Podcast

 

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.

 

William Shatner OC (born March 22, 1931) is a Canadian actor, author, producer, director, and singer. In his seven decades of television, Shatner became a cultural icon for his portrayal of Captain James T. Kirk of the USS Enterprise in the Star Trek franchise, T.J. Hooker, 3rd Rock from the Sun, Boston Legal and many more. NRHA Hall Of Fame and an active non pro competitor in NRHA Reining and Saddlebred and Standardbred horses produces the Hollywood Charity Horse Show raising money for children and Veterans.

 

“Bill” will explain his attraction and importance of raising and owning horses and dogs. Bill is very active and involved in showing Reining horses, Saddlebred and Standardbred horses and his commitment to understanding the way a horse thinks and excepts training. Mr Shatner provides a fresh and meaningful way of explaining his relationship with his horses and dogs. Enjoy Bill’s story of how his animals give back to one of Hollywoods most successful.

 

Clinton takes us on his amazing journey from a young unknown and broke Australian horse trainer to one of the worlds most renowned clinicians. He shares all the highs and lows of building his horse training empire that reach an annual gross of over 14 million and being millions of dollars in debt to coming full circle, creating his current training program for NRHA Reining and NRCH Cow Horses which was the plan/reason in coming to the USA 25 years ago. You won’t be disappointed, Clinton helped thousands of horses and riders, and Clinton is committed more than ever to inspiring the dreams of horsemen. This is the story of Clinton Anderson – a clinician, trainer and competitor.

 

Come Along For The Ride – NRHA’s Legion Bob Loomis. Bob will take you on a journey of the development and refinement of what is now the current NRHA reining horse. Stories of riding his great show horses and how that led to his unmatched breeding program. Fun to hear Andrea and Bob exchange notes on how they rode and trained some of the top horses in NRHA history. 

 

With six championships, Bob Loomis has more NRHA Open Futurity victories than any other rider in the industry. Bob Loomis has been training reining horses since 1967. He began his breeding program in 1974, which now operates at the cutting edge of equine reproduction.

 

Bob is the only breeder to have trained, shown and stood three generations of NRHA Million Dollar Sires. He purchased Topsail Cody when he was a young horse, and he became Bob’s first Million Dollar sire. Then he bred the next two generations of Million Dollar sires: Topsail Whiz and West Coast Whiz.

Bob is in the NRHA Hall of Fame, and was the 1982 President of the National Reining Horse Association.

 

Phil Rapp of Weatherford, TX is a cutting horse trainer, inductee in both the NCHA Rider Hall of Fame[1] and NCHA Non-Pro Hall of Fame,[2] and the leading NCHA money earner with lifetime earnings totaling $9,733,216.88 as of Sept 2019.[3] He was elected vice-president of the National Cutting Horse Association in 2016,[4] and became president in June 2018. Phil & Mary Anne are Breeders of over $8,079,413.34. Mary Anne LTE $4,819,752.77 as a Non Pro, Ryan Rapp LTE $288,031.78 as Non Pro

 

 

Taylor Sheridan tells his story about growing up in a small West Texas town outside of Waco to the hustle of being a successful Hollywood actor, director, producer and Academy Award Nominated screenwriter. The bright lights of Hollywood never dimmed his passion and interest in horses, rural values and the western lifestyle. His conversation with Andrea will take you along the journey of why Taylor needed horses to bring balance in his busy life and how his interest in the western way led him to write and produce Paramount Networks hit TV series Yellowstone staring Kevin Costner. He will explain his decision to take a chance and create The Run For A Million event with the reality passed TV series The Last Cowboy to tell the story of reining and The Run For A Million.

 

Texas country boy to the heights of Hollywood, a true American success story, come Along For The Ride with Andrea & Taylor.