Jennifer Gilliam & Surprizing Sixty Six Jennifer Gilliam grew up in Springville, Cali., loving all things equine. She showed in the all-around when she was younger but replaced that hobby with basketball in high school and in college at Chico State University. After her college years and the end of her basketball career, Gilliam got…
Charlie Smith & Dutch Champman From the beginning, there was the run for the titles. These year-long missions likely created more lifelong National Reining Horse Association members than any other facet of the industry. If a reiner’s goal was a title or a Top Ten, the road to the finish line required resolve, focus, and…
It would be hard to come up with a more generic description for a horse than the old sorrel, but a talented stallion with that moniker made his mark as a foundation sire for the historic King Ranch. Now, Old Sorrel can be found in the pedigrees of top reining horses more than a century…
Brandon Brant I go back and watch a few of my videos. I watch a couple of my good runs and a couple of my bad runs. I critique my hands, my speed, and all the variables that judges are looking for. To remind myself, ‘alright, you got to be slow here, you need to…
The Southwest Reining Horse Association Even though the reining industry in the north Texas and southern Oklahoma areas was in its infancy, the dedicated reiners were people of action. Wayne Laske, who worked for the Tony Lama Boot Company, had moved to Ardmore. An avid proponent of and participant in reining, he remembered, “Jack Brainard…
Although many could not understand their decision, something about moving to Oklahoma resonated with a special group of reiners who felt a sense of homecoming on arrival. Like those who moved to Texas, the early immigrants created a new equine-centered community and a competitive but supportive culture. The Sooner state became home. There was plenty…
Yonathan Baruch Horsemen and women across the world often give their lives to the pursuit of greatness in the arena. Easter egg hunts with children are often spent with their reining family at the National Reining Breeders Classic; and Thanksgivings are spent at State Fair Park in Oklahoma City at the beginning of the National…