Metal Storm and Shadd Parkinson brought the thunder in the National Reined Cow Horse Association (NRCHA) Stallion Stakes Intermediate Open finals. The pair brought the crowd to its feet with a 222.5 fence run, clinching the title with a 658.5 total.
Parkinson purchased the 5-year-old Reata Cutting Horses LLC-bred gelding from fellow NRCHA professional Justin Wright in 2018 for owner Bronwyn McCormick. Metal Storm (Metallic Cat x Cowstruck x Smart Little Lena) has become a solid fence horse.
“He was a cutting horse up until we got him,” Parkinson said. “He is really cowy and smart on a cow. I would say the fence work is his best, but he is good in the herd. In the reining, he has a lot of stop and presence. He is an easy and enjoyable horse to show. Everything worked out.”
The pair marked a 218 in the herd and a 218 in the rein work for a consistent finals showing.
“I try to simply control what I can control. In the herd work, I wanted to make clean cuts and keep the cow in the middle. It worked out good, and I was happy to get through it,” Parkinson said. “The rein work, you want to show the horse but not take yourself out either, so you walk a fine line. You have to know the horse to know when to take those risks or when to back off. Then, in the fence work, you just go and hope it works out.”
The run earned the horse $11,351. Parkinson plans to show the gelding through the rest of the year and prepare him for McCormick to ride in the boxing classes. After a week of high scores and big runs, Parkinson said he was happy to make the finals.
“Anymore, the level of horses and trainers here, you can’t stub your toe. Everything has to work perfect to even have a chance at it. Then, it comes down to one cow,” he said. “It is a crazy event when you think about it, but I wouldn’t change it for anything.”
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