National Reined Cow Horse Association (NRCHA) Hall of Fame, Snaffle Bit Futurity Champion, NRCHA $2 Million Rider — Todd Crawford has accomplished a lot during a distinguished career in the reined cow horse industry.
He’s now focused on a new goal — to win $1 million in the National Reining Horse Association (NRHA).
Crawford, of Blanchard, Oklahoma, is no stranger to the reining pen. He’s won more than $900,000, and for many years showed at the National Reining Horse Association (NRHA) Futurity in addition to his regular reined cow horse schedule.
In fact, some years he rode the same horse in both the NRHA Futurity and the NRCHA Snaffle Bit Futurity. One example is the great mare Hickorys Holly Cee, who made the Open finals in both futurities.
However, in 2013 he took about five years off from adding to his reining earnings before picking it up again in 2018. Now, he’s chipping away at his goal of being an NRHA Million Dollar Rider.
“I’ve been working at it for so many years,” he said with a chuckle. “It may take several more.”
Getting Closer to the Goal
Exactly how close is he to being an NRHA Million Dollar Rider? While some people have their earnings figured to the penny, Crawford knows roughly how far he has to go, but told Quarter Horse News, “I don’t look. I don’t want to really know.”
So, if you’re Crawford, stop reading or skip ahead a few paragraphs. For everyone not named Todd Crawford who wants to keep track for him, NRHA records listed his current earnings in the association at $923,016. That puts him $76,984 shy of the $1 million mark in the NRHA.
Crawford is currently showing in reining with Icewater Inhis Veins, a son of SG Frozen Enterprize owned by Nancy Stober. They competed at this year’s NRBC and at the Oklahoma Reining Horse Association Ride & Slide in Ardmore, Oklahoma. Last year, he rode Icewater Inhis Veins as well as Poursuivant, a son of Yellow Jersey owned by Lyle Lovett and Joe Carter.
Next up on Crawford’s reining schedule is this month’s NRHA Derby in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
Reining Highlights
One of the few professionals to find success at the highest levels of more than one sport, Crawford has ridden some notable reining horses to top finishes in that discipline’s biggest events.
This includes the NRBC, where he earned the Level 4 Open Co-Reserve Championship with Lena Gallo (2005) and placed third in the Level 4 Open with Mister Nicadual (2006).
In addition to showing frequently at the NRBC, Crawford also showed regularly over the years at the NRHA Futurity and the reining classes at the American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA) World Show, as well as in Fédération Equestre Internationale(FEI) and United States Equestrian Team events. At the AQHA World Show, Crawford has multiple Reining World Championship trophies to go with his many Reined Cow Horse World Championship titles.
A list of his good reining horses would be too long to print, but a few of the stars include NRHA Hall of Famer Princess In Diamonds, top-shelf reined cow horse and reiner Matt Dillon Dun It and multiple AQHA Reserve World Champion Reining horse Commandalena in addition to the previously-mentioned Lena Gallo and Mister Nicadual.
Then there was Hickorys Holly Cee, the daughter of Doc’s Hickory who Crawford rode to the finals of both the NRCHA Snaffle Bit Futurity and the NRHA Futurity, and in the latter tied for seventh in the Level 4 Open finals. Before her show career was over and she became a successful broodmare, they’d won the NRCHA Western Derby Open as well two AQHA World Championship trophies — Junior Working Cow Horse and Senior Reining. She and Crawford also were AQHA Junior Reining Reserve World Champions.
Going Strong in Cow Horse
Even though he’s working toward a goal in reining, Crawford isn’t giving up his day job in the reined cow horse industry. In fact, he figures he still brings about 20 horses to cow horse shows. Last month, he won the Southwest Reined Cow Horse Association (SWRCHA) Wild Rag Cattle Classic’s Derby Open with Voodoo It Ruf, an offspring of Shiners Voodoo Dr who ironically began his training with reining in mind but who Crawford switched to reined cow horse when he proved more adept at at that discipline.
“Well, I’ve made the reining a goal for me, because that’s something that I have to take time and I have to go to different events,” The EquiStat Elite $3 Million Rider then paused, laughing. “Certainly, I would love to be a $10 Million Rider in the cow horse, too, but probably won’t make it that far.”
