Ranch Horse News

NATIONAL VERSATILITY

RANCH HORSE ASSOCIATION

In 2007, the National Versatility Ranch

Horse Association (NVRHA) was established in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Today, the association boasts members from Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, New Mexico and Wisconsin. The NVRHA offers five classes for competitors: ranch riding, ranch trail, ranch cutting, working ranch horse and ranch conformation. In addition to class awards and achievement awards based on points, the association annually names a top horse as their “Legend” horse, which is directly related to the association’s motto, “Ride the Legend.” The 150-plus members of NVRHA qualify to compete in the year-end championship by competing in a minimum of two shows during the year. According to NVRHA Vice-President Donna Stewart, riders range from those who have never shown before to seasoned horse-show veterans looking for a change. “We offer a relaxed environment to enjoy horses with friends,” Stewart says. “Our association is a great place to start a young horse out—low pressure, safe environment, focus on education and ‘doing things right.’ ”Stewart says this year may hold some changes for the association. While there was a Youth division in NVRHA early on, the numbers dropped to the point where the youth were mixed into the other divisions. However, a recent uptick in young riders has the association looking to reinstate the Youth category. In addition, the association is in talks with groups in Alabama, Nebraska and Wyoming to add affiliate shows. In 2016, 32 competitors vied for titles at the September 24-26, championship show that caps off the year. Open Champion Lavert Avent, Elbert, Colorado, rode away with the title World’s Greatest Ranch Horse on Metallic Gun, owned by G.M. and Joyce Ann Jones. Avent originally joined NVRHA to improve as a competitor before trying his hand in reined cow horse shows. However, he kept returning because of the challenge of competing in multiple events. “It was a stepping stone to get my feet wet in the show pen and get more seasoned to go down the fence,” he says. “It just took off from there. I like it. It is really hard to get a horse seasoned for five or six events.

The cow classes are [this horse’s] real deal; I can always depend on him.” Lavert Avent started riding G.M. and Joyce Ann Jones’ stallion Metallic gun only a year ago. the two topped the open division to win the NVRHA’s World’s greatest ranch horse championship.

The cattle classes helped keep Avent in the hunt for the championship after a bobble or two in the ranch trail. All in all, Avent says the horse competed to his usual level, which is top of the class. In addition to showing at NVRHA events, Avent often acts as a clinician during the

Saturday clinic/Sunday show weekend events. Having clinicians like Avent who know what it is like to show in versatility and can offer sound advice is one of the reasons that Limited Amateur Champion Richard Cook enjoys showing in NVRHA. Cook rode his homebred 10-year-old Paint mare, Real To Reel, to the title.“I’ve been doing this for about 8 years and kind of toying with it, but nothing serious,” Cook says. “I’ve had fun and made friends, but this past year I decided to get serious about it. I went to more clinics and trainers to see what [the judges] wanted to see, studied the classes and rode harder to be better at it.”Cook’s dedication paid off with a win. He may have achieved one goal, but Cook has no intention of slacking off. He says that 2017 will find him showing in Amateur and riding a younger horse. For him, the friendships and quality of horses bring him back show after show.

“I did a lot of pleasure stuff when I was younger, but I got tired of doing that when the horses started to ‘false lope’ and stuff,” he says. “The [versatility] kind of showed up in my backyard, and I gave it a try. It was fun, and I slowly got more and more serious about it. The people [in NVRHA] are tremendously friendly. They are laid back and will help you if you have trouble.”

The helpful attitude and desire to make things fun is what Stewart sees as the association’s greatest benefit to members. “It is hard to bring people together and keep them motivated in an organization. We are all volunteer[s], and it can be a struggle,” Stewart says. “We don’t award money except in the Open at the finals, but we focus on edu-cation and outreach. We have a lot of people in our area that don’t know about ranch horse and versatility, and we want to change that.”

Copperish Continues Success

Written by Kelsey Pecsek on .

Copperish may have lost a cow in the Open semifinals at the National Cutting Horse Association (NCHA) Futurity, but she has come on with power as a 4-year-old this year. She followed up several strong showings at early limited-age events with an impressive win at The Cattlemen’s Derby & Classic.

Ridden by Marietta, Oklahoma, trainer Lloyd Cox for Jimmie Smith, of Geary, Oklahoma, Copperish dominated the Derby Open in Graham, Texas, with a huge 227 in the 18-horse, two-set finals. The Double Dove Ranch-bred mare (Metallic Cat x Stylish Play Lena x Docs Stylish Oak) and her rider earned $15,000 for their efforts.

“The last cow was pretty tough, but she handled it real well. I was extremely pleased with how it went,” said Cox, who boasts lifetime earnings of more than $8 million. “These 4-year-olds have been to quite a few shows now and got seasoned, so they’ve gotten better. You put a good cow in front of them and they do pretty good.”

In addition to Copperish, Cox showed Sly Rey Girl and Nothing Elz Matters in the Derby Open finals, finishing in the top 10 with all of the horses he got back. Sly Rey Girl (Dual Rey x Sly Playgirl x That Sly Cat) marked a 219.5 to tie for fourth, worth $10,375, and Nothing Elz Matters (Metallic Cat x Little Peppy Jazz x Smart Little Lena) scored a 218 for a three-way tie for seventh, worth $8,500. Altogether, Cox’s mounts earned $33,875 in the finals.

“Jimmie bought her as a yearling through the black tie sale and sent her to me, mostly because I’ve rode a lot of babies out of her mother, Stylish Play Lena,” Cox said about Copperish, who sold to Smith for $210,000 at the 2014 Western Bloodstock Select Yearling Sale & Gala. “I was sure happy to get her. You never know what you’re going to get, but that breeding was certainly something you’d want.”

Stylish Play Lena, who garnered about $290,000 in her own show career with Cox, has produced 17 money-earners. Thanks to the paycheck Copperish picked up at The Cattlemen’s, her total get earnings surpassed the $1.5 million milestone, giving her an incredible offspring average of $88,751. Copperish is a half-brother to $300,000-plus earners Pepto Boom (by Peptoboonsmal), Hottish (by Spots Hot) and Smooth Talkin Style (by Smooth As A Cat).

 

Derby Amateur

The Derby Amateur finals may have been small – only 18 horses were entered in the division, so merely five advanced – but that didn’t stop Champions Medal For Honor and John Rockey from putting their best efforts forward.

Rockey, of Palmdale, California, rode the Double Dove Ranch-bred gelding (Metallic Cat x Charlies Angel Rey x Dual Rey) to a 218 to win his title and a $3,400 paycheck. That score was also good enough to top the Senior class for an additional $1,260.

Medal For Honor is the leading money-earner out of Charlies Angel Rey, who garnered nearly $40,000 in her own cutting career. The gelding is poised to overtake his dam with more than $37,000 in earnings after this win.

Rockey boasts almost $120,000 on his Equi-Stat record. The veteran cutter earned his first check in 1985, according to the database. He was recently seen in headlines with Let Georgie Do It (Metallic Cat x Hey Georgy Girl x Wild Thing DNA), who ended 2016 as the NCHA Amateur Horse of the Year.

The Derby Amateur Reserve Championship and $2,750 second-place paycheck were awarded to Robert Thigpen Jr., of Chilton, Texas, for marking a 213 on Noodles Brown (Metallic Cat x Jitters Brown x Smart Little Lena), bred by David Brown, of Gainesville, Texas.

 

Classic Amateur

Madison Crum and Metallictoy did their jobs so well in Graham that they made it back in both the Classic Unlimited Amateur and Classic Amateur finals. In the Amateur, they managed to best their 10 competitors for the Championship, worth $2,500.

From Weatherford, Texas, Crum went to The Cattlemen’s with just more than $20,000 to her name in Equi-Stat. Thanks to her win and a fourth-place finish in the Classic Unlimited Amateur, she boosted that number by $5,000.

Metallictoy (Metallic Cat x Smartlittlelenastoy x Smart Little Lena), bred by Banawien Ranch LLC, of Little Rock, Arkansas, sold to Beechfork Ranch in mid-2012. Since then, the 6-year-old red roan mare has garnered more than $70,000, including her checks from The Cattlemen’s. She is her dam’s second-highest earner behind half-brother Lean On Rey (by Dual Rey), whose lifetime earnings total $157,420.

Final Champions Crowned in Arbuckle

5/6-Year-Old Non-Pro & Unlimited Amateur

Ruby Shadow Cat has made his mark in the Open with Jaime Snider and Gary Gonsalves, but in Arbuckle, the gelding (Metallic Cat x Ruby Tuesday DNA x Peppy San Badger) proved he could excel in several levels of cutting.

Owner Mike Kemna first took Ruby Shadow Cat in the 5/6-Year-Old Non-Pro and had an impressive showing that earned a 221 from the judges and the Championship.

A day later, Kemna built on his previous performance and laid down an impressive 227 on the gelding in the 5/6-Year-Old Unlimited Amateur to claim his second title at the event. Altogether, the pair garnered $11,690, which pushed Ruby Shadow Cat to more than $90,000 in lifetime earnings.

Regan Plendl and Mr Metallic Rey (Metallic Cat x Rey Of Oak x Dual Rey) hit the ground running at the 2016 National Cutting Horse Association (NCHA) Futurity and advanced to both the Amateur and the Unlimited Amateur finals.

The pair had some tough luck in both showings, but that didn’t discourage them from continuing with confidence at the Arbuckle Mountain Futurity. In the 4-Year-Old Non-Pro finals, the pair marked a stellar 224 to clinch the Championship.

They kept the momentum going today during the 4-Year-Old Unlimited Amateur finals and topped their previous score after earning a 225. Those top marks allowed them to grasp their second title in Arbuckle.

In total they collected $16,561 for the their wins, which pushed Plendl’s homebred gelding to an Equi-Stat record of $22,490. Plendl now boasts lifetime earnings of more than $125,981.

5/6-Year-Old Open Champion

Metallic Rebel racked up several championships last year in the Derby Open classes, and his success is continuing as a 5-year-old with Equi-Stat Elite $3 Million RiderBeau Galyean in the saddle. The stallion added another title to his résumé during his time in Oklahoma by claiming the 5/6-Year-Old Open Championship.

Galyean and Metallic Rebel (Metallic Cat x Sweet Abra x Abrakadabracre) were fourth to go out of 17 horse-and-rider teams, and they laid down an impressive run, which was worth a blazing 229. No one was able to top their score, so they sent home an $8,000 check to owner Thomas Guinn, of Philadelphia, Mississippi. This win brings the stallion, who was bred by Alvin and Becky Fults, to lifetime earnings of more than $225,000.

Metallic Rebel kick-started his 2017 season with a win in the 5/6-Year-Old Open at the Abilene Cutting Spectacular and then made the 5/6-Year-Old Open finals in West Monroe, Louisiana, at The Ike Derby and Classic. In 2015, he picked up three Derby Open Championships at The Ike, the Pacific Coast Cutting Horse Association Derby and the West Texas Futurity. He is the highest money-earner out of Sweet Abra, who was the No. 1 producing dam of cutting horses in 2016, according to Equi-Stat.

New Incentive Added for Metallic Cat Offspring

From the National Reined Cow Horse Association

Metallic Cat’s foals are eligible for a new $10,000 incentive purse at the 2016 National Reined Cow Horse Association Stallion Stakes.

Here is one more reason to love the great performer and sire Metallic Cat (High Brow Cat-Chers Shadow by Peptoboonsmal)! His foals are eligible for a new $10,000 incentive purse at the 2016 National Reined Cow Horse Association Stallion Stakes.

Any Metallic Cat foal that advances to the 2016 NRCHA Stallion Stakes finals is eligible for the incentive. The Metallic Cat offspring with the highest composite score in the finals will receive the $10,000 paycheck.

With just one-and-a-half performing foal crops, Metallic Cat’s sire earnings are already $5,822,895. In 2014, he was the the No. 2 sire of 3-year-old NRCHA performers and the No. 3 sire of National Cutting Horse Association performers. 

The 2005 stallion, owned by Alvin and Becky Fults, is a NCHA Futurity champion, NCHA Horse of the Year and a member of the NCHA Hall of Fame. He is the second highest money-earning stallion in NCHA history, and in 12 show outings with cutting horse professional Beau Galyean at the reins, he never missed the finals or lost a cow.