The Great BH
One of the most legendary riders in reining history, Bill Horn, left an incredible and unforgettable impact – not just in reining’s history books but in the memories of people who knew him best.
He was admired for his skill with his horses and revered for his mental toughness in the arena.
He was an enigma, known as much for his dedication as well as his enjoyment of life.
It’s hard to believe that Bill Horn, NRHA Million Dollar Rider, Hall of Famer, and icon, never rode a horse until he was in his early 20s. The first time was at his brother, Paul Horn’s, home. He soon went to work riding horses and breaking colts with John Goodfellow, then with NRHA Hall of Famer Dale Wilkinson.
The story goes that when Bill, aboard Continental King, won a run-off with Clark Bradley and his brother, Paul, in Dayton, Ohio, in 1965, it was the motivation for creating the National Reining Horse Association, which debuted the next year. Apparently, the tie inspired the judge to create a more difficult pattern for the contestants to work in order to break the tie.
In 1967, Bill earned his first of four NRHA Futurity Championships on Mr Poco Luis. He followed that up in 1972 with a win on Eternal One, then again in 1981 on Aces Command. He won his final NRHA Open Futurity Championship in 1987 on Spirit Of Five.
He took home six Open Futurity reserve titles over the course of four decades: Mis Liz Dodson in 1968, Glenda Echols in 1971, Continental Charo in 1973, Enterprise Velvet in 1983, Trashadeous in 1990, and Mifillena in 1994.
From 1966 through and including 1996, Bill Horn took at least one of his Futurity horses to the finals. That didn`t change at the turn of the century. He brought 3-year-olds to the 2001 and 2002 finals, and in 2005, at age 67, he brought one more.
Twice Bill took first and second at the NRHA Derby, doing so first in 1982, and then again in 1986. He won the NRHA Maturity/Derby two other times, the Superstakes twice, and the Lazy E Classic three times.
Bill won the NRHA Open World Championship Three times; in 1978 on Walkaway Rene, in 1980 on White Is, and in 1992 on Trashadeous.
In 2000, Bill and Trashadeous helped the United States win gold at the first internationally sanctioned reining horse competition at the Festival of Champions in Gladstone, New Jersey.
After he’d shown at his final reining in 2010 – which he won money at – Bill had amassed lifetime earnings of $1,323,159. It’s important to realize and remember that Horn, who became NRHA’s first Million Dollar Rider in 1995, earned most of his earnings during the infancy of reining, and wasn’t able to capitalize on the exceptionally large purses that are available today.
His Greatest Horse
Bill also showed successfully in the cutting pen. The first horse he ever owned, Little Miss Hank, he showed successfully in the cutting pen, and eventually bred her to Mr Gunsmoke in 1966. That cross resulted in a sorrel filly with a bald face, four high socks and a white spot on her belly.
Unfortunately, the AQHA wouldn’t register her because she had too much white, and the APHA wouldn’t register the filly because she didn’t have enough. She was a well-bred, well-made filly that no association would accept. Bill told friends that the associations just looked at her like she was poor white trash, and that’s how Miss White Trash got her name.
Of course, Bill knew she was anything but trash.
He planned to show her at the NRHA Futurity, then found out she was ineligible. It was the only year in the history of the NRHA Futurity that it was only open to registered quarter horses.
Bill decided to train her for cutting, entered the mare at the NCHA Futurity, and the mare finished fifth out of a field of 220.
Interestingly, she was re-inspected by APHA representatives during the NCHA Futurity and accepted into the registry. Miss White Trash eventually earned upwards of $10,000 in competition.
When NRHA re-opened to non-quarter horses, the mare proved equally talented, winning an additional $13,000 in the reining pen. One memorable moment came in 1975. That`s when Bill rode Miss White Trash, as well as Im Great Too, owned by his brother Paul, in a run off for first place in the NRHA Open at the All American Quarter Horse Congress.
Bill won the class on Im Great Too, and the run-off gave reining fans an incredible show.
Miss White Trash had three foals by Bill’s stallion Be Aech (as in “BH”) Enterprise, and her final one, born in 1987, was a sorrel over stallion. His name was Trashadeous.
The stallion, who sold as a 2-year-old to Bill’s client Mitch Zuckerman, finished as the NRHA Open Futurity reserve champion in 1990 by a mere half-point. During his 4-year-old year, the pair won the Lazy E Classic Open, the NRHA Derby, the Superstakes, and the Congress Open. By the time of his retirement, the colt, who Bill called “the greatest reining horse I have ever been associated with,” had won more than $109,000.
Doing What’s Needed
Bill was inducted into the NRHA Hall of Fame in 1992. Through the years, 10 horses he rode or was associated with were also inducted into the NRHA Hall of Fame. “Bill wasn’t just a showman. He cared about the reining industry and the association,” recalled longtime friend and client Frank Costantini. “He served on the NRHA Board for decades and was the President, too. He served in just about every role that ever needed to be filled.”
One of those roles was showcasing the sport of reining on a national stage. At the USET Festival of Champions in Gladstone, New Jersey, Bill was giving a demonstration of reining as it was about to become the first western discipline to be recognized by what was then the USET.
It was at the same time as the NRHA Derby, which Bill had to miss, but he knew its importance.
Famed showjumper and world-renowned coach George Morris watched Bill’s demonstration and stated that everyone should be watching it, because Bill gave minimum input and got maximum effort, and was a true example of lightness and feel.
Memories of Bill
The whole reining world called Bill Horn “B.H.”, and his talent earned him incredible milestones when reining paid much less. Plus, there weren’t as many events to go to – only two big ones, the NRHA Derby and NRHA Futurity. In addition, before 1993, the derbies only allowed 4 year-olds to enter.
Horn showed in every NRHA Futurity between 1966 and 2005. He took at least one horse to the NRHA Futurity finals 31 consecutive times, from 1966-1996. He won four NRHA Futurities, he was Reserve six times and he made three NRHA Open World Champions. In 1995, he was named NRHA’s first Million Dollar Rider. He was inducted into the NRHA Hall of Fame in 1992.
Most of all, he was a friend to reiners everwhere. His zest for life and his contagious irreverence were legendary and he certainly lived life to the fullest.
Shawn Flarida
NRHA Professional and Six Million Dollar Rider Shawn Flarida has the highest regard for Horn. “I think he is the greatest of all time, and I was honored to be his friend and to have worked for him. He was so knowledgeable about horses and how they think,” he said.
Shawn continued, “He was so knowledgeable about horses and how they think – just a great horseman. It’s amazing that he didn’t start riding until later in life – he worked in a factory before that I think until his mid-twenties, which makes his career and accomplishments even more incredible.”
Frank Costantini
Former NRHA President Frank Costantini owned Spirit Of Five, on who Bill won his last Futurity Championship, and he counts the legendary horseman as one of his greatest friends. He recalls, “I had the great privilege and honor of not only being around for many of Bill’s accomplishments in the arena, but I also got to know Bill Horn – the man. I don’t think there are many more people who I respected as much as I did him.”
Frank added, “Bill only knew how to give everything he had in him, and no less. The physical effort and worn-out body parts go hand-in-hand. When Bill passed, there was nothing left. He gave it all he had.”
Mitch Zuckerman
NRHA Lifetime member Mitch Zuckerman had dozens of horses with Bill over the years. Originally from New York, he now resides in Florda and recollects the good times. “One funny thing I remember was when we were at Gladstone for his reining exhibition, and they had introduced him as a Million Dollar Rider. A reporter asked him ‘What did you do with the million dollars?’”
According to Zuckerman, Bill’s quick response was, “Some of it I spent on wine and women and some I just pissed away.”
Clint Haverty
Clint Haverty remembers his friend by first saying, “We all loved Bill Horn. I can remember when I first got acquainted in the mid-eighties. I wanted to be like him so I tried to drink whiskey like him, and by 1989 I decided it would be better to just be me!”
He added, “We spent a lot of time together when he lived in Texas, and nobody could make wilted lettuce (with bacon) salad like he did. We all loved it. I’d cook the meat, and he’d make the salad.”
According to Clint, learning from Bill could be a challenge. “His lesson was to say ‘watch,’ then he’d leave me. I’d wonder what he just did until I figured it out. That was how he taught,” Clint shared with a laugh. “I still think of him so often.“