Maker) and Lauren Crivelli on Rebas Best Step Yet (Wimpys Little Step x Starlights Reba), who scored a 214 in a run-off to win the Adequan NAAC Silver Spurs Equine Rookie of the Year. Also, Charlize Zuraek of Los Altos Hills rode Rollin Back Rawhide (Dunit Rawhide x Solo Poco Solano) to the NAAC Youth 13-under Reserve Championship.

Other WCRHA reiners finishing at the top of their classes were Matthew McDowell, the reserve champion behind Hanson in the Ancillary and NAAC Intermediate Opens aboard Tamarack Ranch’s Miss Silver Gun (Colonels Smoking Gun x Miss Taris Rey), and Brent Naylor on Karl With A K (Like A Diamond x Gunners Sureshot), champions in the NAAC Novice Horse Open Level 1 class. The future looks bright for California reining, too, judging by the performances of Zuraek, Campbell McLeod on Reeboks Rerun (Champion, Ancillary 10-under short stirrup), and Lauren Hanson on Slide Zone (Reserve, Ancillary 10-under short stirrup).

Southern California reiners in the Southwest Affiliate shined, too, with Burbank-based Tom Foran high on the Intermediate Open charts with Lorraine Larramendy’s Timber Winner (third in Ancillary and NAAC, respectively) as well as on the Novice Horse Open Level 1 list with Rex Ross’s Italian Revolution (Einsteins Revolution x Chic Lil Ruby), taking the reserve title.

The reserve championship title was earned by Rollin Back Rawhide (Dunit Rawhide x Solo Poco Solano) and Charlize Zuraek (Los Altos Hills, Calif.) with a 213.5 for the Northwest region. The 1997 gelding is owned by Jake Cagle.

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