In today’s episode, we take a look at the 2023 NRHA Futurity. We talk about the tie for Open Level 4 Champion, scores, spreads, and use of the judging scale. We don’t forget about the Non Pro Futurity and address the industry buzz around Lane Colston and Adam Donahue’s finals runs.
Congratulations to the Winners!
Level 4 Futurity Champions Brian Bell, Crystalized Whizkey owned by Wallace Wood.
Level 4 Reserve Champions Andrea Fappani and Inferno Thirty Five owned by Stephen Archer
Level 4 Non Pro Champions Lane Colston and Gunna Be Painted
In This Episode:
Let’s Talk Ties
225.5 tie between Brian Bell on Crystalized Whizkey and Andrea Fappani on Inferno Thirty Five. The stakes: 350K to the Champion, 150K to Reserve and the Title of 2023 NRHA Futurity Champion.
Andrea Fappani and Inferno Thirty Five were last in the draw. The judges’ held this score for a review which acted as a catalyst creating a perfect storm of confusion in a run off situation. Would there be a run off? No, go with awards. Wait, yes, clear the arena! Um, let’s wait an hour.
Is it time to change the Futurity Conditions to eliminate the run off option? This is the pinnacle event of the reining industry. Why not require a run off to crown a definitive Champion? No one wants a tie in the Super Bowl, and it shouldn’t be an option at the NRHA Futurity.
We Don’t Judge Style
Style varied greatly between champion & co-champion. Neither are great movers, did that impact scores in circles and rundowns? It was refreshing to see multiple styles perform well and get paid at the highest level. This is what judging has been teaching for years and we saw it played out on the main stage this year.
Set Up for Success with Pattern Selection
Pattern selection for Go 1 and Go 2 was phenomenal. Pattern 12 allowed separation and provided an excellent filtering process, then pattern 15 thinned out the semi-finalists with some challenging maneuvers.
New Schedule Helped Everyone
The extra days opened the schedule and allowed for shorter days. The show had good length of working days for judges/staff/exhibitors/horses. Everyone performs better when well rested.
Scoring Analytics
Average cut Scores were 1 to 1 ½ points higher in 2022 compared to this year. Was competition different or was judging more conservative?
Judging was consistent throughout the entire Futurity, where they were in the draw made no difference, judges did a great job sorting the competition.
With three-year-olds being this dynamic, what can we expect from them in the next two years? Genetics, training, and development practices have allowed them to mature at this level. But they still need to be brought along and developed to keep them performing well for longer.
Non Pro Futurity Buzz
NP Champions: Lane Colston and Gunna Be Painted
Adam Donahue’s Circles – did he get marked appropriately?
Keep Your Questions ComingEmail questions to exec@cowboyoffice.com. We’ll continue to catalog your questions for our next question and answer segment.
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Episode 37
The NRHA has 40 rule proposals on the table for 2026. We review and discuss each rule and explore the effects for the sport and association.
Episode 36 The Arabian Working Western Alliance. AWWA.
The newest challenge to the working western horse in a competitive arena. Amateurs are the highlight as well as the skills of a western horse put together in a challenging format that is more than Ranch Riding.
Episode 35 Jim Kiser from Kiser Arenas.
The Man in the Arena. He is riding forward as he shares how to measure, test and manage our performance ground to keep horses sound, performing higher and producing our events better. Join us for a great discussion.
2024 Open Reining Champion. Kaci O”Rourke and The Fireman make history as the 1st woman to win this prestigious event.
We review the event and provide data and analytics for the officiating performance relative to the professional talent displayed.
Episode 34 has an epic discussion around the common issues and scenarios in the industry. Race horses or high performance horses, change the names, venues and towns as the story may be very similar. From medications performance enhancing drugs, government regulations and the bond between horse and human along with what competition will do to human behavior. Join us for a great conversation.
Episode 33 has the #2 Open Rider from All Time in Reining, Shawn Flarida as he shares his insights, forward thinking and lessons learned from one of his Great Horses, Spooks Gotta Whiz and the dynamic event, The Run for the Million in Vegas.
Selecting a horse for the TRFM Finals, preparing your horse along with lessons learned from this ride as the sport continues to evolve. Shawn has qualified and been in every TRFM Finals to date. What event is the SuperBowl of Reining?
1 Rider: 1 Horse competition as opposed to 1 Rider: 3 Horses in open aged events; we discuss along with the open leveling for riders. Is there a difference between L3 & L4 ?
