CS NRHADerby

Craig’s Spin on Derby Red Tape

CS NRHADerbyCraig Schmersal at the NRHA DerbyI just returned home from the NRHA Derby, where I showed FS Taris Walla Whiz to an ancillary Open class championship and Redhot Walla to 8th in the Level 4 Open Derby. Both of these horses are owned by Tim Anderson. He has been a longtime customer for me, and I am so happy we had such great success this week!

I want to thank all of my owners for providing me such nice horses and my sponsors Omega Alpha Equine and Purina for educating and helping me provide the best products for keeping my horses healthy on the inside. Also thank you to Cinch and Rios Of Mercedes for keeping me looking right!

We had some interesting new challenges with the red lines in the arena. It was not well received by the membership. As a member of the Judges Committee, I thought it was a good idea when discussed because we are seeing too many riders hugging the middle line. However, in a pen the size of Oklahoma City, it proved to be a challenge for me when drawing up late before a drag. I think the committees, both professional and judges, need to revisit this and determine what is really fair for the arena size.

About Craig

Reining horse professional Craig Schmersal is the 4th all-time leading rider, with earnings of more than 3 million dollars!. Over the last decade, Craig has won almost all of the major reining events, often taking all three of his entries into the finals.