Trainer Casey Hinton has won many championships over the years at the reins, but now has a new title earned outside of the saddle: NRHA One Million Dollar Owner.
The National Reining Horse Association (NRHA) recently announced that Hinton, of Whiteboro, Texas, achieved the mark thanks to the efforts of his horses at the National Reining Breeder’s Classic.
Hinton has owned several standout athletes over the years, including Smarty Starlight, Lil Magnum Jessie, Black Hails Gold, Guaranteed A Magnum, and Mega Mag. It was on Lil Magnum Jessie, by Equi-Stat Elite $7 Million Sire Magnum Chic Dream, that Hinton won the 2009 NRHA Level 4 Open Futurity Reserve Championship. Hinton won the NRHA Level 3 Open Futurity Championship in 2013 on Black Hails Gold (by Shine Like Hail), and in 2017 on Mega Mag (by Magnum Chic Dream).
While Hinton initially competed on Guaranteed A Magnum (by Magnum With A Dream), he passed the reins to his assistant Jimmy van der Hoeven, who piloted the gelding to back-to-back NRHA Derby Championships in 2018 and 2019 (owned by Chad and Molly Cherry).
Guaranteed A Magnum went on to become the leading money-earning horse in the history of The NRHA Derby. Click here to view the leading horses, riders, stallions and dams.
Hinton was adamant that his success as both an owner and showman is due to help from people surrounding him. The current team at Casey Hinton Reining Horses includes Casey and Kathy, along with NRHA Professional Jimmy van der Hoeven, Abby Kampman, Mateo Argentero and Rodrigo Nieves.
“You can’t accomplish something like that without a team. We have had many great assistants help us over the years, and we have been a real team. I don’t think this is an individual honor for me by any means,” he said.
Hinton shared that Kathy, who has owned NRHA earners of more than $720,000, has been the driving force behind the couple’s success.
“I think this is a major accomplishment in your career, but when I started out, this wasn’t my goal. You start out with a love of horses and training, owning, and showing them,” Hinton explained. “To reach a milestone that few have accomplished is very exciting.”
While achieving Million Dollar Owner status is a huge accomplishment, Hinton told the NRHA he is not resting on his laurels. He’s less than $115,000 away from becoming an NRHA Million Dollar Rider.
“We still have some more goals, and we hope we have the endurance to reach them. The fact that we can do what we love, which is raising, training, and showing reining horses makes us fortunate. It’s fulfilling, so we hope to continue for a long time,” he said.
