Few riders have broken the 230-point-barrier down the fence in cow horse competition, and even fewer have done so at age 18 on a horse they trained themselves.
Emily Kent is one of the few who can.
Kent of Jacksboro, Texas did it Tuesday, Feb. 15, in the National Reined Cow Horse Association (NRCHA) Tres Osos Derby Non-Pro, marking a 230.5 down the fence with her gelding, On The Reydio.
Combined with their 214 in the herd and 220.5 in the rein work, it gave them the winning 665 composite in the event held during the NRCHA Celebration of Champions in Fort Worth, Texas.
“It was fast. I was not in there long, I can tell you that. I saw the cow come out and [On The Reydio’s] ears went forward and he immediately took a hold. I thought ‘This is a cow I can win it on.’ I hit it literally four times, pushed it around the corner and it was running as hard as it could go,” Kent said, “This horse is really cool down the fence. He won’t trick you and he’ll wait on you. I saw my opportunity and he hit that turn, sucked back and [got the cow] a second time. I was so tight [to the cow] I decided to circle up. That horse gave his life to me tonight.”
The pair earned $7,000 for the Non-Pro Derby, pushing On The Reydio’s lifetime EquiStat earnings to more than $37,000. Kent has earned more than $54,000 and has found previous success at the Celebration of Champions, including in 2020 when she won the Youth Bridle World Championship.
“It’s been incredible. I wanted to win and it’s what I set out to do. I wanted to start the year off good for my horse’s last derby year,” Kent said. “His 4-year-old year he never missed a finals anywhere he went. He was always a big horse. As I was [preparing,] I just wanted to have what I had last year.”
On The Reydio was bred by the EE Ranches of Whitesboro, Texas and is sired by Reydioactive. The flashy sorrel gelding is out of Cat Ichi mare Bewitching Ichi, and had earned checks with Kent in ranch trail and ranch versatility.
Reserve Champion in the NRCHA Kalpowar Non-Pro Derby was Julia Winders and Dual Smarty (Dual Smart Rey x Cat Gabriella Acre x Cats Merada). The pair put together a 658 composite (215 herd/218 rein/225 cow) for a $5,194 check.
