A family known for developing influential sires and a line of successful broodmares is the newest National Reining Horse Association (NRHA) One Million Dollar Owner.
In early November, Hilldale Farm unofficially became the NRHA’s twelfth million dollar owner, after owner Tammye Hutton’s daughter, Jessicah Keller, piloted Its Snippin Time (Shine Big Time x Snip O Satellite x Nu Chex To Cash), to a third place finish in the Amateur Reining at the American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA) World Championship Show.
“This is really great. It’s nice that NRHA recognizes the owners along with the riders, breeders, sires, and dams,” Hutton shared. “I think it’s amazing that there is that much money in the sport we can win, and that it’s tracked. I never thought we would reach this milestone.”
Hilldale Farm Family
Hutton and her family first became involved with reining in the late 1990s, and Hilldale Farm, still family-owned and operated, became official NRHA members in 1997.
“The first year we just did some local NRHA shows, and 2001 was when Jessicah hauled for the youth world titles,” Hutton recalled. “I remember the first significantly larger NRHA event we went to was the Illinois State Fair, and when we were done for the day we got a check. I thought, ‘Wow, we won $4,200! Holy smokes, we need to do this more!’”
The winning continued in 2002, when Keller and Nu Chex To Cash won World Championships in the Intermediate and Limited Open, and also took Reserve World championships in the Non Pro and Intermediate Non Pro. That same year, Nu Chex To Cash burst onto the scene as a major sire for Hilldale Farm, when his son Wimpys Little Step (out of Leolita Step, by Forty Seven), won the NRHA Futurity Open Championship.
Hilldale Farm Stallions
In addition to Hilldale Farm homebred Wimpys Little Step, Nu Chex To Cash sired several other major earners, including NRHA Futurity Level 4 Open Champion Lil Joe Cash (out of RS Lilly Starlight, by Grays Starlight) and NRHA Million Dollar Sire Big Chex To Cash (out of Snip O Gun, by One Gun). Nu Chex To Cash is now an NRHA Three Million Dollar Sire, while Wimpys Little Step is an NRHA Eleven Million Dollar Sire.
Nu Chex To Cash, an NRHA Hall of Fame inductee in 2010, would also sire Hilldale Farm’s biggest money earner, Heavy Duty Chex, who won back-to-back Non-Pro championships at the National Reining Breeders Classic (NRBC) with Hutton’s younger daughter Sarah Locker.
“Nu Chex [To Cash] is the one that really got us where we are,” Hutton said. “It was pretty amazing, and it just exploded our business.”
Hilldale Farm mares
A year ago, Hilldale Farm’s blue hen mare, Snip O Gun, became only the third NRHA Million Dollar Dam during the NRHA Futurity. It was a fitting accomplishment, as the gorgeous bay mare was also inducted into the NRHA Hall of Fame as part of the 2019 class.
So far, Snip O Gun has compiled an Equi-Stat produce record of more than $1,093,000. Her leading earner is the previously mentioned Big Chex To Cash ($219,265), and she also is the mother of NRHA Futurity Level 4 Open Reserve Champion and first-year sire Inferno Sixty Six ($216,165, by Gunnatrashya). Her influence also extends to her daughters, who themselves have foaled the earners of more than $421,000.
“There have been so many people who have helped us over the years, and gone above and beyond for me, my daughters, and our program,” she shared. “I know if I tried to list each one individually, I would accidently leave someone off the list.”
