OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. – A pair of California non pros were West Coast headliners from the 2013 NRHA Derby, the association’s showcase competition for 4-, 5- and 6-year old reining horses that this year set a payout record of $948,000 to owners and nominators of open and non pro finalists.

One of those non-pro finalists, Kelly Moran, took her newest ride, Wimpys Mega Step (Wimpys Little Step x Moonstone Mega) to third in the Level 3 Non Pro Finals and 10th in the Level 4, earning a combined $10,110.

“Kelly did awesome,” said her trainer since 2009, Tracer Gilson of Sanger. “Since she’s been here, she’s probably tripled her lifetime earnings. She’s a sweetheart who works really hard at it.”

TULSA, Okla. — A wide array of Pinto horses, ponies and miniatures vied to be champions at the 2013 Pinto World Championship, held June 10-22. Exhibitors and their equines traveled far and wide to earn a multitude of prizes, awards and friendships.

SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO — On a warm Southern California afternoon with temperatures reached into the 80s, twenty-one pairs rode a course set by designer Pierre Jolicoeur in the $30,000 Blenheim Red, White & Blue Grand Prix, presented by Markel Insurance. With a mix of rookies and veterans, both horse and rider, the track was inviting to all who entered. Of the ten who were clear in the first round, Brazilian Eduardo Menezes once again led the victory gallop, this time aboard Caruschka.

BURBANK — As the show season neared its mid-year point, Southern California reiners converged on the Los Angeles Equestrian Center June 7-9 to get NRHA Affiliate qualifying points at the 2013 California Reining Horse Association Affiliate Finale show.

PASO ROBLES — The National Reined Cow Horse Association brought its finest 4- and 5-year old horses back to the Midstate Fairgrounds for the NRCHA Jack and Phoebe Cook Memorial Derby June 10-15, and California Non Pros were the thunder.

Actually, lightning may best describe Shawn Renshaw, who capped a dramatic comeback from life-threatening injuries when he guided Gennys Prize to a 651 score (213 herd/218.5 rein/219.5 cow) that won the Derby Non-Pro title, earning $7,069.

Twelve years ago, Renshaw rode Gennys Prize’s sire, Smokums Prize (Smokum Oak x Tommy Tivio Tucker x Doc Tucker) to the NRCHA Snaffle Bit Futurity Non-Pro Reserve Championship and had also qualified him for the Open finals, but a back injury just before the Open finals forced Renshaw to find a catch-rider. He asked top professional Ted Robinson to take Smokums Prize’s reins – and Robinson rode the stallion to the Futurity Open Championship.

Gennys Prize’s dam, Genuinely Perfect, belonged to Renshaw’s 29-year-old daughter, Nicholle, when she was a child.

“We sold the mare to a friend, Katy Murphy of Irish Oaks Ranch. She raised several foals out of her, and the mare passed away last year. This is her last foal by my old stud horse, Smokums Prize. I won this event [the Derby] on Smokums Prize 12 years ago. [Gennys Prize] has been a blessing since the day I got on him. He’s everything I want a horse to be,” Renshaw said.

Renshaw, a farrier by trade, bought Gennys Prize from Murphy on some extended barter terms.

“I trimmed and shod horses for her for a year to pay for him. He was my comeback project. That’s why he is so special to Kim and me,” Renshaw said.

The 53-year-old horseman, a farrier by trade, sustained a skull fracture and other injuries when he fell from the rafters during a barn construction project six years ago. During the emergency treatment, doctors discovered Renshaw had a potentially deadly heart condition.

“I had to have open heart surgery, and have some of my bowels replaced. It was a long challenge to get back from that. It took away all my balance. I went through hell,” Renshaw said.

The medical bills also devastated the Renshaws financially. Kim obtained a realtor’s license and slowly but surely restored the family’s income stream.

Little by little, Renshaw regained his strength. The horsemanship skills that have helped him win more than $300,000 in his NRCHA career remained as strong as ever, as he guided Gennys Prize to approximately $20,000 in earnings at the 2011 NRCHA Snaffle Bit Futurity – and the comeback has continued ever since. Renshaw plans to continue showing cow horses, and branch out into major National Reining Horse Association competition.

He thanked his wife for her unwavering support, and thanked his herd help. Renshaw also credited his friends, professional horsemen Randy Paul and Tracer Gilson, for their role in his success, and he thanked Murphy for agreeing to sell Gennys Prize to him in trade.

The Derby Non-Pro Reserve Champion was Laurie Ward, Kingsburg, who guided Pumped Up Kix (Smart Little Pepinic x Olivias Response x Dual Peppy) to a total 646 score (216 herd/218 rein/212 cow). The 2009 gelding is owned by Ward Ranch. Ward also scored a big win in the Non Pro Bridle Spectacular aboard No Chic Flicks, owned by Ronnie and Karin Richards.

Texan Chris Dawson rode into the National Reined Cow Horse Association record books when he piloted Travelin Jonez (Smart Chic Olena x Travelin With Sass x Travalena) to the NRCHA Jack and Phoebe Cooke Memorial Derby Championship. Dawson has won all four NRCHA Premier Limited-Age Event Championships thus far in 2013; three of them aboard Travelin Jonez.

The 5-year-old stallion, who Dawson owns, claimed the Derby title by an 8-point margin, scoring a combined 670.5. (219.5 herd/223 rein/228 cow), and winning both the rein work and cow work rounds on his way to the $35,465 Championship check.

Todd Bergen and Smart Luck won the CD Survivor Bridle Spectacular sponsored by Holy Cow Performance Horses, earning $28,500.

Another California Non Pro winner was Jayson Fisher of nearby Arroyo Grande. Riding Little Brown Indian (Hickorys Indian Pep x No Pleasin This Chic x Chic Please), a 2008 gelding who belongs to his 15-year-old son, Wyatt, Fisher won the Derby Intermediate Non-Pro Championship with a 644.5 composite score (219 herd/209.5 rein/216 cow).

The Championship paid $4,418, and Fisher collected another $4,948 for third place in the Derby Non-Pro.

Fisher bought “Tomahawk” from his friend and fellow non-pro competitor, Eric Freitas, as a high school cutting horse for Wyatt.

“My son got so busy in school, that I started riding him, and he just started picking things up so well that I decided to enter him,” Fisher said. “Wyatt gets him back after this. I’m done. I have two Futurity horses, and I wasn’t really supposed to ride him.”

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SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO — Mara Chemerinsky and star medium pony Paris were close to perfect in winning the 2013 Zone 10 Pony Challenge, which included a model, under saddle and a jumping class — all on the grass.

The Grand Champion garnered some excellent scores for the tri-color in the competition, which featured 11 small, 14 medium and five large ponies in the open divisions and nine green ponies overall.

Chemerinsky and Paris recorded scores of 88, 87 and 90, respectively, in the three classes. Trained by Marci Mosconi, Chemerinsky has only competed on Paris three times this season.

SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO — Sixteen horse-and-rider pairs attempted the track set by internationally renowned course designer Guilherme Jorge in the $30,000 June Classic III Grand Prix, presented by The Ritz Carlton Laguna Niguel. Only three fault-free rounds spoke of the challenge, with the victory going to the only double clear of the day, Brazilian Josephina Nor-Lantzman and Chello Z.

“It’s a grand prix where a lot of people are moving up as well as having some experienced riders,” Jorge said. “My idea is to build a course where we can have a good level of competition but still have a jump-off.”

RANCHO MURIETA — Competition was fierce, but the weather was not at the third and fourth 2013 West Coast Reining Horse Association Affiliate shows held May 23-26 at Murieta Equestrian Center at Rancho Murieta.

Just over 200 horses and riders enjoyed the high 70s, low 80s which held for all four days of the show, which also featured the WCRHA Shootout competition. After exhibitors and friends enjoyed a potluck of food and drinks, the Non Pro Shootout commenced, as an enthusiastic crowd cheered the 27 entrants.

SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO — He led the victory gallop in Del Mar a month ago on Calavda, and wins today on La Fleur 4.

On yet another great day in Southern California, a small but stellar group of international competitors took on the challenge presented by world-renowned course designer Linda Allen in the $30,000 June Classic I Grand Prix, sponsored by St. Regis Monarch Beach Resort. Previous to this event, Hannah Heidegger dominated the final qualifier for the 2013 North American Junior & Young Rider Championships and young professional Nick Haness continued his prowess in the CashCall Mortgage Futurity series.

TEMECULA – It was deja vu all over again at the Seventh Annual Sherri Gilkerson Memorial Bridle weekend, as Lyn Anderson and Lance Johnston emerged with respective Open Spectacular bridle and hackamore victories at the May 17-19 event that mirrored their success from two years ago.