The Run for a Million

THE MILLION DOLLAR NIGHT IS HERE! 🏇💰
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The biggest night of The Run For A Million 2026 is LIVE!
🏆 6:15 PM — Million Dollar Competition
🎥 Watch Live • Feel Every Moment • Witness History!
One arena. One million-dollar dream. Endless champions.

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𝐄𝐫𝐢𝐧 𝐓𝐚𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐨 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐇𝐚𝐳𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐌𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬-𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐮𝐧 𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐀 𝐌𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐨𝐧 $𝟐𝟓𝟎,𝟎𝟎𝟎 𝐂𝐨𝐰 𝐇𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐞 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞 🤠
Competing in front of a packed house at the South Point Arena, they marked a 226 in the cow work to complement a 222 in the rein work and take the win with a composite score of 448, worth $55,000.
“My goal was to keep him happy and in shape. If I stayed out of his way, I knew he would do his job. I was way more nervous than him when I broke through those gates. As soon as I kicked the cow in, I just let him do his job and tried to stay out of his way. He was amazing. I couldn’t love a horse any more,” Taormino said.
The 2016 stallion, owned by Linda Mars and bred by Taylor Carbo, is by Metallic Cat and out of Scooters Daisy Dukes by Dual Smart Rey. He’s been with Taormino his entire career and won the 2025 NRCHA World’s Greatest Horseman and boasts a total of more than $488,000 in lifetime earnings.
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“Coming here with him gives me a lot of confidence, because if everything falls into place, you know what can happen. He’s so athletic and so talented that my preparation for him is minimal. He’s one of the best horses I’ve ever had,” the $1.5 million rider said. “To bring an animal like him to a stage like this time and time again, you can’t replace it.”
Hazardouz Material and Taormino have shown at TRFAM in 2022, 2024, 2025, finishing as TRFAM Cow Horse Challenge reserve champions in 2024. This year, the duo can finally add TRFAM championship to their resumes.
“I always want him to do his best. I want to do good for the horse. It’s not even for myself, but he deserves to look good. He deserves the win,” Taormino said. “He’s been here four years now, and to finally win, it’s unbelievable. I want to thank all my family and friends, and most importantly, Linda Mars. She’s been behind me from Day One. She is amazing.”

Youth Cow Horse Champion Landri Lisac put it all on the line with an action-packed run to secure the championship!
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𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐡 𝐂𝐨𝐰 𝐇𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐞 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐢𝐨𝐧 🏆
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Landri Lisac and Lookslikelucktome won the Youth Cow Horse Challenge after a 212 in the rein work and a 222.5 in the cow work for a composite 434.5.
“My rein work was actually not very good. I hung a lead for a quarter of a circle, so I was four points behind the leader. I was not where I wanted to be, but I knew it was still possible. It was going to take something big,” Lisac said. “My cow work, I just had to go for it. It was either going to be great or terrible, and I ended up doing really well. My cow was great. My horse was there with me every step of the way. I just love her. She is an angel. She is the best partner I could have asked for.”
Along with a great haul of prizes, Lisac was also awarded a $4,000 bonus, thanks to longtime TRFAM sponsor, Bloomer Trailers.
Lisac rides with NRCHA $3 Million Rider Todd Crawford. The 2013 mare by Smart Boons and out of Dual Lookin Pep by Dual Pep started out under Les Oswald before Crawford, Lisac, her sister and mother showed the mare to much success. The mare now boasts more than $155,000 in lifetime earnings.
“She’s always been there for us. We can always depend on her. She’s a great partner in the show pen. No matter how old she gets, she still improves every single time she goes in the show pen,” Lisac said.
Lisac was set to fly out the next morning to move in for her freshman year at Auburn University and cherished the opportunity to go out with a bang before her horse goes back to her sister.
“It was my last fence run on this mare ever, because she’s going to go to my sister since I’m going to college. We’ve had a great two years together. I wanted to be clean and come out with a good fence run, and I was just trying to stay positive. It was super fun. The emotions were great,” Lisac said.
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Her evening at TRFAM was even more special as she and her sister helped Crawford warm up their family’s horse CRC 1942 for the Open Cow Horse Challenge after Lisac won the Youth Cow Horse Challenge.
“It was super fun showing by his side. The horse he showed is actually our family’s, too, and I actually started him. We bought that horse for me to start showing, and Todd fell in love with him, so it was cool to do it by his side,” Lisac said. “Being there and able to cheer him on after all he does for us and cheers all of us on and always at the back gate for us; it’s just as special to be back there and a part of it for him too.”

𝐇𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐲 𝐉𝐨 𝐇𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐖𝐢𝐧𝐬 𝐁𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐑𝐨𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐒𝐡𝐨𝐰𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐒𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐲’𝐬 𝐂𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐲 𝐇𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐲
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Hailey Jo Hall earned her crown as the first-ever Champion of The Run For A Million Breakaway Roping Showcase presented by Shorty’s Caboy Hattery. The Stillwater, Oklahoma, cowgirl clocked a 2.56 to earn $20,000 aboard 𝘿𝙖𝙩𝙨 𝘼 𝙃𝙞𝙘𝙠𝙤𝙧𝙮 𝘿𝙪𝙙𝙚.
“When I’m roping, my game plan is to go out and put it on the line every time, and that's what I practice doing at home. My dad’s at home and helps me day in and day out, to be prepared for opportunities like this, so I can capitalize and execute. I’m glad I did my job tonight,” Hall said.
The 2018 gelding, by MC Dat Guys Hawaiian and out of Sugar Lena Hickory by Cody Hickory, is owned and bred by her parents John and Jamie Hall, who own both his sire and dam.
“We trained him at home, so he's a homegrown, homeraised, underdog story. He’s 16 hands, so he’s pretty big for a breakaway horse, but he fits my style, and I can count on him,” Hall said. “I’m so glad my parents let me take him all over the country. He’s been a family effort. We’ve spent many nights practicing, training, through the good times and hard times. To see all the fruits of our labor come together tonight is very special, not just for me but for my mom and dad.”
Breakaway roping joined The Run For A Million through a partnership with Premier Women’s Rodeo, the world’s largest all-women’s rodeo organization. The field of 20 ropers at TRFAM featured eight invited contestants and 12 who made it in through qualifiers. Hall is one of those qualifiers who battled her way to Vegas.
“This is my first year nominating for the PWR,” Hall said. “I love the opportunity. I thank God for the opportunity (to be at TRFAM), and just the atmosphere, the crowd, they loved it. Breakaway is probably something different for them to see. We’ve been treated so amazing here and welcomed into this side of the industry with open arms, and it’s been a great experience. I cannot say thank you enough.”
Breakaway roping has a storied history at the South Point Arena and Equestrian Center. It hosted the Women’s Professional Rodeo Association National Breakaway Finals from 2022-2024, giving the top 15 breakaway ropers in rodeo a place to shine in conjunction with the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, which is held at the nearby Thomas and Mack Center Arena.
Now, breakaway ropers have another chance to win a coveted title at the South Point. Hall is honored to be the first champion of The Run For A Million Breakaway Showcase presented by Shorty’s Caboy Hattery.
“This is an amazing opportunity to showcase our sport to an entire new part of the industry. I can’t thank Shorty’s Caboy Hattery and Carol Rose enough for having us and sponsoring this, and Taylor Sheridan for having us here. To be the first champ ever, that’s a sweet feeling,” she humbly said.

𝐂𝐨𝐰𝐛𝐨𝐲 𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐑𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐡 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐥
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Trey Mitchell of Singleton Ranches took The Run For A Million Cowboy Heritage Ranch Challenge title home to Singleton Ranches in New Mexico thanks to his special palomino mare SCR Wimpycrackinchic.
The 24-year-old cowboy and 2014 mare SCR Wimpycrackinchic (Wimpys Little Step x Smart Crackin Chic x Smart Chic Olena) earned $7,500 for a composite score of 428 from a 204 in the rein work and 224 in the cow work for a 428.
The Cowboy Heritage Ranch Challenge presented by Markel, which consists of rein work and cow work, features one chosen rider from each of 10 invited ranches — Four Sixes Ranch, Las Tunas Ranch, O RO Ranch, Pitchfork Ranch, Rob A. Brown Ranch, Silver Spur Ranches, Singleton Ranches, Tongue River Ranch, Wagonhound Ranch and XIT Ranch.
“We were average in the reining, but we drew a good cow and were really blessed in that,” Trey said. “It’s really fun to compete against 10 of the best ranches out there. It’s a great atmosphere, with family, friends and God.”
Trey’s mare was bred and raised on the Singleton Ranch and holds a special place in the family’s hearts. Her dam Smart Crackin Chic won the 2006 NRCHA Snaffle Bit Futurity for Singleton Ranches under NRCHA legend Todd Crawford.
Trey is proud to showcase the ranch-raised talent and prove just how capable ranch horses can be in the show pen.
“I’ve shown this mare through high school, a little through the collegiate challenges, and then a little through the [Ranch Horse Association of America]. She’s always been really special to us,” Trey said. “It’s cool to be a part of [The Run For A Million]; most people wouldn’t think we’d be able to compete on this stage.”
Trey’s cousin Cooper McCleskey of Tongue River Ranch and stallion Ridin A Metallic drew up at No. 1 in the cow work and marked a 211.5 to hold the lead for the entire class with a 425. That is, until Trey and his palomino mare rode into the arena as the last draw and pushed McCleskey to reserve champion status, still worth a $5,000 check.
It’s always been a family affair, as Trey’s father Grant Mitchell has competed every year for Singleton in the Cowboy Heritage Ranch Challenge since the class was added to The Run For A Million in 2023, finishing as reserve champion last year. The friendly rivalry is fun, but so is greeting their pals and family members in the winner’s circle together, no matter who comes out on top.
“It’s always fun to compete with family, and we’ve been doing it our whole lives, so it’s made it really fun,” Trey said. “Everyone was excited [when I got back to the stalls], and we’re all there for each other at the same time.”
Congratulations to Trey Mitchell and the Singleton Ranches on an outstanding performance.
Awards ceremony presented by Wolverine Boots.

Perfect On Ice lived up to his name in the $100k Open Shootout, marking a 231.5 to qualify rider Casey Deary Performance Horses to the 2027 The Run For A Million.
“I had fresh ground, and that horse is a huge stopper, so being on fresh ground is a great way to showcase his strongest event,” Deary said. “He was great in there; as chill as he could possibly be, stood like a soldier in the middle, and stayed right under my hand the whole time. I couldn’t ask him to be any better.”
Owned and bred by Amy Medows, the stallion is a homebred and trained product of the Medows’ program. Amy’s son Jack Medows, a Non Pro competitor of more than $725,000, trained the 2021 stallion by SG Frozen Enterprize and out of Isnt She Perfect after he was started as a 2-year-old in Deary’s program.
Jack won the National Reining Breeders Classic Level 3 championship on him this spring and also placed at the 2024 NRHA - National Reining Horse Association Futurity. The stallion has more than $48,000 in lifetime earnings with Jack in the saddle and has now added $29,155 thanks to the Open Shootout victory with Deary.
“We started him at our place, and Jack came down to ride and loved him and took him home to train him. Jack’s done all the work on this horse. He was nice enough to share him with me and brought him to me three weeks ago so I could school him [at the 100X Brazos Slide] in Waco, Texas. I haven’t had him long enough to wear the shoes out yet,” said the NRHA earner of over $6.1 million. “Jack does a fantastic job. It was the happiest day of my life when he told me he wanted to go work for his dad and their company so he wasn’t training horses and competing against me.”
Perfect On Ice’s dam, Isnt She Perfect, is a cornerstone mare in the Medows’ program. She started with Kole Price and then was shown successfully by Jack and his sister Giorgia Medows. The mare has won more than $170,000 in the show pen and produced more than $300,000 in earners, her biggest winner being Picture Perrfect with Kole Price.
Perfect On Ice is quickly climbing his dam’s offspring stats column, especially with more runs ahead between Deary and Medows.
“I might try to get him back for next year, but it’ll be right before the horse show again. I don’t want to wreck what Jack’s done with him,” Deary said. “The Medows family has been great to work with and good customers and friends for several years, and now Jack is sharing the horse with me. My wife is also a huge supporter, here at the late, late night rides, cheering me on and videoing so I can study. It takes a whole team of people to make it work.”

𝐅𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐅𝐨𝐮𝐫
𝘈𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯 𝘚𝘩𝘦𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘥, 𝘈𝘥𝘢𝘯 𝘉𝘢𝘯𝘶𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘴, 𝘔𝘪𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘦𝘭 𝘊𝘰𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘒𝘦𝘯𝘯𝘺 𝘗𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘙𝘶𝘯 𝘍𝘰𝘳 𝘈 𝘔𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘤𝘶𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘳𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘲𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘦𝘵𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 $250,000 𝘊𝘶𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘏𝘰𝘳𝘴𝘦 𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘦.
When spectators fill the stands to watch athletes compete in a professional sport, it’s expected to see the best of the best out on the playing field. Since the Open Cutting Horse Challenge was added to the docket in 2023 at The Run For A Million, four riders’ names have consistently graced the draw each and every year among the field of 15.
And it’s no surprise who they are — in 2026, Adan Banuelos Performance Horsess, Kenny Platt Cutting Horses, defending TRFAM Cutting Horse Challenge champion Michael Cooper Cutting Horses and 2024 TRFAM Cutting Horse Challenge champion Austin Shepard will each be competing in the Challenge for the fourth time as the only riders to do so.
The quartet represents some of the highest money-earners in the National Cutting Horse Association. Shepard has won more than $12.6 million; Banuelos’ lifetime earnings top $9.2 million; Cooper’s over $6.7 million and Platt has more than $5.8 million.
“𝘐𝘵’𝘴 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭. 𝘐𝘵’𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦, 𝘯𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘢𝘵. 𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘨 𝘨𝘶𝘺𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘶𝘱, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦’𝘴 𝘴𝘰 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘵. 𝘕𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶’𝘳𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘤𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘨𝘶𝘺𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘵, 𝘪𝘵’𝘴 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭,” Cooper said.
𝐓𝐑𝐅𝐀𝐌 𝐚𝐝𝐝𝐞𝐝 $𝟐𝟓𝟎,𝟎𝟎𝟎 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐎𝐩𝐞𝐧 𝐂𝐮𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐇𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐞 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫, 𝐮𝐩 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 $𝟐𝟎𝟎,𝟎𝟎𝟎 𝐢𝐧 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓. 𝐀𝐥𝐥 𝟏𝟓 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐚 𝐩𝐚𝐲𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐜𝐤 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐨𝐩 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 $𝟓𝟓,𝟎𝟎𝟎, $𝟒𝟎,𝟎𝟎𝟎, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 $𝟑𝟐,𝟎𝟎𝟎, 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐲, 𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝟏𝟓𝐭𝐡 𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 $𝟖,𝟎𝟎𝟎.
𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔 𝐚𝐥𝐬𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 $𝟏𝟐𝟓,𝟎𝟎𝟎 𝐍𝐨𝐧 𝐏𝐫𝐨 𝐂𝐮𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞, 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐡𝐨𝐦𝐞 $𝟐𝟕,𝟓𝟎𝟎, 𝐬𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞 $𝟐𝟎,𝟎𝟎𝟎 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐫𝐝 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞 $𝟏𝟔,𝟎𝟎𝟎. 𝐀𝐥𝐥 𝟏𝟓 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐍𝐨𝐧 𝐏𝐫𝐨 𝐚𝐥𝐬𝐨 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐝, 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 $𝟒,𝟎𝟎𝟎.
The competing athletes appreciate how TRFAM continues to expand its payout and roster of classes and the ways the event contributes to the horse industry across the reining, cutting and cow horse disciplines.
“𝘛𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘦 𝘢 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘛𝘢𝘺𝘭𝘰𝘳’𝘴 𝘥𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘺, 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘤𝘶𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘳𝘦 𝘦𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘸𝘣𝘰𝘺 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥, 𝘪𝘵’𝘴 𝘩𝘶𝘨𝘦,” Banuelos said. “𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘎𝘰𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘴, 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘯𝘰 𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘴, 𝘯𝘰 𝘮𝘦, 𝘯𝘰 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦. 𝘐 𝘥𝘰 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦 𝘎𝘰𝘥 𝘱𝘶𝘵 𝘮𝘦 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴, 𝘴𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘵 𝘐’𝘮 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘐 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭 𝘣𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘥. 𝘞𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘯’𝘵 𝘨𝘰 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘸𝘰 𝘭𝘦𝘨𝘴, 𝘴𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘵 𝘛𝘢𝘺𝘭𝘰𝘳 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺, 𝘸𝘦’𝘳𝘦 𝘭𝘶𝘤𝘬𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮.”
Cutters secured a spot in Vegas at TRFAM by finishing in the top 15 at the 2025 Brazos Bash in Weatherford, Texas. Qualification is based on the rider, not the horse, and each trainer knows the importance of choosing a heavyweight horse for the fight in Vegas.
“𝘐𝘵 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯 𝘦𝘹𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘮𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘨𝘳𝘪𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢 𝘴𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘪𝘦𝘳, 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘪𝘵’𝘴 𝘢 𝘭𝘰𝘵 𝘱𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘥, 𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘴, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘧𝘧. 𝘐𝘵 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘴 𝘢 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭 𝘴𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘪𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘤𝘶𝘴,” Cooper said.
The horsemen place a high emphasis on the opportunity to showcase their equine athletes to an audience beyond those who typically follow the sport of cutting.
“𝘐𝘵 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘴 𝘢 𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮 𝘰𝘯 𝘢 𝘣𝘪𝘨 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘨𝘦. 𝘐𝘵’𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘤𝘶𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘨𝘰 𝘵𝘰. 𝘉𝘪𝘨 𝘤𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘥, 𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘴 𝘰𝘯, 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘪𝘵. 𝘐𝘵 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘴 𝘢 𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦,” Shepard said. “𝘐𝘵’𝘴 𝘢 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘺 𝘨𝘰𝘢𝘭 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘦 [𝘵𝘰 𝘲𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘺]. 𝘐𝘵 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘴𝘦 𝘴𝘰 𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘭. 𝘐 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘵 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘢𝘯 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘶𝘴. 𝘚𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦, 𝘳𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘴, 𝘤𝘰𝘸 𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘴𝘦 𝘨𝘶𝘺𝘴, 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘶𝘱 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘴𝘦. 𝘐𝘵’𝘴 𝘢 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘯𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘰𝘳 𝘢 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘴𝘦.”
TRFAM stands apart from other horse shows in that it unites the most elite riders across three Western performance horse disciplines, something that competitors don’t get to experience at their typical shows.
“𝘐𝘵 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘵𝘰𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘢 𝘭𝘰𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘥𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘪𝘱𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴, 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘢 𝘭𝘰𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘯𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘦𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘢 𝘭𝘰𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘯𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥. 𝘍𝘰𝘳 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘣𝘰𝘥𝘺 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘴, 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘯𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘭,” Platt said. “𝘙𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 [𝘕𝘙𝘏𝘈 $10 𝘔𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘙𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘳] 𝘈𝘯𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘢 𝘍𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘢𝘯𝘪 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵, 𝘪𝘵’𝘴 𝘯𝘦𝘢𝘵. 𝘐𝘵’𝘴 𝘢 𝘤𝘰𝘰𝘭 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘢 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘰𝘧.”
Ultimately, the honor of being able to show a horse on a grand stage to a diverse audience and spend time alongside the revered horses and horsemen in other disciplines makes qualifying for TRFAM once, much less four times, a treasured accomplishment in any rider’s career.
“𝘐 𝘦𝘯𝘫𝘰𝘺 𝘪𝘵, 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘴𝘵. 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘸𝘢𝘵𝘤𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘴𝘵,” Cooper said. “𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘭𝘰𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘺 𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘴𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘢𝘵𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘱 𝘳𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘴, 𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘨𝘶𝘺𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘬 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯. 𝘛𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘱 𝘨𝘶𝘺𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘥𝘢𝘺, 𝘯𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵. 𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵’𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵’𝘴 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘨𝘰 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘤𝘶𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘶𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘣𝘶𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨. 𝘐 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘸𝘢𝘵𝘤𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘴𝘵.”
𝙒𝙝𝙤 𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙮’𝙧𝙚 𝙍𝙞𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜
𝐀𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧 𝐒𝐡𝐞𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐝 & 𝐑𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐳 𝐄𝐡
2021 mare, Rollz Royce Stallion x This Cats Smilen x WR This Cats Smart, owned by Billy Wolf, bred by Todd Nelson
Lifetime earnings over $732,000
“𝘐𝘵’𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘐’𝘷𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦. 𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘕𝘊𝘏𝘈 𝘏𝘰𝘳𝘴𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘠𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘴 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘢 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘦. 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘭𝘶𝘤𝘬𝘺 𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘳, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘩𝘦’𝘴 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 5, 𝘴𝘰 𝘴𝘩𝘦’𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘧𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘳.” –Austin Shepard
𝐀𝐝𝐚𝐧 𝐁𝐚𝐧𝐮𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐬 & 𝐑𝐞𝐲𝐳𝐢𝐧 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐭
2021 stallion, Reyzin The Cash x Metallistic x Metallic Cat, owned and bred by Katie Gaughan Banuelos
Lifetime earnings over $559,000
“𝘓𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘐 𝘳𝘰𝘥𝘦 𝘙𝘦𝘺𝘻𝘪𝘯 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘪𝘮𝘪𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘐’𝘮 𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳. 𝘊𝘰𝘯𝘧𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨. 𝘐𝘵 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴𝘯’𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘰 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘴𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳. 𝘐𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘦’𝘴 𝘮𝘺 𝘣𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘴𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘧𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘪𝘨𝘩. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘦’𝘳𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢 𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵’𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘥, 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘰𝘸𝘯𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘢 𝘩𝘦’𝘴 𝘪𝘯. 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘐 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘬𝘢𝘨𝘦.” –Adan Banuelos
𝐊𝐞𝐧𝐧𝐲 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐭 & 𝐋𝐁𝐑 𝐇𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐦
2020 stallion, Dual Reyish x Hangem High Pep x Hickorys Indian Pep, owned by Shotty Syndicate, bred by Charles Burger
Lifetime earnings over $444,000
“𝘐’𝘷𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 3, [𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦] 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘸𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘭𝘰𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘤𝘶𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘮. 𝘏𝘦’𝘴 𝘢𝘯 𝘶𝘯𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘴𝘦, 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘣𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘺 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴 𝘐’𝘷𝘦 𝘨𝘰𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦.” –Kenny Platt
𝐌𝐢𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐞𝐥 𝐂𝐨𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐫 & 𝐕𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐢
2021 mare, Rollz Royce Stallion x Cool As A Cat x Smooth As A Cat, owned by Theorem Ranch, bred by G. Randal Carter
Lifetime earnings over $230,000

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