In a dizzying ascent to the top of the National Reined Cow Horse Association’s sire earnings list, Metallic Cat now sits at Number One. The red roan stallion’s offspring has cut, reined and gone down the fence to the tune of more than $4,250,000*. 

Owned by Bobby Patton’s Rocking P Ranch, based in Patton’s hometown of Weatherford, Texas, the 2005 stallion by High Brow Cat and out of Chers Shadow (by Peptoboonsmal) supported reined cow horse before becoming the presenting sponsor of the NRCHA Snaffle Bit Futurity® in 2019, the year he also was named the NRCHA Sire of the Year. With this newest accolade, Metallic Cat continues to add to a résumé that began when the stallion was showing in the dirt at the Will Rogers Coliseum earning multiple National Cutting Horse Association titles. 

Bred by the Roan Rangers and shown by Beau Galyean for then-owners Alvin and Becky Fults’ Fults Ranch, the stallion never lost a cow in the cutting pen and amassed more than $637,000 in lifetime earnings. 

“We are just thrilled he reached this milestone in such a short time,” said Alvin Fults. “That was always a goal of ours when we started breeding with Metallic Cat to the cow horse industry breeders. The sky is the limit where he goes; there are lots of offspring showing and will be for many more years. Congratulations to Bobby Patton for all he’s done to keep promoting Metallic Cat.”

Patton acquired the stallion in 2015 a year after he had purchased Spots Hot, a cutting horse stallion that he said showed him what the breeding business was like. 

“I could see an immediate return on investment in the breeding year following buying ‘Spot.’ That gave me a taste of stallion ownership and an understanding of the business,” said Patton. “When I got Metallic Cat, I wanted to do something different to market him. I have to give Debbie [Roberts] credit because she thought it would be a good idea to branch Metallic Cat out to reined cow horses and that led to our involvement in the NRCHA. It made sense to me. At that time, I didn’t have an appreciation of [cow horse] but I got educated and gained perspective on the industry.”

In 2018, Metallic Cat became an NRCHA Million Dollar Sire and less than a year later surpassed the Two Million Dollar Sire mark. Metallic Cat passed the Three Million Dollar Sire mark in August 2020, and again took less than a year to pass his next major sire milestone. Now, a sire of NRCHA earners of more than Four Million Dollars, he joins only Shining Spark (Genuine Doc x Diamonds Sparkle x Mr Diamond Dude), bred and owned by Carol Rose, with that honor.  

For 17 years, Shining Spark reigned as the king of cow horse sires. He reached all-time leading sire status first in 2003, and remained at the top until September of this year. He was the first sire to reach Three Million Dollar Sire status in the NRCHA and is the Number One Maternal Grandsire of Cow Horse Money Earners, according to Equi-Stat records. His highest money-earning offspring in the NRCHA is Smart Shinetta (out of Smart Hickory by Docs Hickory), a 2002 mare with $128,169.92 in the books. 

“I want to tip my hat to Carol Rose and Shining Spark,” Patton said. “We may be the new leader in lifetime earnings, but that horse has had nearly 20 years atop the industry. There are a lot of Metallic Cat and Shining Spark crosses out there and that benefits our entire industry.” 

California reined cow horse trainer and NRCHA Million Dollar Rider Clayton Edsall credits Metallic Cat’s ability to sire a trainable horse with the success offspring have had in the multi-discipline reined cow horse arena. Edsall trains and shows the top-earning offspring, Metallic Train (out of Sparking Train by Shining Spark). “Coco” and Edsall have laid claim to $172,250.02* in earnings, and most recently placed third in the Run For A Million Invitational Fence Work Challenge presented by Teton Ridge. 

“Metallic Cat’s have so much stop and desire to work a cow. That is why time and again, we suggest that owners look at purchasing Metallic Cat offspring and also having customers breed their mares to him,” Edsall said. “They’re attractive but the biggest thing is that you have a trainable mind. One of the reasons you see so many Metallic Cats in the show pen, the winner’s circle and the sale is that they have the ability to be trained and be successful. I’ve found that even if one doesn’t make a cutting horse, it makes a cow horse or a rope horse. He checks a lot of boxes as a breeder—color, size and bone, athleticism and mind.”

With the multi-dimensional reined cow horse competition, and the steer stopping component of the World’s Greatest Horseman event, trainability comes into play just as much as athleticism. Metallic Cat’s top two NRCHA stallion offspring are both horses that have competed in all aspects of reined cow horse events. Call Me Mitch, a 2011 stallion out of Miss Hickory Hill (by Docs Hickory) and owned by the late Estelle Roitblat, has $171,376.71 in earnings and Cats Picasso, a 2012 stallion out of Playboys Vixen (by Hickoryote) and owned by Coast Performance Horses, has $159,096.60. 

Though the older horses rise to the top of the 437-horse list of Metallic Cat’s offspring in the NRCHA database, the young performers are just as competitive. In April, 2016 stallion Hazardouz Material, out of Scooters Daisy Dukes, earned the NRCHA Stallion Stakes Open Championship for owner Linda Mars, and lifetime earnings to $104,517.62. In July, 2017 stallion Ricato Suave, out of Hip Hip Sue Rey and owned by Shaleah Hester and Madeline Fountain, took the Dom Conicelli Memorial Eastern Derby Open Derby Champion title to push that horse’s earnings to $104,601.49. 

“This is a monumental moment for our industry, one in which we simultaneously honor the ongoing influence of the incomparable Shining Spark and celebrate the meteoric rise of Metallic Cat,” said Anna Morrison, NRCHA executive director. “Metallic Cat’s mark on reined cow horse is evident as you watch the athleticism and talent of his offspring in our arenas. We are grateful to Bobby Patton and Rocking P Ranch for their ongoing support of NRCHA, and are proud to celebrate this remarkable accomplishment with them.”

With all that he’s given to the equine industry as a $42 million dollar sire in cutting, reining and reined cow horse, Metallic Cat’s connections, led by long-time manager Roberts, continue to heavily support the NRCHA both in and out of the arena. 

“A lot of people think of me as ‘an NCHA guy,’ but I want to emphasize how important NRCHA is to me,” said Patton. “It means a lot to me to support the NRCHA and continue our sponsorship, especially through the flagship event, which will be long-term. With the benefit of hindsight, Debbie had a lot of foresight looking at the NRCHA and wanting Metallic Cat and me to be involved.”

At this year’s NRCHA Snaffle Bit Futurity, presented by Metallic Cat, Rocking P Ranch is also supporting the event’s draw party and After Party. 

The Snaffle Bit Futurity, presented by Metallic Cat, runs October 7 through 23 in Fort Worth, Texas. The Metallic Cat Snaffle Bit Futurity Draw Party is on October 20, and the Metallic Cat After Party allows the excitement of the Open Finals to spill outside into the Coliseum parking lot for food truck fun, live music and dancing, for the kind of celebration fitting for the Snaffle Bit Futurity. It will be a party fitting for the new NRCHA All-Time Leading Sire!

Find more information at NRCHA.com. 

Fiddle And Steel must really like Will Rogers Coliseum.

The red roan stallion and Brandon Westfall returned to the scene of their biggest triumph to win the National Cutting Horse Association (NCHA) Super Stakes 4-Year-Old Non-Pro. The winning 225.5-point run on Friday, April 16, in Fort Worth came just four months after they won the NCHA Futurity Non-Pro title in December 2020 with a crowd-rousing 227.

“We had a really deep draw in the finals but there were a few cows we really liked,” said Westfall, of Granbury, Texas. “The first cow started good so we built from there. ‘Fiddle’ felt good, really dialed in.”

The red roan stallion by Equi-Stat Elite $41 Million Sire Metallic Cat was bred, raised and trained by Westfall’s parents, Russ and Janet. The family also bred and showed “Fiddle’s” dam, Lil Bit Reckless, a daughter of CD Royal who has an Equi-Stat record of $230,923 in the cutting pen, and as a broodmare has foaled the earners of nearly $300,000. With more than $126,893 in earnings, Fiddle And Steel is her leading performer.

 “It’s really neat. I showed the mare when she was older, and I was little. My parents did well on her and she’s gone on to be a good broodmare,” Westfall said. 

“Fiddle is as smart as his mom and has been a little easier to train. She was a pretty good size, but he is so strong and so athletic that it’s easy for him. Sometimes, it can feel like we’re in a bind. I’ll think I over-sent him right there and that he is fixin’ to miss this cow, but he’s like ‘I got it.’

“He won’t miss it.’”

estfall plans on attending the Breeders Invitational in May and plans to stay home until the NCHA Summer Spectacular in July. The 20-year-old rider gave a shout out to his turnback help during the show, which included his dad, Clint Allen, Boyd Rice, Morgan Cromer, Casey Green and Tatum Rice. 

“Winning this has dang sure one of the accomplishments I hadn’t won yet so it feels good to win that too,” he said. “I also want to thank my parents first and foremost and my friends for always having my back.”

The show career of Hazardouz Material has been one of near-misses, but on Saturday, April 3, the stallion put it all together for trainer Erin Taormino in the National Reined Cow Horse Association (NRCHA) Stallion Stakes.

The son of Equi-Stat Elite $40 Million Sire Metallic Cat won the Open and a $43,786 first place paycheck while taking down the biggest event of his life. He and Taormino scored a 218.5 in the herd, 224 in the rein work and 224 down the fence for a 666.5 composite, edging out Reserve Champions Saddling At Sunrise (WR This Cats Smart x Sunshine Ingredient x Mr Sun O Lena)

“He couldn’t have been more on-point last night, I was so proud of him,” Taormino said. 

Bred by Taylor Carbo, the 5-year-old stallion owned by Linda Mars now has lifetime earnings of more than $92,000.  

“I’ve always known the talent was there but we [haven’t gotten it done.] At the [NRCHA Snaffle Bit] Futurity, the judges got him for a break of gait in the reining,” Taormino said. “The [NRCHA] Derby last year, he tripped down the fence. So, we’ve had a little bit of hard luck along the way. 

“Every show I’ve gotten more confidence on him and he’s one that I know, if I just let him do it, he’s going to do his job.”

Harardouz Material, known as “Skeeter,” is out of successful broodmare Scooters Daisy Dukes, a daughter of Dual Smart Rey who has now produced more than $370,000 in cutting and reined cow horses. She also is the mother of 2021 NRCHA Stallion Stakes Non-Pro Champion A Gritty Kitty (by Chiquita Cat), and two-time NRCHA Stallion Stakes Open Champion Scooters Kat.

“Skeeter’s a really easy, good horse to be around. Westley rides with me on him and he’s just a good guy. Good minded, gentle and very serious all the time,” Taormino said. “He has never ever let me down. He is always trying, he’s always been a really great horse.”

Not one to let Skeeter have the spotlight, Taormino’s 3-year-old son Westley became the adorable center of attention during Saturday night’s awards ceremony as he hustled across the sandy arena to sit in front of Taormino in the saddle. He grappled for the microphone with his mother was interviewed about her victory by Russell Dilday. 

“It’s a big honor to be able to compete and show against the quality of horses and riders that are out there. It’s no easy feat for anybody,” Taormino added humbly. 

The first horse and rider duo to earn a 2021 NRCHA Stallion Stakes champion trophy were Im So Stunning (Metallic Cat x Absolutely Stunning x Smart Little Lena) and Erin Taormino in the Open Two-Rein Spectacular. With a 662 composite (221 herd/218 rein/223 cow), the 2015 roan gelding and Erin Taormino topped the 33-horse Open Two-Rein Spectacular field by a point and a half. 

Taormino has trained the roan since late in his 2-year-old year. Prior to this win, the horse had earned $28,466 in reined cow horse competition. 

“We’ve made finals and he’s never won anything big but has been a steady horse,” Taormino said. “We gelded him this winter and he really loves the gelding life.”

When she learned of the win, Taormino was all smiles. 

“He’s a really fun horse to train,” she said. “The two rein class, the competition in it is incredible. The horses are amazing and the riders are amazing. To win [this class] in such a fabulous group is just an honor.”

Owner Jennifer Ostenson earned $5,520 for the win.

The Open Two-Rein Spectacular wasn’t the only thing Taormino and Im So Stunning won in Vegas. In the Open Two-Rein horse show class, held concurrently with the Open Two-Rein Spectacular, the duo were second which earned another check for $2,144.

In addition to the purse, the champion received a C.R. Morrison NRCHA trophy, a one-ear headstall with rawhide and silver buckles from Dennis Moreland Tack, a Platinum Performance gift certificate, and an UltraCruz prize pack from Santa Cruz Animal Health. For Reserve in the Open Two-Rein horse show class, they won a pair of Classic Fit Boots from the NRCHA.

Reserve Champion

Reserve Champion Clayton Edsall and Stylish In Socks (Metallic Cat x Stylish In Stockings x Peptoboonsmal), owned by Beverly Servi, scored a composite 660.5 (223 herd/215 rein/222.5 cow). They won $4,320 and prizes that include an UltraCruz prize pack, a saltwater spa session from Oklahoma Equine Hospital and a pair of DyNo Turn Fleece Bell Boots from NRCHA. 

The top two finishers in the Open Two-Rein Spectacular both hail from prestigious female families.

The second dam of Stylish In Socks is the late Stylish And Foxie, a great cutting mare who as of her death earlier this year had foaled the winners of more than $850,000. Stylish And Foxie’s daughters had foaled the winners of more than $1.5 million.

Im So Stunning’s second dam is the illustrious Autumn Boon, who foaled the earners of more than $1.9 million. Autumn Boon also is the mother of Equi-Stat Elite $6 Million Sire Im Countin Checks, Equi-Stat Elite $3 Million Sire Once In A Blu Boon and Equi-Stat Elite $1 Million Sire Boon A Little. Her produce record also includes the stallion Wild Thing DNA, who has sired the winners of more than $621,000, and young sire A Tale Of The Cat.

The 2020 National Cutting Horse Association (NCHA) Futurity was a smashing success for Metallic Cat, who topped the NCHA Futurity Sires list with offspring earnings of more than $1 million.

The success put the stallion’s lifetime Equi-Stat record at just shy of $40 million as of Dec. 28. His son, Meteles Cat, also made the top 15 of the 2020 NCHA Futurity Sires in only his second futurity-age foal crop.

Overall, this year’s NCHA Futurity Sire list is a mix of old and new.

There’s industry legends such as High Brow Cat and Dual Rey, but freshman sires Smooth Talkin Style and Reyzin The Cash both had bang-up years to make the top 5 with their very first futurity-age foals.

This year’s group of top stallions also represents several sire lines, with sons or grandsons of High Brow Cat, Dual Rey, Spots Hot, Peptoboonsmal, Nitas Wood and Grays Starlight.

Quarter Horse News
written by Molly Montag
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A money-winning gelding by Metallic Cat broke a sale company’s previous records when he topped the annual Diamonds in the Desert Premier Horse Sale in Fort Worth, Texas.

The horse, Jack B Metallic, sold for $260,000 at the sale held Dec. 5 at Billy Bob’s Texas in the Fort Worth Stockyards. Typically held in Las Vegas, the sale moved to Fort Worth this year as a result of the relocation of the National Finals Rodeo to the Lone Star State.

Though sale organizers never for sure which horse will end up being the sales topper, they said there clearly was a lot of interest in Jack B Metallic going into the sale. He ended up being the sale company’s highest-selling horse ever.

Codi Gines, co-owner of sale manager MM Auction Services, said Jack B Metallic’s status as a broke, gentle gelding trained in cutting and roping made the Turner Performance Horses consignee stand out as a “showstopper.”

“Everything he had to offer was awesome, so we knew that he could be one of the high sellers,” she said. “But you just can never pick.”

Officials with the sale do not release buyer names, but Gines said Jack B Metallic went to a home in Clark, Colorado. Second-high seller Shine Stylin Shine was bought by someone from Texas, she said.

Diamonds in The Desert High Sellers

Consigned by Turner Performance Horses, the $260,000 sales topper Jack B Metallic was a winning cutter with a lifetime Equi-Stat record of $5,459. He competed in the Western United States and the Pacific Northwest for owner Paje Turner, winning money at Rocking K Productions events, the Utah Cutting Horse Association Futurity show as well as other limited-age events and weekend shows.

His dam, Charlotte Rey, is a daughter of the late Dual Rey who has produced two money earners in Equi-Stat: Jack B Metallic and his full sister, Reychel Cat ($14,831).

Jack B Metallic was bred by Mark and Anne Marie Pearson, of Spearman, Texas.

Quarter Horse News
written by Molly Montag
View article on QHN

Brandon Westfall has done just about everything but win the National Cutting Horse Association (NCHA) Futurity Non-Pro outright.

He was second two years ago. Last year, he rode I Reckon So to the co-championship when he shared the win with Kristen Galyean and Coureygous.

He’d felt good about his chances this year with Fiddle And Steel, a handsome red roan Metallic Cat stallion bred and owned by his parents, Russ and Janet Westfall. However, he cut a cow in the finals so tough that he started to have doubts.

“It was a lot,” he said after the finals on Friday, Dec. 11. “Every turn, I thought it was gonna be its last.”

Fiddle And Steel hung, tough, though, and refused to let the cow get away from him. They finished the run with style, and were rewarded by the judges with a huge 227. The crowd went wild.

Westfall was grateful to his herd help, which included his dad, as well as to the horse.

“He makes it pretty easy. Any time you feel like you’re in a bind, or the few times I showed him this week I felt like, oh boy, this is a little hairy, here. He’s like, ‘Oh, no. I got it.

“He’s pretty awesome.”

Their 227 took the lead from the eventual Reserve Champions, Nitreyious and Reyly Plendl, who marked a 222 in the first of the two-set finals.

A gelding by Metallic Cat, Nitreyious is out of the mare Cherrey (by Dual Rey). Bred by Rodney Wrinkle Cutting Horses, he is co-owned by Reyly and her twin sister and fellow cutter, Regan Plendl.

Fiddle And Steel

Fiddle And Steel is one of five money earners our of the mare Lil Bit Wreckless, a daughter of CD Royal who now has produced winners of more than $240,000. Thanks to his $74,605 first-place paycheck from the NCHA Futurity Non-Pro, Fiddle And Steel is his mother’s leading earner.

Before Fiddle And Steel, the mare’s earners were split between the sires Metallic Cat — Gettin Dark ($56,201) and Reckelle ($19,5900) and Kit Kat Sugar — Ringo ($60,794) and Sugarlesss ($30,463).

Like Fiddle And Steel, all four of the mare’s other winners were bred by Westfall’s parents, Russ and Janet.

Quarter Horse News
written by Molly Montag
View article on QHN

Leading Western performance horse sire Metallic Cat filmed his long-awaited appearance in the hit series Yellowstone during a film shoot at the National Reined Cow Horse Association (NRCHA) Snaffle Bit Futurity^®.

Cast and crew from the series, which airs on the Paramount Network, were at the show in Fort Worth on Wednesday, Oct. 21, shooting for an upcoming season of the show.

Metallic Cat’s shoot was in the John Justin Arena, which that afternoon played host to the Open Hackamore and Open Bridle finals. Crews set up along the concourse to film the stallion, as well as action on the arena floor from some of the day’s classes.

Metallic Cat was led into the arena; he did not compete in Wednesday’s show.

The 15-year-old Quarter Horse stallion was relaxed as he observed the action at the Will Rogers Memorial Center. Unfazed by the film crew or crowd, he calmly took in the scene and greeted admirers.

Yellowstone Appearance

The Yellowstone crew filmed throughout the day. One of the stallion’s sons, Jittery, won the Open Hackamore finals.

Metallic Cat’s owner, Bobby Patton, purchased the right for the National Cutting Horse Association (NCHA) Futurity Open Champion to be on the show at a charity auction during last year’s NCHA Futurity.

Money from the $165,000 bid benefitted the NCHA Charities Foundation. Yellowstone co-creator and producer Taylor Sheridan donated the right to have a stallion written into script of the series.

As of the day of the film shoot, Metallic Cat has sired the winners of more than $37 million. More than $3.4 million of that was earned in reined cow horse competition.

The stallion is also the title sponsor of this year’s NRCHA Snaffle Bit Futurity, presented by Metallic Cat.

Quarter Horse News
written by Molly Montag
photo by Kelsey Pecsek Hruska
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SJR Metallic Beau and Ron Emmons didn’t let a myriad of circumstances deter them from clinching the Sherri Gilkerson Memorial Open Bridle Championship at the Reno Snaffle Bit Futurity.

Emmons, a National Reined Cow Horse Association (NRCHA) Hall of Fame Member and Equi-Stat Elite $1 Million Rider, decided to show SJR Metallic Beau straight up in the bridle for the first time at the Reno Snaffle Bit Futurity. According to Emmons, the added money at the show made the Open Bridle class irresistible. 

On Sept. 17, the pairs’ careful planning and tenacious performance made the chance worth it. Their composite of 439.5 (217 rein/222.5 cow) brought home a $5,340 payday. 

Emmons recalled his winning fence run, saying he remembered the cow from the Non-Pro Futurity Herd Work. 

“I knew it was a little soft so I just hit it a few times at the end, got its attention and took is down the fence. And it had a lot more run than other cows,” Emmons said.

SJR Metallic Beau 

SJR Metallic Beau, sired by Equi-Stat Elite $36 Million Sire Metallic Cat, is out of Shining Juliet (by Shining Spark). The 2014 stallion was bred by the San Juan Ranch of Weatherford, Texas.

According to Emmons, SJR Metallic Beau was started as a 2-year-old and was largely unridden throughout his 3-year-old year. Emmons has patiently worked with him and done a lot of “homework” to catch him up. Emmons graciously thanked the owner Jill Pierre of Red Bluff, California, for trusting the training process. 

Quarter Horse News
written by Lillian Kent
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