Ron Ralls

The Celebrity Spectacular was a hit and raised a good amount of money for the youth of SRCHA. Clinton Anderson on Tiger Lilys Award edged Sam Smith on Cookin Merada out with the higher cow work score when they tied with a 291. High seller during the Calcutta was Matt Gaines who was bought by Bill Cowan for $900, further helping the youth fund out.

Cirlce Y Ranch Futurity Open
Smooth As A Diamond (Smooth As A Cat x Diamonds With Style x Playin Stylish) was guided by Ron Ralls to win the Futurity Open and $6,495, with a composite score of 436.5.

Rall’s wife, Patty, cheered him on during his run, as well as many of his competitors before and after his run. Cowhorse shows are fun and everyone helps everyone, according to many of the competitors in the crowd.

Amanda Gardiner

In the Futurity Intermediate Open, Luke Jones marked a 429 on Hicka Rey (Dual Rey x Hicka Boonboon x Peptoboonsmal) for the win and $1,500. The red roan stallion is owned by the Hicka Rey Partnership.

The Futurity Limited Open saw Thecrowdlovesme (Smart Chic Olena x Shine Smartly x Shining Spark) with owner/rider Clinton Anderson win in his first time to show at a cow horse event. The well-known clinician marked a 428 and took home $2,333 for his efforts.

Anderson trained the horse himself, with help from Don and Nellie Murphy and mentor in Australia, Ian Francis, and Todd Crawford. Anderson actually had the first and second high scores in reining on both of the horses he showed.

Faith Performance Horses Derby Open

Todd Crawford

Crawford has had Moms Silverado Cat (High Brow Cat x Moms Stylish Pepto x Peptoboonsmal) since June of 2010. He’s pretty laid-back, cowy, and likes his job, according to Crawford, who said the horse was easy to work with.

Crawford is taking Mom Silverado Cat to the NRCHA Derby in Arizona. He was happy with all of the horse’s runs, but felt that they just didn’t have the degree of difficulty on the cow work to score higher than 143. “He did just what he needed to do, as far as what the cow was,” Crawford said.

The Derby Intermediate Open winner was Zackly Right Time (Peptotime x Zacks Nu Star x Zack T Wood) with rider Tom Neel and a score of 435.5. Owner Margo McKinney’s horse also took Reserve in the Derby Open and won the Novice Horse, collecting $4,898.

Tom Neely

Futurity Non-Pro
Lorna Neel took the Futurity Non-Pro title on her gelding, Tex Me A Pepto (Zezes Pepto Cat x Texas Switch x Texas Kicker). Neel and her mount made the high score in all three divisions to win $1,988 with a combined score of 425.5.

Making history at this show, Tom and Lorna Neel’s Tex Me A Pepto is the very first foal born by their stallion, Zezes Pepto Cat. That is a horse that Tom Neel had so much success on.

Neel is especially excited because this is the first snaffle bit horse that she has trained herself. “I’m very, very excited about him and we’re going to go to Reno. I bought a slot the last day to Reno.”

Lorna Neel

“I only started him last August, and he was trying to buck me off this time last year,” Neel said. “I wasn’t sure that he’d be ready, but by about end of June and July, I knew he was going to be ready.”

Derby Non-Pro
McKenzie Merrill and her gelding, Ill Be Skeets (Skeets Peppy x Oak Ill Be x Ill Be Smart), championed the Derby Non-Pro with a score of 429 to win $1,772. Merrill is no stranger to winning, whether it be in cutting, reining or cowhorse, she is a competitive and well-rounded rider.

She won the Snaffle Bit Futurity Intermediate Non-Pro on Ill Be Skeets and was Reserve in the Non-Pro. “I have been really blessed with him, he is such a good show horse. Every time I go in there, I have confidence with him, and he’s the reason,” Merrill said. “I have been first or second almost everywhere I take him.”

Todd Crawford is Merrill’s trainer/mentor for cowhorse, and she credits him with her accomplishments in this discipline. Sometimes tough decisions have to be made, says Merrill, with a good horse that has now won close to $50,000.

McKenzie Merrill

The Derby Intermediate Non-Pro Champion and Reserve in the Derby Non-Pro was Paul Bailey on his horse, A Time Of Caution (A Chic In Time x Lenas Paula Pep x Peppy San Badger). The pair marked a 419.5 to win $1,890.

Derby Amateur
The Derby Amateur was won by Amanda Gardiner on Wright About Now (Lenas Wright On x Pandalita Star x Grays Starlight) with a combined score of 416.5 they collected $1,050. Garth and Amanda Gardiner bought the mare as a 2-year-old at the Snaffle Bit Futurity Sale last year and Gardiner has enjoyed the mare and participating in the aged-events.

“She was my futurity horse and I have just had so much fun on her this year,” Gardiner said. “She has allowed me to learn and she’s competitive too.”

Gardiner, Ashland, Kan., and her husband showed rope horses and had ridden in an AQHA cowhorse class, one time, to get the class to make. That one time down the fence brought a change of discipline for both Gardiner’s.

“We had a ball, and we were on our rope horses,” Gardiner said. “It has been such a fun transition. I have had to work on my hands, and my seat, and a little more finesse, but it is a lot of fun. I think anyone at any age can jump right in.”