Reined Cow Horse Culture

I just got home and unpacked after attending the last four days of the Reno snaffle bit futurity--a.k.a. the National Reined Cow Horse Association World Championship Snaffle Bit Futurity. It's one of the two top events on my gotta-go-to list (the other one's the AQHA World Show), and as usual, it's left me with plenty to think and talk about.

In basic terms, the SBF is a triathlon for 3-year-olds. The horses perform in three phases of competition: herd work (like cutting), reined work (like reining), and fence work (controlling a single cow at speed, including turns after running the cow down the arena fence). Preliminary rounds sort 25 open finalists from close to 300 entrants. Those finalists start with a clean slate and execute all three phases in a single finals-round day, going after a first-place check worth $100,000.

The show also features divisions for nonpros and junior riders, along with classes for older horses. There are two days of horse sales, and a trade show that'd give just about anyone a major case of the I-wants. It's all set in a Nevada gambling town that may not be as big and grand as Las Vegas but that's got Vegas beat for Western flavor and visitor-friendliness.

Like nearby Virginia City, the Reno SBF attracts prospectors. In this case, they aren't digging for silver, but for scoops on hot bloodlines, tack and fashion trends, horse-world gossip, and up-and-coming performers. I'm no different. I came home with a notebook full of jottings. A few highlights:

* Cutting horses were the predominant sires of horses in the open finals. This represents a move away from sires known primarily in the reined cow horse and reining fields. The sires list included horses like High Brow Cat, Dual Pep, Peptoboonsmal, Tangys Classy Peppy, Playgun, and CD Olena.

* This was the year that a younger generation of riders--some still only in their 20s--elbowed many of the perennial contenders out of the finals. The one who had everyone asking, "Who was THAT?" was Cayley Wilson, the first-ever finalist from British Columbia.

* Even though the young guys came a-ridin', the top two spots went to experienced hands. Oklahoma's Todd Crawford broke his always-a-bridesmaid jinx to earn his first SBF championship--after NRCHA rules gave him the win to break a total-score tie with previous champ Jon Roeser of California. The association breaks ties based on the highest fence score, and Crawford's 220 was a mere half-point higher than Roeser's 219.5. It may have been one of the most valuable half-points in cow horse history.

* The 2006 event was marred by the first rider fatality in its three-decades-plus history. Carrie Abbona, Lindsay, California, did not survive the crash her horse took while going down the fence in the nonpro prelims. Her death sobered everyone and underscored the fact that this can be a dangerous sport.

* As usual, the SBF scene was a place for the flaunting of out-of-the-saddle fashion. Two trends stood out. (Well, one stood out, and the other one threatened to blind you.) The first was embroidery as embellishment. It showed up on jeans, jackets, shirts, even belts and boots. The second was use of crystals. If you're waiting for the bling trend to have blung, it ain't happened yet. The trade show featured crystals on everything from halters and headstalls to head-to-toe clothing.

* THE item to have was the blinged-out belt, with some sporting crystals as big as a horse's eye and price tags that approached a cool grand. Unfortunately, some of these babies showed up around waists that'd have been better off disguised than broadcast as resting places for the latest in conspicuous consumption. (Then again, who said that a trip to Reno had to have anything to do with taste?)

* If the big, blinding belt was the latest must-have accessory for women, the one for male trainers over 50 appeared to be the blonde trophy babe. Overheard on more than one occasion: "That's his girlfriend?? I thought she was his daughter!"

* NRCHA honored the first riders and horses to join its million-dollar club. The riders with $1 million or more in NRCHA earnings are Ted Robinson, Bob Avila, and Jon Roeser. The stallions whose get have earned at least that much are Nu Cash, Shining Spark, and Smart Chic Olena.

* Women riders dominated the nonpro division. The championship went to Idaho's Annie Reynolds, and the reserve champ was Laurie Ward of California.

After all this observation, I'm nursing tired feet, a thinner wallet, and a notebook fat with business cards. But it won't be long before I'm ready to circle next year's SBF dates and to book my next flight to Reno and reined cow horse culture.