Gray clouds camped out above and unrelenting rain poured on Lone Star Arena during the March 5-11 Cowboy Capital Classic Reining in Stephenville, Texas, but stormy skies couldn’t keep the competitors from lighting up the show pen with explosive performances.

Shine On Line and Justin Mathison took top honors in the Dun Gotta Gun Derby Level 4 Open with a 227.5, while Mandy McCutcheon and Shiney Enterprise out-shined the competition in the Mister Nicadual Derby Level 4 Non-Pro. This was the seventh year for the CCC Reining, which hosts a full slate of National Reining Horse Association, American Quarter Horse Association and American Paint Horse Association classes in addition to the Open and Non-Pro derbies.

The derby competition at this year’s show featured its largest purse to date. Not an easy feat in a struggling economy, the Stephenville derbies, owned and produced by Marcie and Paul Sullivan, have experienced a 300 percent increase in added money, a 250 percent increase in total purse and a 80 percent increase in entries since their 2006 debut.

Justin “Gunny” Mathison knew he had a lot of talent between the reins in the 2006 stallion Shine On
Line (Shining Spark x Oaks Little Diamond x Doc’s Oak). Mathison received Shine On Line for training
from non-professional reiner Ron Thompson, Whitesboro, Texas.

After Mathison won the Level 3 Intermediate Open at the One Hot Reining Futurity in Waco, Texas, and the Level 4 Open go-round at the Ariat Tulsa Reining Classic John Deere Futurity, longtime customer Mary Jansma, Cambria, Wis., partnered with Mathison on the horse. By the time the horse and rider reached the 2012 CCC Reining, they had logged $53,636 on their Equi-Stat record, but when it came to nabbing a Level 4 Open Championship, it was “fire and a miss,” Mathison said; stellar goround performances might be followed by a small bobble in the finals, or the pair would miss the Level 4 by half a point.

That would not be the case in Stephenville, where everything aligned for Shine On Line to earn his first major limited-age championship. “He’s more mature now than he has been,” Mathison said. “I think for the most part, I’ve gotten to know my game plan. I’m very confident in how I prepare him, very confident in what I’m doing – that it’s enough and it’s not too much. I was confident all week and I was confident walking in the gate that he would be good.”
The pair marked a 227.5, claiming first place in the Level 4 Open and a Champion’s paycheck of $12,396, which brought Shine On Line’s lifetime earnings to $66,032. “He’s beautiful. He’s bred well, and he’s very talented,” Mathison said of the stallion, who recently began standing to the public at Cinder Lakes Ranch in Valley View, Texas. “He is unbelievably athletic. He can do a lot, and he doesn’t have to be lined up perfect to do it.”

Mathison, who is engaged to Monica Hicks of the custom embroidery company Just Stitch It, gave special thanks to trainer Steve Archer for his help with preparing Shine On Line for the CCC Reining. Mathison, 30, who earned his first NRHA paycheck in 1994, grew up riding as a youth with Archer at his Richmond, Texas, facility. Formerly an assistant for Equi-Stat Elite Reining Rider Tom McCutcheon, Aubrey, Texas, Mathison himself is approaching half a million dollars in reining earnings. Mathison has made the Level 4 Open finals at the NRHA Futurity and Derby and National Reining Breeders Classic, placing as high as fourth – a feat he accomplished at the 2004 NRHA Derby on MMCO Corporation’s Silver N Hickory (Zan Freckles Hickory x Miss Tivio Silver x Strait Silver).

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August 31, Tulsa, OK – The 2011 edition of the esteemed Ariat Tulsa Reining Classic kicked off Wednesday by naming the first of the South Central Regional Affiliate Finals Champions and crowning the inaugural titles in the prestigious Spooks Gotta Whiz Developing Horse Futurity.

Designed to showcase three-year old horses, the Spooks Gotta Whiz Developing Horse Futurity is a pioneering division of classes at the ATRC and the industry response has been greater than organizers anticipated. With more than 90 entries, the Spooks Gotta Whiz Developing Horse Futurity gives the industry an unprecedented glimpse into the best horses as they track their path towards Futurity stardom.

Taking top honors for the first time ever is Jordan Larson, riding Connie Hocky’s Legend in Texcess with a score of 220. In an interesting coincidence, Larson was the 2010 NRHA Futurity Champion aboard the Developing Horse Futurity’s title name sake Michell Anne Kimball’s Spooks Gotta Whiz. Larson continues his winnings by taking the first-ever bronze awarded for this innovative program and establishing that Legend In Texcess is one of the developing stars of the sport of Reining.

Second place in the Level 4 is Scott McCutcheon aboard Spark Chocolate with a score of 219.5. Earning the third place position is Joe Schmidt with a 218 score aboard Great Whiz Bar.

Additional level award winners include: Spooks Gotta Whiz Developing Horse Futurity Level 3:

1) Scott McCutcheon / Spark Chocolate / 219.5

2) Joe Schmidt / Great Whiz Bar / 218

3) Jody Brainard / Lil Jerry Long Legs / 217

Spooks Gotta Whiz Developing Horse Futurity Level 2 – First place: Sam Schaffhauser / JJS Twistedsurprise / 215

Spooks Gotta Whiz Developing Horse Futurity Level 1 – First place: Trevor Elliot Dare / Outstanding Promise / 213

The South Central Regional Affiliate Finals was also officially kicked off at the Ariat Tulsa Reining Classic, awarding the first 2011 titles in the Novice Horse Open classes. Sam Smith aboard GS Smart Kitty, owned by Tim Roper of Hobart, IN claimed the top prize in level two of the Novice Horse Open as well as bragging rights for the first bronze trophy awarded at the Ariat Tulsa Reining Classic all with their 146.5 score. In the Novice Horse Open Level 2, Pete Kyle riding Crome Shiner, owned by Rancho Serena LLC claimed the second place prizes with a score of 145.5.

In the Novice Horse Open Level 1, the winning ride was Stephen Archer on his own WR Kentucky Chic and a score of 144.5 to take top honors. Second in the level is Kinzy Donnelly riding his daughter Jordan’s Jessiesstarlights with a score of 141.

The Ariat Tulsa Reining Classic Stallion Service Auction added its live component on Wednesday, taking that competitive bidding to the next level. The industry’s best stallions are featured in this long-standing tradition. One of the best opportunities to get a breeding to an excellent sire, the Ariat Tulsa Reining Classic Stallion Service Auction is an economical and fun way to lock in your 2012 preferred breeding. Online bidding continues as well at www.TulsaReining.com

The newly positioned and enhanced VIP & Sponsor pavilion is already a big hit at the show, offering breakfast and lunch service daily to supporters of the event, the pavilion is in place for the remainder of the event and is already a hotspot for those who are looking for the best seat in the house.

The air was heavy, not with the humidity hovering outside the arena, but with the weight of suspense – the collective intensity of held breath, seats on edge and hearts pounding. And no heart pounded stronger than the one inside the palomino waiting outside the gate.

With a gold coat, silky white mane and tail and fancy markings, the stallion stood in an open bay door facing the in-gate as a breathtaking silhouette against the night settling outside. But as he ran into the bright show-pen lights and a powerful stop, it was clear the horse’s true beauty came from within. Shine Chic Shine had already entered that pen once and laid it all on the line for his rider. Yet when Shawn Flarida asked the horse to give everything a second time, the strength of the stallion’s heart and willingness of his spirit shone for all to see.

“If you were a director, you couldn’t have scripted it any better,” said the horse’s co-owner, John Amabile.

The setting for the incredible story was the April 23 National Reining Breeders Classic Open finals held at the Great Southwest Equestrian Center in Katy, Texas.

The plot was thick, and the curtain fell when the 229.5-score tie between Whiz It A Chic, ridden by Todd Sommers, and Shine Chic Shine, ridden by Shawn Flarida, was settled in a runoff for $75,000. Shine Chic Shine and Flarida claimed the prize and the Level 4 Open Championship with their tie-breaking second run and 231 score.

A Night to Remember

Flarida, Springfield, Ohio, began the night from a low point on what would become a wild roller coaster  ride.

From the first draw of the second section of Open finalists (reserved for those qualifying for Level 4), he entered the arena on the first of three horses in his finals lineup: 2007 stallion Quistador (Conquistador Whiz x Missin Becky x Okie Paul Quixote), owned by Gus and Gaynia Revenberg. Quistador had already proven his talent last year, winning two pre-futurity titles, finishing third at the National Reining Horse Association Futurity and earning $112,945 in 2010.

At the NRBC, the sorrel stallion tied for the second- highest score of the go-round, a 227, but slipped in the finals during his turnaround and went off-pattern, receiving a zero score. “He was trying pretty hard and just had some back luck. He fell down there a little bit, and I petted him and we’ll go home and regroup,” Flarida said. With two horses left to show in the 35-horse finals, the two-time NRBC Champion and NRHA Four Million Dollar Rider knew the game was far from over. The rest of the field wasted no time and the bar was quickly set high, with Andrea Fappani, Scottsdale, Ariz., riding the firstround leader, Rancho Oso Rio’s Tinker With Guns (Colonels Smoking Gun [Gunner] x Tinker Nic x Reminic) to a 229 from the sixth draw.

Just four horses later, Whiz It A Chic and Todd Sommers topped that score by half a point, marking a 229.5 for owners Stoney and Stuart Russell. The night was just beginning, and rider after rider chased Sommers’ score. But Whiz It A Chic’s 229.5 stood strong as the elite run list was whitled away, one that included NRBC Champion riders, NRHA Futurity Champion horse-and-rider pairs and NRHA Million Dollar Riders. Flarida had another shot at the lead from the 26th draw. Whizkey N Diamonds (Topsail Whiz x Princess In Diamonds x Shining Spark) drew big marks but scored one point shy of the leader. “What a super horse. So goodminded. Those were maybe the best set of circles I ever got to run to the left,” Flarida said of the 5-year-old buckskin stallion owned by Rhodes River Ranch and CDR Farms.

Flarida would have to wait through eight more riders before taking his final stab at the Championship. As draw 35, the last rider of the night, he was the final test for the long-standing 229.5 score. As Sommers would later say, “It’s never over until Shawn goes.”

Flarida’s last mount was Shine Chic Shine, owned by John and Sally Amabile in partnership with Monte Strusiner. The horse’s last time in the show pen had been during the 2010 NRHA Futurity Open finals. After finishing No. 1 and No. 2 respectively in the first and second go-rounds, Shine Chic Shine (Smart Chic Olena x Ebony Shines x Shining Spark) seemed like a certain contender for the Futurity title, but things went awry during the finals.

“He slipped in the first set of circles and never really recovered,” said Amabile, who started Shine Chic Shine.“It was a disappointment, but I’ve been training horses since 1972, and I know that ithappens. I never lost faith in my horse.”

Running into the pen in Pattern No. 9, Shine Chic Shine and Flarida confirmed the faith was well placed with their first sliding stop laid down in the Katy, Texas, dirt. Through both sets of spins, circles, lead changes, stops and rollbacks and up to the final monster stop, the anticipation in the arena mounted and reached a crescendo when the score – a 229.5 – was announced. There was a tie, but would there be a runoff? When Sommers and Whiz It A Chic appeared outside the in-gate, the second round of excitement began. “This kind of money and this big an event, you’ve got to run for it,” Sommers said.

The Million Dollar Rider traced his pattern on his saddle horn, took a deep breath and,to the roar ofthe crowd,ran into the arena with speed, control and focus.

His steady mount, who last year carried him to the NRBC Level 3 Intermediate Reserve Championship, performed a mirror of his previous performance; another 229.5 score was announced.

Flarida and Shine Chic Shine had little time to prepare for the runoff after riding from draw 35. “He was completely out of air. I stood him in front of the fans. I gave him about eight sips of water. I walked him out back so he got some fresh air and petted him,” Flarida said.

“When you get to that stage, and you’re running off with Todd Sommers – I mean, his horse was great tonight; I knew he was going to be awesome – you just hope you can do it.” Flarida was confident, however, that he had more than enough horse. “I knew this horse and everything I’d asked of him, even in his training. He tries every day. There’s not a day goes by where he just says, ‘No.’ He does not do that. He’ll try and try and try. Sometimes he doesn’t understand, but he’s never taken one day and said, ‘No.’ So I knew running through that gate tonight, I could screw up, we could make a mistake, but I knew as far as his heart, his desire, it was there.”

After a thumbs-up and wishes of good luck from Sommers, his longtime friend, Flarida put Shine Chic Shine’s desire to the test, riding to the Championship-winning score of 231. The title came with a $75,000 paycheck, and with money from the go-rounds, Shine Chic Shine earned $76,157. He left Katy with $88,492 on his lifetime Equi-Stat record. “I don’t know what else to say about him. He was great tonight,”

Flarida said as he stood his mount by the fans for a second time. “I know he’s a really good horse. He’s good maneuvers-wise… But the heart that he showed tonight, the strength, I don’t know how to describe it. From a horseman’s standpoint, he’s got my heart.”

A Champion’s Story

Shine Chic Shine is the first horse Flarida has shown for the Amabiles, Grandview, Texas, and Strusiner, Northbrook, Ill., but there’s plenty of history among them. “Monte Strusiner, I showed against him in the non-pro when I was a kid,” Flarida, 42, said. Strusiner has accumulated $67,662 in NRHA earnings since 1977. “John Amabile, he came to my brother’s [Mike Flarida] farm, and rode horses when I was a little kid. He saw me ride when I was about 13 and told me then, ‘You’re going to be OK.’ ” Amabile, who was the first NRHA Derby Champion in 1980, left the sport of reining in 1986 to ride cutting horses.

After earning $70,000-plus in that sport, he left the horse world all together in 2000 to sail around the Bahamas with his wife, Sally. By 2005, the former trainer was tired of water. He returned to his first love, reining, and what started as a plan to keep a few horses at home turned into a 60-horse training and breeding operation.

At the 2008 NRHA Futurity sales, Amabile purchased the high-selling yearling, Shine Chic Shine, who sold for $40,000 after being consigned by trainer Brad Giesbrecht on behalf of breeder/owner Howard Mann.

“That was the only one I wanted,” said Amabile. The yearling’s sire, Smart Chic Olena, Equi-Stat’s No. 3 all-time reining sire, was a “gimme,” Amabile said. The facts that Giesbrecht and Shine Chic Shine’s full-brother, Shiners Chic, were fourth going into that year’s Open finals and that the yearling’s dam, Ebony Shines, by Shining Spark, was a money-earner, along with the colt’s way of moving and conformation, sealed Amabile’s interest.

He took Shine Chic Shine home to Grandview, where the colt was started. But by August 2010, he had found a new home. “To give the horse every chance, because I’m 66 years old, I thought Shawn Flarida would be a really good choice,” Amabile said. “I’ve ridden a lot, and I’m sure that he’s the nicest horse I’ve ever ridden.”

The horse went to Flarida’s place in Ohio, and the pair won the Carolina Fall Classic Futurity before making the NRHA Futurity finals. Amabile knew Flarida was the NRHA’s leading rider and fivetime NRHA Futurity Champion, two-time NRBC Champion and five-time NRHA Derby Champion, but that wasn’t the only basis for his decision. “I also know his reputation for honesty. That’s why he was my choice, and it looks like I was right,” Amabile said.

The veteran trainer already has big plans for Shine Chic Shine. “We’re going to stand him to outside mares. We’re breeding our own mares to him this year, and we’ve got a couple in foal already. I’ve been doing this for 40 years, and I’ve never had a stallion that I really felt was what I wanted to breed all my mares to, until now,” Amabile said. “Shawn said it best when he said that before that show [NRBC], he knew he was a really great horse, but until after those runoffs, he didn’t know how good he really was. You would never plan to run two patterns on a horse on a hot night to see what kind of horse he is. But it happened, and all I can say is I think he passed the test.”

Reserve Champion

Todd Sommers, 46, Whitesboro, Texas, came to the NRBC Open finals mounted on a special horse. Whiz It A Chic (Who Whiz It x Chic Out Mama x Smart Chic Olena) arrived at Katy with more than $99,700 in earnings and a history. At the 2010 NRBC, the 2006 stallion carried Sommers to the Level 3 Reserve Championship and also took his rider over the million-dollar mark in lifetime earnings.

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“I recently made the decision to move Baby’s breeding operation to Rick Ford’s Cinder Lakes Ranch and Reproduction Center, Valley View, Texas,” Kimball said. “Rick’s facility is first rate and he provides great service to the mare owners. We are very excited about this change and I’m looking forward to working with Rick and his staff.”

Please direct all inquires about Spooks Gotta Whiz’s breeding commitments to Cinder Lakes Ranch. They can be reached at 940-637-2536 or fax to 940-637-2540.

Kimball has some additional exciting news about her stallion who has already earned more than $180,000. “In February, Spooks Gotta Whiz moved to Shawn Flarida’s training facility in Springfield, Ohio. “He’s really a nice horse and I can’t wait to show him,” Flarida said. Current plans call for NRHA’s leading rider to show the talented stallion at the National Reining Breeders Classic, Katy, Texas, in April.

Spooks Gotta Whiz’s breeding season will be uninterrupted by his move to Flarida’s facility. However, all inquiries regarding breeding should be directed to Cinder Lakes Ranch and Reproduction Center, www.cinderlakesranch.com.

Competing as draw ten in the field of 35, Todd Sommers and Whiz It A Chic set the bar with a 229.5! Former NRBC Champions, NRHA Million Dollar Riders, and other accomplished trainers took their shot – but no one could wrest the lead away.

That is, until draw 35. As Shawn Flarida entered the Great Southwest Equestrian Center on Shine Chic Shine, by Smart Chic Olena out of Ebony Shines, the crowd quieted. Flarida has marked big scores in the NRBC before – he’s a two-time Champion of the NRBC, and is the leading rider for the National Reining Horse Association with over $4 million in earnings.

From the first big stop of pattern 9 through the equally impressive spins, rollbacks, circles, and lead changes, the man in the green shirt and the palomino stallion enthralled the crowd. When the score – another 229.5 – was announced, the excitement was palpable.

Flarida and Sommers agreed to run-off for the Championship. “With this much money on the line and this big of event, there’s no decision – you gotta run for it,” said Sommers, who went first. Whiz It A Chic was as solid in the run-off as the regular Finals – and marked another 229.5.

Exiting the arena, Sommers wished his long-time friend good luck, and the battle was on. “When you’re running against Todd Sommers – you know he is going to be awesome and you just hope you can do it,” said Flarida. He and Shine Chic Shine laid it all on the line one more time – and were rewarded with a 231!

“Shine Chic Shine was great tonight. I knew he was a really good horse, but the heart and strength he showed tonight – there is no way to describe it.” Flarida paused, considering his words, and then added, “He definitely has my heart.” Flarida and the partnership of Amabile and Strusiner received a check for $75,000.

And the reward for the other half of the Championship team? “Water and some much needed rest,” Flarida noted. When asked about his cheering section, whose voices could be heard over the rest of the crowd, he said simply, “I have the best team in the industry.”

Todd Sommers and Whiz It A Chic didn’t leave the NRBC empty-handed. In fact, the Reserve title equated a payday of $57,000. Whiz It A Chic, owned by Stoney Russell, is by Who Whiz It and out of Chic Out Mamma. “He’s been a special horse all along,” said Sommers, who achieved NRHA Million Dollar Rider status during the NRBC Finals a year ago. “He keeps getting better and better. He’s a great minded horse and really talented. I’m just glad I get to ride him.”

Peter DeFreitas Takes NRBC Level 3 Open Championship on Conquistadors Sandy

Peter DeFreitas made it to the Open Finals of the National Reining Breeders Classic for the first time on Saturday, April 23 – an accomplishment that many trainers haven’t experienced. But by the end of the night, DeFreitas was more than a finalist – he was the Level 3 Open Champion!

He was riding Conquistadors Sandy, by Conquistador Whiz out of Ritas San Jo, owned by Double Run Farm. DeFreitas, the resident trainer for Double Run Farm, has been showing reining horses for 14 years, and said that winning a title at the world’s largest added-money reining is “awesome.” He added, “I have been dreaming about this stuff since I was a little kid. To win something like this is huge.”

DeFreitas and Conquistadors Sandy had a $31,130 payday in the Level 3 Open, and collected an additional $20,500 for a tenth place tie in the Open Level 4. “I’ve never made the Open finals here – this is by far the best horse show I’ve ever had.”

David Zimmerman Wins NRBC Level 2 Open and Level 1 Open Championships on Jacs Lil Spook

Prior to this year’s event, the best David Zimmerman had done at the National Reining Breeders Classic was making the finals of the Level 2 Open. Now, he lays claim to having made the finals in the Level 4 Open and Level 3 Open, and to the Championship of the Level 2 and Level 1 Open divisions. “This is by far the best I’ve ever done,” said Zimmerman, who won the titles on Jacs Lil Spook. “I haven’t soaked it all in. It was unreal to be out there riding in the Open finals with all those other guys. It was really exciting and I couldn’t wait to go in that arena and do it.”

Zimmerman and the Smart Spook stallion, out of Miss Whoa Jac, marked a 225 – winning the two titles by three points. When all the money was counted, Jacs Lil Spooks lifetime earnings had grown by $50,924!

“He ran in and stopped really well, and we got turned as best we could. He’s a really good circler and I trust him so I ran as hard as I could, because I knew he would come back,” he said. “He’s also a really big stopper so I rode as hard as I could in the stops.”

Originally from Kodiak, Alaska, Zimmerman moved south in 1999, working several years for Doug Millholand and then Troy Heikes. “I got a lot of experience with those two guys, and now my wife and I are training out of Purcell, and trying to work our way up.” He added, “This helps! To step up at a show like this one is amazing. It was really fun and exciting to show today.”

Martin Muehlstaetter and Wimpys Little Buddy Win Inaugural NRBC Open Classic Challenge

The first National Reining Breeders Classic Open Classic Challenge competition for horses seven-years-old and up was filled with heavy-hitting horse-and-rider pairs touting impressive resumes. Rising to the top of the superstar lineup was Martin Muehlstaetter and Wimpys Little Buddy. The Austrian-native guided the seven-year-old gelding, owned by Madalyn Roberts, San Diego, California, to a score of 228.5 and the $6,147 Champion’s paycheck.

Muehlstaetter said it was “pretty special” to win the inaugural Classic Challenge at the Katy, Texas, show, especially on a horse who’s shown consistently for the trainer and for his Non Pro wife, Kim Muehlstaetter.

“The horse felt really good. He’s the most honest horse there is,” he said. “He gave 110 percent. He’s just so good-minded.”

Taking the Classic Challenge Reserve Championship was Custom Harley, ridden by Jordan Larson for Rancho El Fortin, Del Rio, Texas. Their 228 score came with a paycheck for $4,180.

Also earning a place on the podium was Andrea Fappani, who rode Robert Thompson’s Yellow Jersey to first place in the United States Equestrian Federation Open with a score of 226.5. This was only Fappani’s second time showing the horse, but the big score was no surprise from this mount who also won the $100,000-added Open Shootout at the 2010 NRHA Futurity.

“I think any time you have a chance to represent your country, it’s always good, so I enter any chance I get,” Fappani said of the USEF competition.

*Results unofficial at time of posting.

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