From Horsetrader staff reports

After a year of good competition and camaraderie, the California Reining Horse Association announced its list of 2018 Year-end Champions and Reserve Champions.

The CRHA’s 2019 schedule is upon us, with the Sweetheart Reining scheduled for Feb. 2–4 at the Los Angeles Equestrian Center in Burbank.

From releases and staff reports

RANCHO MURIETA—A memorable 2018 reining season was memorialized Jan. 19 when then West Coast Reining Horse Association held its year-end awards banquet at the Murieta Inn and Spa, the beautiful, new facility owned by Carol Ward, who owns the Murieta Equestrian Center.

David Hanson was master of ceremonies at the event, which included a silent auction that raised $7,500. In addition to awards presentations, the night included prestigious special awards like the Kathryn Cagle “Inspire-Me” Award, the WCRHA “Horseperson of the Year” and WCRHA “Horse of the Year”.

BURBANK—Each year, the California Reining Horse Association puts on “the show of shows” of the West Coast, and this year was no different when the CRHA Challenge lit up the Los Angeles Equestrian Center Oct. 24-28.

Southern California’s biggest reining competition drew top horses and riders from throughout California, Arizona, and Nevada. Coming away with special awards this year were Charmain Sauro, who rode Zins Rowdy Whiz to the CRHA Reiner of the Year Award; Rex Ross, recipient of the Rick Flathers Sportsmanship Award; Marilyn Scheffers, who rode Gunna Juice You to the Gatolotto Memorial Buckle; and Allison Williams who took home a trailer as well as the Rebecca Goss Memorial Trophy after the duo swept the CRHA and NRHA Rookie Level 2 events.
Setting this show apart from CRHA’s other shows is the number of aged events available to competitors.

Friday night saw tough competition in the Yellowstone Non Pro Derby. Kristen Booth swept the Level 4, 3, and 2 Non Pro Derby with a massive score of 149.5 aboard Kristin L Kutchuk’s Baby’s Got Blue Eyes. Brook Boyle, aboard Barbi and Michael Boyle’s Sunset Nite claimed second in the Level 4 and 3, only one point behind Booth. The Level 1 Non Pro Derby also saw big scores with Maria Danieli-Krueger taking the with with a score of 147 aboard Equestrian Properties’ Shining On Spooks.

WINTER

THE TRAUMA OF DECEMBER’S WILDFIRES—and subsequent mudslides a month later in some areas—was far from forgotten in communities from San Diego County to Central California. In many places, victim needs still outstripped supplies. But signs of recovery were appearing, slowly.
While the toll of the terrible trio—the Lilac Fire in Bonsall, Creek Fire in Los Angeles and Thomas Fire in Ventura County—was still being calculated, groups formed both formally and informally to mutually support and educate neighbors in respective communities.
Deer Springs Equestrian in San Marcos, a few miles due south of the Lilac Fire, conducted a two-hour equine microchip clinic on Jan. 13, where Dr. Emily Sandler of Pacific Coast Equine Veterinary Services microchipped and registered horses.
The local advocacy group, the Twin Oaks Valley Equestrian Association, sent out a comprehensive self-evacuation guide that could be a difference-maker in preparation for a future event. The guide is rooted in the Cal Fire Volunteers in Prevention campaign after the June 2008 Lightning Strike Fires in Tehama County.
In the area struck by the Creek Fire in Los Angeles, equestrians banded together to educate, plan and communicate using lessons learned from the Dec. 6 firestorm that devastated longtime equestrian centerpieces in their community like Middle Ranch and Gibson Ranch.
At Gibson Ranch, volunteers worked several months, lending skills and effort toward a common vision: the return of the horse ranch to normal.

DEL MAR—The 10th Annual Pink Classic Championships came to Showpark Oct. 18-21, bringing the seaside venue to life with an all-breed show that kept multiple arenas humming.

Held every October, this cancer-awareness horse event featured signs throughout the venue that displayed cancer facts and statistics, emphasizing early detection. Pink Bandanas and wrist bands were free to exhibitors and spectators—pink wristbands symbolizing support and white wristbands for cancer survivors.

Ranch horse versatility classes have created a wave of interest, says show manager Poncie Hermann-Gimple, because they offer an opportunity to compete with your horse without the expense of an expensive show tack and outfits, and also becasue of a better sense of camaraderie that stems from a more level playing field due to the difficulty of patterns. Show management is allowed to draw and present original patterns that have not been seen prior to the show.

New this year was the High Point Ranch Horse, with the champion receiving the Emily Jungers Perpetual Mel Lawson Trophy. Emily, who succumbed to cancer nine years ago, was on the Track One Events staff many years.

The horses competed in ranch riding, ranch trail, ranch on the rail, and conformation at halter.

DEL MAR—The Del Mar International swept through the Del Mar Fairgrounds three consecutive weekends in October, showcasing a spectrum of talent vying for series awards and medal finals.

One of the highlights was the Oct. 21 $25,000 GGT Footing Grand Prix Series Final, presented by California Horsetrader and horsetrader.com. Eduardo Mendes took the final, but Kristiin Hardin ended the year as the GGT Series CHampions.

Menezes couldn’t say enough good things about the 15-year-old chestnut Warmblood gelding owned by Carlos Hank.

Coming in second was Mandy Porter on Pasilla, an 11-year-old grey Swedish Warmblood mare owned by Sarah Ballou.

NORCO—From the mounted shooting to carriage driving—and everything in-between, it seemed—the Second Annual Norco Horse Affair brought Ingalls Park Equestrian Center to life Oct. 5-7. Presented by The Thrifty Horse Consignment Shoppe, the event drew attendees from throughout Southern California to enjoy three days of seminars, entertainment and shopping the wares of more than 35 vendors.

More online: http://bit.ly/811_Norco

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz.—With more than $100,000 in added prize money and some of reining’s biggest names, the Arizona Reining Horse Association’s The Best of the West highlighted the season for the host Arizona Reining Horse Association. The show featured the fund-raising Reining Boot Camp, designed for green, rookie and non pro riders who were introduced to other reiners, local affiliate volunteers and multiple trainers and had their maneuvers evaluated without the pressure of a show. Boot Camps benefit the RHF Dale Wilkinson Memorial Crisis Fund, helping reiners enduring hardships.

More online: http://bit.ly/811_AZRHA

LAS VEGAS, Nev.—If what goes over well in ‘Vegas, stays in `Vegas, than the National Stock Horse Association’s Snaffle Bit Futurity, Derby and World’s Richest Bridle competition has found a new home.

In the Protect The Harvest-sponsored Open Futurity, Justin Wright shined, finishing with four horses in the money and racking up about $42,500. He claimed $27,055 for his championship finish on Eric Frietas’s Scooter Kat, a son of National Cutting Horse Association (NCHA) Open World Champion Kit Kat Sugar out of Scooters Daisy Dukes, a mare by Dual Smart Rey that earned $93,217 in the cutting pen. Reserve Champions Phillip Ralls on Lil Time Reymanising (One Time Pepto x Reymanising) were 5.5 points back in the composite score and earned $16,378 for owner Holy Cow Performance Horses.

Wright also earned Open Futurity money on Dan Heath’s Smokum Every Time (third place tie; $9,827), Mark and Kim Rauch’s One Sparkling Time (10th place tie; $4,397) and Bill Stevenson’s Metallic Flame (16th place; $1,213).

RENO, Nev.—The tradition of the reined cow horse sport on the West Coast continued with the Second Annual Reno Snaffle Bit Futurity, presented by Lucas Oil and Protect The Harvest, held Sept. 10-16 at the Reno-Sparks Livestock Events Center.

Highlights of the futurity included the crowning of Metallic Flame and Justin Wright as the Open Futurity champions, Got Kisses and Laurie Richards taking home the Non Pro Futurity championship titl, the continued tradition of Reno Snaffle Bit Sales held in conjunction with the futurity, the new addition of the Wild Spayed Filly Futurity competition (which Lance Johnston and Three Fingers Holly dominated), and plenty of shopping with the western vendors located along the concourse.

“Our entries were up from 2017 in the futurity divisions and horse show classes, and we are amazed at the remarkable support we’ve received from the reined cow horse world,” said John Ward of Tulare, and one of the founders of the Reno Snaffle Bit Futurity.