ron thompson matt armenta

Ron Thompson wins NRBC Non-Pro Level 4

ron thompson matt armentaRon Thompson, with Taris Dreamer and trainer Matt Armenta (right). Photo by Robin FowlerRon Thompson, Pilot Point, Texas, has had success as a National  Reining Horse Association (NRHA) competitor, but his National Reining Breeders Classic (NRBC) Non-Pro Level 4 Championship on Friday was his biggest win. Thompson had a scorching run on Taris Dreamer (Magnum Chic Dream x Taris San Cutter x Doc Tari) that earned him a score of 224 and a check for $32,000. His run from the ninth draw of 31 horses also earned him a Championship in the Non-Pro Prime Time, good for another $1,656.

Thompson confessed the wait to see if his score would hold up played on his nerves. He didn’t watch the later runs until the last couple of riders in the class, he said. That meant he missed the Reserve Championship run by last year’s NRBC Non-Pro Level 4 winner Mandy McCutcheon and Always Gotyer Gunsup (Colonels Smoking Gun [Gunner] x Always A Dunit x Hollywood Dun It), marking a 223.5, just a half-point shy of the win. It was no small consolation that in addition to Reserve, McCutcheon also took third and tied for fourth on a trio of mares owned by her parents’ McQuay Stables for a total check of $48,375.

A German teenager won the rest of the Non-Pro levels, admitting that winning Level 1 was a huge thrill, and then winning Levels 2 and 3 in a runoff was “icing on the icing on the cake.” Philip Loesch’s partner was Wimpys Lil Star (Wimpys Little Step x Starlights Reba x Tangys Classy Peppy), the pair earning 218.5 in the finals and duplicating that score in the runoff. Loesch, 18, also placed sixth in the Non-Pro Level 4 and earned a combined check of $27,452. 

Later on Friday evening, Custom Cash Advance (Custom Crome x Cash In Roan x Topsail Cody) and Jordan Larson made it easy for awards presenters when he swept the boards, winning the NRBC Open Challenge, the $25,000 Open, Concours de Reining CRI 3, United States Equestrian Federation and USA
Reining Championships. The pair scored a 228.5 in the concurrent classes for owner Luga LLC.

Read Quarter Horse News for complete coverage of the NRBC and other major reining events.