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Casey Deary NRHA 1.9 Million Rider and one of the big, big personalities of the reining industry. Andrea and Casey exchange training techniques and philosophy on their show horses and find they have much in common. Casey is always fun and entertaining to speak with while providing an overview into how top level trainers understand and care for their amazing athletes. A great conversation, and you must hear Casey’s story of entering the toughest event in the Performance Horse industry– the NRCHA’s “Worlds Greatest Horseman”.

 

Casey grew up in Texas riding horses, taking low-budget colts, training them and reselling them, allowing him to grow his training business. Deary won the NRHA Futurity in 2012 on the mare Americasnextgunmodel and again in 2015 on another mare Shesouttayourleague, and has made the finals at many major limited-age events. He and his wife, Nicole, and their four children live in Weatherford, Texas, where he coaches youth and amateur clients to successfully work with their horses, not only in competition, but every time they ride. Thank you to Electric Snow, Tom Balding Bits & Spurs, Cinch Jeans.

 

With over 37 AQHA World and Reserve World Champion titles in multiple events combined with multiple NRHA & NRCHA Open titles Bob Avila is acknowledged by his peers as one of the most versatile and accomplished horsemen. NRCHA Million Dollar Rider and Hall Of Fame Member Bob is a 3 time Snaffle Bit Futurity Champion. In addition, he is a NRHA Open Futurity Champion. Bob has trained, mentored and influenced many NRCHA & NRHA champions over his lifelong career. From being the first recipient of the AQHA Professional Horseman to capturing the prestigious title of World’s Greatest Horseman twice, Bob has won in excess of 1.7 million dollars. His talents, teaching abilities, style of training and riding, as well as great horse power has gone forward to perpetuate and influence winning programs all around the world.

Forty years, forty horses, forty NRHA Futurity finals! Dr. Jim Morgan, DVM reached an ultra impressive milestone in his reining career during the 2019 NRHA Futurity. At 74 years old, he’s still showing three year olds at the biggest event of the year. Dr. Morgan is the oldest NRHA million-dollar rider in history of Reining and still extremely competitive against people who are at least 50 years younger than him. He has an unstoppable thirst to learn and compete which one can attribute his success too. Our conversation is with a man who has dedicated his life to horses; as a vet, showman, trainer and breeder, he is a horseman with wisdom and knowledge few have.

 

Adding to this impressive resume, Dr. Morgan is an NRHA Lifetime Member, Hall of Fame Member, past-member of the NRHA Board of Directors and an NRHA Judge. He has participated in every industry event imaginable, all while continuing his work as a veterinarian.

 

Colleen McQuay, along with her husband Tim, own and operate McQuay Stables, Inc. in Tioga, Texas. The business consists of three divisions: Breeding, Reining training and sales, and Hunter-Jumper training and sales.

 

25+ years Colleen with help of her husband and other mentors in the hunter business, she has trained both horses and riders to many wins and championships. She served on the board NRHA -Show Standard Committee and initiated the NRHA show rating system, Executive Board and chaired Event Production Committee for NRHA Futurity & Derby.. Chaired the Aged Event Committee, Eligibility Committee and the USEF High Performance Reining Committee, Colleen is also a founding member of USA Reining. Founder & developer of the NRBC and the Ariat Tulsa Reining Classic, Colleen has spent countless hours working to better the Reining industry.

 

Even after decades in the industry, her sincere love of horses permeates and guides everything she does – from administrative direction to hands on horsemanship. Through her administration and implementation skills, Colleen has become known as a driving force in the equine world. Those who know her best cite her as an unquestionably great horsewoman; one with an uncanny eye for spotting equine talent, an unerring knack for keeping horses sound and working to potential, an an exceptionally skilled coach of riders of all skill levels.

 

 

Todd Bergen, the 4 Million Dollar rider from Eagle Point, Oregon is recognized as one of the most versatile horsemen in the world. Whether its Reining, Cow Horse or Cutting– he makes riding look easy when it isn’t. Todd is the only Million Dollar rider in two disciplines–NRHA & NRCHA, as well as a money earner in NCHA. Todd’s extraordinary skills as a horseman are a direct reflection of his focus, hard work, integrity, risk and commitment. He was also Andrea’s mentor/teacher and where Andrea apprenticed for over 6 years before starting his business. Come Along For The Ride™ with Todd and Andrea and enjoy the first in-depth conversation since working together over 17 years ago. This is a must listen!

 

Todd Bergen: NRHA, NRCHA, AQHA & NCHA Professional Rider, Past President of the NRCHA and 10x NRHA & NRCHA Open Futurity Champion and Res Champion Title holder.

 

 

Frank Merrill (born 1948)Purcell, Oklahoma.^[1] During his 50+ year career as a Quarter Horse breeder and exhibitor, Merrill accumulated numerous championship titles in several different disciplines, including halter horse competition, horse racing, reining, cutting, working cow horse, and calf roping.In 2013, he was inducted into the American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA) Hall of Fame,^[2] and is a past president of the AQHA. He is an AQHA director at large, a director of the National Cutting Horse Association (NCHA), a trustee of the United States Equine Foundation, and a director of the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum.

 

He established and, along with good friend Jerold Wells, built Windward Stud, in Purcell, Oklahoma in 1972. Merrill and wife Robin, owned and/or operated this facility more than 40 years, standing many of the industry’s most noted stallions before selling the farm. Frank Merrill has owned, managed or syndicated more than 100 stallions and bred and cared for more than 25,000 mares. He has acted as sales agent and sale-prepped thousands of horses for clients all over the world, earning a reputation for honesty and integrity.

 

Horses from Merrill’s M5 brand have accumulated many championships and titles in cutting, racing, halter, cow horse, reining and roping. Two horses owned and shown by Merrill, Miss Jim 45 and Royal Santana, are in the American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame.

 

Merrill competes as a non-pro in the National Cutting Horse Association and has lifetime earnings of more than $440,000. He remains active on the political scene with AQHA, NCHA and the United States Equestrian Foundation. Merrill has served on the AQHA and NCHA executive committees, and was AQHA’s president in 2007. He was also president of the Oklahoma Quarter Horse Association in 1988. Merrill was inducted into the Oklahoma Quarter Horse Hall of Fame in 2012. He also operates M5 Performance Bloodstock and manages the Dogwood Foundation

 

FRANK MERRILL’s conversation explores the amazingly versatile American Quarter Horse through the inter workings of the AQHA, NCHA, NRCHA, NRHA, Racing and FEI Associations. Frank’s experience, exposure, and hands on experience provides us with an exceptional overview of the Performance Horse industry and it’s diversity, complexity and opportunities. He is a horseman, a breeder, a showman, a past AQHA President and a world renowned equine appraiser. Let AQHA Hall of Fame inductee Frank and Andrea take you Along For The Ride™ on the business and politics of the Quarter Horse Industry.

Along For The Ride, #11: Luca Fappani shares his super eventful first NRHA Non Pro Futurity with his dad, Andrea– together Andrea and Luca take you through the process of goal setting, preparing and training top level non pro futurity horses for OKC. Luca also lays out his personal roadmap to becoming the 2019 NRHA #1 Money Earning Non Pro. And lastly, Andrea breakdowns one of his best pre futurity seasons and concludes with what he deems as one of his worst NRHA Futurity performances ever. We also get a great perspective and takeaway from Andrea on how the young riders of today are shaping the current style of our top performing horses and the showmanship that goes along with them winning major events.

In the world of Western Performance Horses, no man or woman is more accredited in breeding and showing than Carol Rose. From the age of 6, Carol has devoted her life to Quarter Horses as a top level competitor, breeder and as a leader in the development of the modern western show horse. Carol has been recognized for her contributions by being inducted into 6 of the most prestigious Hall of Fame’s* in the Western Horse Culture. This conversation with Carol will share her lifelong pursuit of the perfect horse and the people who influenced her unstoppable dream. She will address her concern on the future of horsemanship and how this age-old craft can’t be lost.

Andrea talk’s to six of the NRHA’s top open futurity trainers to get their take on the horses they selected to make a run at the 2019 NRHA Futurity Championship. They will share training, strategy and the planning it takes to succeed in reining greatest prize.

NRHA Professionals;

Casey Deary 14:01

Jason Vanlandingham 24:51

Cade McCutcheon 34:37

Franco Bertolani :34:37

Craig Schmersal 1:07:00

Shawn Flarida 1:17:34

Andrea Fappani 1:38:26

 

Corey Cushing, 2 Million Dollar NRCHA rider sits down with Andrea to talk about his career as a leading trainer in the National Reining Cow Horse Association and what it takes to prepare for the biggest show of the year Snaffel Bit Futurity. Corey is one of the few riders to have success in both the NRHA & NRCHA Futurities, he and Andrea compare notes on what it take to set these top level horses up physically and mentally for the futurities and their show careers. A rare opportunity to listen to two of the top horseman in the performance horse industry get into the details of what it takes to compete and win.

 

His first professional breakthrough came in 1999, at the National Reining Horse Association Futurity, when Cushing, as a 19-year-old assistant trainer, won the NRHA Futurity Intermediate Open Championship and qualified for the Open Finals aboard Twice As Shiney (Shining Spark x Shine A Mite x Doc O Dynamite). As his career steadily progressed, Cushing’s reined cow horse accomplishments moved into the spotlight. In 2007, he claimed his first major NRCHA title, winning the Stakes Open Championship aboard CC Spin Cycle (Ray Gay Quixote x Lenas Peppy Cutter x Smart Peppy Lena), owned by Cathy Corrigan Frank. He won the 2009 NRCHA Derby for Kevin and Sydney Knight on their stallion, Smart Boons (Peptoboonsmal x Smart Little Easter x Smart Little Lena). Cushing also earned back-to-back American Quarter Horse Association Senior Working Cow Horse World Championships in 2011 and 2012 on the mare Rising Starlight (Little Bay Starlight x Peppys Hot Star x Lucky W Peppy Lena), owned by Eric Dunn. In 2014, Cushing and owner Cathy Corrigan Frank return to the winner’s when Cushing captured his second Snaffle Bit Futurity championship title aboard Good Time (One Time Pepto x Dual Nurse x Dual Pep).

 

Cushing credits his family, friends and mentors for guiding his success. His youth horsemanship skills were honed by Noel Skinner, the respected Utah horseman and Cushing family friend who passed away in 2010. Skinner encouraged Corey to follow his dreams by taking an assistant’s job with leading professional John Slack right out of high school in 1998.

 

“The neat thing was, even though I could’ve stayed in Utah and kept working for Noel, he encouraged me to go out and ride and train with those guys. He knew they could get me on some good horses, and he wanted to see me be as successful as I could,” Cushing said.

 

October 20, 2018 – Cushing becomes the third National Reined Cow Horse Association Two Million Dollar Rider.