Fort Worth, Texas — Teton Ridge, the premier western sports, entertainment and lifestyle brand, announced top-ranked professionals in the western equine sports of cutting, reining, and reined cow horse are set to ride in the highly anticipated third edition of The American Performance Horseman on Saturday, July 19, 2025. The American Performance Horseman, the highest-attended single-day Western performance event in the world, will be held at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas for 2025.

Previously held at Globe Life Field as part of The American Rodeo weekend, The American Performance Horseman will be a standalone event in 2025 and will now feature 24 competitors spanning the three disciplines (cutting, reining, reined cow horse).

With $1,000,000 up for grabs, the event will feature an individual and team competition, with 8 teams consisting of one cutter, one reiner, and one reined cow horse competitor. The competition promises to be fierce as industry athletes push the boundaries of their disciplines. Eligible competitors will be the highest money-earning athletes from the NRHA Level 4 LAE, NCHA Open LAE, and NRCHA (All Open Money) of the 2024 show season.

All the on-the-dirt action will be paired with live performances, with entertainment details to be announced in the coming months.

“Expanding the number of teams from five to eight marks an exciting evolution as the change not only intensifies the competition but also highlights more of the incredible talent and dedication within the Western equine sports community,” said Josh Valdez, Director Teton Ridge. We are thrilled to provide a larger platform to celebrate Western heritage, culture, and entertainment.”

Cutting horse trainer Adan Banuelos, two-time Cutting Champion of The American Performance Horseman, expressed his excitement, “Incredible is an understatement when describing the energy and talent showcased at this event. This is an arena full of talent, and it’s unbelievable to be on a stage like this and have the world see what we do.”

Deirdre Lester, CEO of Teton Ridge, added, “The American Performance Horseman celebrates the tradition of Western horsemanship and offers an unforgettable experience for cutting, reining and reined cow horse fans alike. It’s more than just a competition—it’s an immersive experience that connects audiences worldwide to the legacy and skill that define these Western sports.”

Launched in 2023 by Teton Ridge, The American Performance Horseman made history by bringing together top professionals from the National Reined Cow Horse Association (NRCHA), National Cutting Horse Association (NCHA), and National Reining Horse Association (NRHA) for the first time, with support from the American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA) and American Paint Horse Association (APHA). This event is the first to spotlight all three Western performance disciplines on the same night, at the same venue. The 2025 competition at Dickies Arena promises another groundbreaking showcase of equine excellence.

Ticketing information for The American Performance Horseman 2025, headlining music talent lineup, and ticket on-sale dates for July 19, 2025, will be announced at a later date. Fans can subscribe to Teton Ridge Plus for alerts, advance ticketing offers, and exclusive presales.

For more information, visit www.theamericanperformancehorseman.com.

— Edited Press Release | Source: National Reined Cow Horse Association

The post The American Performance Horseman Announces Dickies Arena as the New Venue for 2025 Competition appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.

Whether you’re new to cattle work or want to improve your cattle-driving skills, you’ll need to learn how to influence a cow’s movements. How you and your horse approach, track, and drive a cow influences where it will go next. To master driving and turning a cow in the arena, you must know where to position your horse.

“The best way to control a cow is to be closer to the cow,” says trainer Cody Crow. “A lot of people feel it’s safer away from the cow, but if you’re too far away, the cow can move where it wants to go. Make sure to step up and influence where you want the cow to go.”

Here, Crow helps you position your horse so you can drive a cow forward and then change the cow’s direction. He’ll teach you how to visualize where to be.

He also shares his teaching strategy: to take turns acting out the part of cow and rider with another riding friend. Whether you don’t have cattle to practice with or if you just want to boost your confidence, riding and “moving” another horse and rider can help you understand where to be when you’re working cattle.

The Pressure Points in Cattle Work

When he first teaches students to drive and turn cattle, Crow says he has riders follow a cow and learn where to be to get the forward drive. Working in his large arena, riders first follow and track the cow, then learn to drive it forward.

Driving: “If your goal is to drive the cow forward, you want the horse’s shoulder putting pressure on the cow’s hip—between the outside of the hip and the cow’s tailhead,” says Crow.

Only after riders feel comfortable following and pushing a cow forward will he teach them to move up and turn the cow.

Turns: “If I’m going to make the cow turn, I want my horse’s shoulder even with the cow’s eyeball,” says Crow. “You’ll need to change your pace and move faster than the cow to get in position. You’re not merely pushing but moving forward to change the direction. Whether you’re circling the horse or turning, this is the position to keep the cow turning away from you.”

Once you learn where to position your horse, you’ll need to practice so you know which position to be in at the right time.

“Sometimes you’ll have a cow that wants to move off of the fence,” says Crow. “You may have to move quickly between drive and turn, then get back to the drive spot to keep the cow moving. If you linger at the eye during your turn, the cow may stop when you don’t want it to. Make sure to return to the drive line—focusing on the cow’s tailhead.”

Find a Practice Buddy

Most riders don’t have consistent access to cattle, but you can still practice your position when you ride with another horse and rider.

“It’s important for you to see where the cow’s escape routes are and how the horse’s position influences that,” says Crow. “When you’re just riding around a cow, I don’t think most riders are trying to see the cow’s perspective. Where does the cow see the open door? Learning the cow’s perspective can help you know where to be.”

Whether you’re new to cattle work or just want to practice cow work without cattle present, riding with another horse and rider can help you learn while removing some of the fear and speed. Ask a friend to ride with you and take turns being the rider and the cow. Make sure to ride horses that get along well and keep a safe distance as you practice.

Make sure to communicate. Since you’re riding with a friend, talk through your moves and share what you notice. Tell your friend where you’re going and when you’re moving in position to turn. Ask each other what you notice and where you felt you had to move or turn.

Crow suggests starting by driving your friend—who’s acting as the cow—forward along a fence line. To get in the best position, stay slightly behind the other horse, looking at his tail. That’s the point to watch as you push that horse’s hip and drive your friend forward.

Next, make your friend—the cow—turn. You’ll move from the drive position and instead focus to the cow’s eyeball. Move ahead so that your horse’s shoulder is even with the other horse’s eye. You’ll need to speed up your horse to move into position. When you move your position and focus, you’ll influence your friend to turn.

When you move your horse’s shoulder to ride parallel to the other horse’s eye, she’ll feel a shift in pressure and that the forward movement is blocked. There’s nowhere to go but to turn away from the pressure at the eye.

You can practice this drive-then-turn pressure change as you ride down your arena’s long side. This is a great way to practice going down the long side without the fear of too much speed. You’ll drive the “cow” down the fence, then turn when you’re ready.

Use caution and communicate as you ride with your friend. While moving in a trot or lope, you can learn what position to move into without fearing that the cow will move into you.

Cattle Work in Real Time

With lots of practice, you’ll learn how to read and influence cattle because of your positioning. It will feel natural and you won’t have to think so much.

“Now it’s muscle memory for me,” says Crow. “I grew up on a cattle ranch, and I had the opportunity to read cattle and learn how to influence their behavior by my positioning. The more you practice, the more it becomes second nature. You can just get to the spot where you want to be instead of having to stop and process, ‘Where should I be and where do I need to be?’ By the time you process all of that, the moment is lost, and the cow has just dragged you down the arena.”

When you’re confident knowing how to move the cow forward and how to make a turn, you have the basics down. Then there are always tweaks to help you move your horse through the turn and polish your moves. But you’ll need these fundamental driving and turning skills to get started.

Special thanks to Payton Porterfield and her horse, Steps of Perfection (bay), for helping demonstrate these exercises.

Read More: Introducing Your Horses to Cattle

This article about cattle work appeared in the April 2023 issue of Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

The post Cattle Work 101 appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.

A creation of Teton Ridge, The American Performance Horseman takes place during The American Western Weekend — a multi-event western showcase known for its title event, The American Rodeo. With support from the American Quarter Horse Association, American Paint Horse Association, National Cutting Horse Association, National Reining Horse Association, and the National Reined Cow Horse Association, The American Performance Horseman remains the only event to showcase each of these three western performance disciplines in the same night at the same venue. 

Following the same format as its debut last year, The American Performance Horseman saw the top five horsemen from the NCHA, NRHA and NRCHA battle head to head. A team format sent one horse and rider pair into the ring per discipline, with five horses and horsemen facing off per event for a total of fifteen performances. An individual winner was crowned for each respective discipline, and the cumulative final of all three disciplines determined the winning team.

2024 American Performance Horseman Teams

Burnt Orange Team

1. Morgan Cromer and Cool Guitar – Cutting
2. Brian Bell and Gunna Whoa – Reining
3. Corey Cushing and SJR Talkin Diamonds – Reined Cow Horse

Racing Green Team

1. Wesley Galyean and Nineteen 42 – Cutting
2. Andrea Fappani and All Bettss Are Off – Reining
3. Matt Koch and Smart Ladies Sparkle – Reined Cow Horse

Royal Blue Team

1. Adan Banuelos and Storyteler – Cutting
2. Casey Deary and Down Right Amazing – Reining
3. Clayton Edsall and Bet He Sparks – Reined Cow Horse

Imperial Purple Team

1. James Payne and Summer Time Fun – Cutting
2. Jason Vanlandingham and Gunnabebigtime – Reining
3. Justin Wright and Scooter Kat – Reined Cow Horse

Regal Red Team

1. Austin Shepard and Kittennish – Cutting
2. Cade McCutcheon and Finals Bound – Reining
3. Sarah Dawson and Smart Chic An Tari – Reined Cow Horse

Cutting

The cutters were the first up to bat, delighting the crowd with their athleticism as they separated cattle from the herd. The audience roared with cheers and whistles as the cutting horses dug deep in the dirt and turned on the dime while working the cattle.

Ultimately, it was Adan Banuelos who defended his title as The American Performance Horseman Cutting Champion. Banuelos clenched the victory with a score of 230 aboard the AQHA/APHA double-registered stallion Storyteler, an eye-catching sorrel whose agility in the cutting pen was remarkable.

At the awards ceremony as a large crowd gathered, Banuelos was clearly touched by what this fan-focused event has done for western performance sports.

“Thank you for acknowledging the fact that horses are the original athlete in here,” Banuelos said. “I’m very grateful. I love you guys very much.”

Reining

After an intermission that featured a performance from jazz-infused rock band Ghost Hounds, reining was on deck. Performing NRHA Pattern 10, each horse and rider team galloped down the center of the arena before coming to a sliding stop at the beginning of their individual performances, setting up the excitement.

Medleys of classic rock and current pop hits roared through the ballpark as each horse displayed their athleticism and ability to be willingly guided. The audience howled at the thrilling maneuvers of sliding stops, electric spins, brisk circles and powerful rollbacks.

Yet again, a title from the original 2023 event was redeemed in 2024 — this time aboard the same horse. Last year’s The American Performance Horseman Reining Champion Casey Deary aboard the AQHA/APHA stallion Down Right Amazing performed an outstanding pattern, earning a score of 226.5.

For Deary, it was all about protecting the talented horse’s reputation. When asked what makes Down Right Amazing so special, he had nothing but admiration for the flashy sorrel stallion.

“His temperament is fantastic,” Deary said. “Nothing rattles him. He shows up to work and is just a real honest horse.”

Reined Cow Horse

The final inning of The American Performance Horseman featured the reined cow horse competitors, where horse and rider must prove their ability to work a cow. Though this event combines reining and cow work, the reined cow horse competitors performed their rein work earlier in the day, saving the exciting cow work for the Friday night crowd.

The tension in the air was palpable as the crowd watched each horse and rider team maneuver their assigned cow, first holding it at one end of the arena (boxing), before then running the cow down the rail of the arena and turning it back (fencing), and finally pushing the cow into tight circles (circling).

The athleticism of these western performance horses was vividly on display in this event, and one gleaming palomino stood out from the others. Wowing both the crowd and judges was the duo of SJR Talkin Diamonds, an AQHA/APHA stallion, and Corey Cushing, a legendary name in the reined cow horse industry with more than $3 million in earnings and a collection of important titles to his name.

Though their first cow required a call by the judges to reassign a new cow, that official performance from Cushing and SJR Talkin Diamonds was stellar, scoring a 220.5 (for a total of 439) to claim the win.

“I believed in that horse ever since I started taking him down the fence as a 3-year-old,” Cushing said in his winning interview. “We’ve been the bridesmaid quite a few times but never the bride, and tonight was his night. If I had to do it all again, I’d turn right around and call on him again to give me everything he got again.”

Team Results

With repeat wins in their divisions, Adan Banuelos and Casey Deary yet again boosted their team — Team Royal Blue — to victory. Joined by reined cow horse rider Clayton Edsall, who had a good start in his cow work but unfortunately ended up with a bumpy performance, the trio stepped on stage before the large crowd to accept their hardware and give a nod to the horsemen they’ve had the chance to work with and learn from.

“Just on our way up here, I learned a reminder that we all have ups and downs,” Banuelos said. “[Edsall] is one of the best horsemen I know, and him handling a day like today and supporting us the way that he did. I know that it wasn’t a good go at it, but he made the most of it and got us a win. And that’s what it’s all about to me. It’s all about family, it’s all about keeping your chin up, about making somebody feel good on their way out of the arena. And we’re very grateful for this man right here.”

Deary also acknowledged the teamwork that went into play with this event.

“Every single point counts toward that deal,” Deary said. “The first one counts just as much as the last one.”

This article about the 2024 The American Performance Horseman is a web exclusive for Horse Illustrated and Western Life Today magazines. Click here to subscribe!

The post 2024 The American Performance Horseman Results: A Championship Night appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.

Here, trainer Aaron Ralston demonstrates how the western stop is differs with and without cattle present. Ralston says the same horse can stop well in a reining class and learn how to stop a cow.

“The best cow horse must be as broke as the best reining horse and as connected to a cow as the best cutting horse,” he says. “Then responsibility falls to the rider. If you use your reins and leg, it must be in time with the objective of the cow.”

The horse must be tuned into the rider for the reining stop cue and tuned into the cow for great cow horse stops.

“For the reining stop, you need to have a great stop, then change directions,” he says. “When you’re working cows, the cattle shift right and left, and you’re always reacting.”

Stopping Time

No matter what type of class you’re preparing for, Ralston recommends keeping your cues consistent. When you visualize how to move your hands to rein for the stops, keep in mind the clock image from part 1 of this series.

With the clock face over your horse’s body—and 12 o’clock at his ears—you’ll move your hands toward 6 o’clock to cue for a stop. You’ll then return your hand to the middle of the clock to allow your horse to move his neck freely without a tight rein.

The Reining Stop

For the perfect reining stop, the horse’s back should hunch into the stop while his hind hooves reach toward the front hooves. The horse’s front legs should move freely as the horse skates into the stop.

The horse’s neck naturally telescopes out and down to counterbalance his weight going down in the back. There will be a nice arc from the nose to the hind end. Ralston warns that you don’t want a lot of rein or bit contact—little to none.

To put this scene into action, Ralston says he approaches the stop with gradually building speed. As the horse runs down to the stop, his body position naturally changes, and his shoulders move back with the motion.

When you’re ready to stop, make sure not to force your shoulders back. Instead, the way the horse moves should send your shoulders back—just like a jet taking off propels passengers back into their seats. This relaxed, natural back position means that the horse is moving his shoulders freely without weight tipping forward onto his front legs.

When it’s time to ask for the stop, say “whoa,” press the balls of your feet into your stirrups, drive your heels, then lift your hand for light contact. As you sit the stop, point your belt buckle to the sky and keep your chin up.

The reining stop was developed for the arena-performance class. Reining crowds cheer the loudest when horses glide over a long distance. This stop isn’t used to work on the ranch. However, the horse’s free movement and willingness to change speeds on command are always essential.

Cow Horse Stop

For a cow horse stop, the horse’s front end doesn’t pedal to balance the hindquarters’ sliding. Instead, the horse’s front legs move more abruptly to allow him to change directions when the cow turns.

“If the cow and horse move down the fence then stop at the same time, the horse would keep moving down the fence while the cow changed directions and got away,” Ralston says. “The reining stop with sliders is not practical for working cows.”

Ralston says that for a well-trained horse, the easiest way to change from a reining stop to the stop needed for cattle work is to change the shoes. Ralston chooses back shoes for cattle work that allow the horse to move through the footing with his hind hooves but that have more friction than those that allow for a sliding stop.

To stop for a cow horse class, position your body just as when stopping in a reining class. While the horse will move differently, your position remains the same. As you move with the cow down the fence, you want your shoulder, hip, and heel to align.

The trained horse will speed to take you to the spot that will stop the cow. The momentum of the horse should naturally move your shoulders behind your hips. With your shoulders back, you’ll be balanced for the stop.

Note that in either stop, your body position should be relaxed with your shoulders back. If you lean forward on a cow turn, you can get thrown forward while the horse tries to change direction. In that case, the horse has all your weight on his front end—making his job difficult. Instead, keep your shoulders slightly back to be ready for any western stop.

This article appeared in the November/December 2022 issue of Horse Illustrated magazine. Read the first installment of this series, demonstrating the difference in turns between reining and cow horse classes.

The post The Difference in Reining and Cow Horse Stops appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.

To compete in reining or working cow horse competitions, your horse will need to turn quickly in response to your cues. In reining, the move is a “turnaround,” or spin—the horse moves forward around a pivot foot and continues the move until directed to stop.

For cow horse classes, your horse will also need to turn with precision. However, he’ll turn with his weight shifted back so he can move on to follow the cow in any new direction.

Trainer Aaron Ralston explains that all moves for reining or working cow horse events mirror—or were inspired by—horses on cattle ranches.

“Historically, riders wanted to show off their best-trained, most obedient horses,” he says. “While there’s little structure to working cattle in a natural environment, training your horse to do complex maneuvers shows skill and athleticism. The reining turnaround became that signature move that could be judged on a point system. Then when working cattle, your horse needs to be ready to turn sharply in any direction and to change directions often.”

A reining turn forces the horse’s weight to the inside.

“If the horse needed to stop and change directions quickly, he’d have to take a shuffle step before being able to leave in a new direction,” Ralston continues. “The ‘cow turn’ allows him to shift his weight back so that he can change directions without shuffling or regaining balance.”

Use the Clock

Horses should turn precisely—no matter which type of turn is requested. Ralston says he’s often asked about how to cue for the different turns needed in reining and cow horse events.

To explain how to cue for each turn, he teaches riders to envision a clock face over the top of the horse. Everything straight in front of you and the horse’s poll is 12 o’clock. Straight behind you toward the tail is 6 o’clock. Three and 9 o’clock are positioned at your right and left legs. Knowing these positions will help you know where to move your feet, rein and chin positions to cue for the different turns.

Reining Turns

In reining, you want forward motion into the turn. The outside foot is to cross over the inside front foot. The inside hind leg is the predominant pivot foot that bears most of the weight. The outside hind foot helps the horse balance and propels him around.

When being judged, the inside hind foot can move within a small area, but you don’t want that leg to displace into a new area. If the foot stays in the same area throughout the turn, you won’t incur a deduction.

The inside hind hoof moves underneath the center of the horse, right below the rider. That’s the pivot point. The more the horse contracts together over the pivot point, the faster he can move.

Imagine a figure skater who spins faster when pulling her arms into her center. The horse will also spin most quickly when his body is tucked and his pivot hoof reaches far under his body.

When you’re ready to start the reining turn to the right, you want your horse’s inside front hoof to step to 3 o’clock continuously to produce the balance point for the optimum turn. To achieve this, use three body cues: Move your inside foot off the horse and point it to 3 o’clock while your outside leg supports the horse without constant cueing.

Lastly, move your chin to 3 o’clock. When you move your chin, other body cues (including your shoulders and hips) naturally follow. Riding one-handed, move your hand above the saddle horn and toward 3 o’clock.

“I like to sit very neutrally with my shoulder, hip and heel alignment in place,” Ralston says. “The cues with the three body parts will tell the horse the destination I expect.”

Ralston says he makes sure to cue the horse once and expect perpetual motion. He doesn’t want to constantly kick the horse, but to teach the horse to keep going until he cues for something different.

If the horse needs encouragement, he will use his outside leg until the horse returns to the speed he wants. He says that if he always pushes with his outside leg, he finds that horses hunt for a change in leg pressure so that they can be done.

“If I’m always pushing with my outside leg, then he’s thinking, ‘When does that outside leg come off, when do I get to quit?’” Ralston says. “That creates a horse that takes smaller steps and is waiting to be done.”

When it’s time to stop the turn, take both legs off the horse and shift your weight to your legs. Return your reining hand to the middle of the horse’s neck and say “whoa.”

Working Cow Horse Turns

“A horse needs to be able to turn in any manner necessary that affects a cow’s flight zone in relation to the destination you want the cow to go,” Ralston says. “Typically, you won’t be making a cow go somewhere. Instead, you shut the door on all the options and open the door to the direction you’d like her to go. It’s pressure and release. The cow releases herself from the pressure the horse puts on and goes where she feels free.”

Ralston says if a cow goes somewhere, she’s going to look there before she takes a step. If you want a cow to go straight ahead but she looks to the right, you need to be able to get to the right side of the cow’s vision to block that move.

If a cow is looking at you and wanting to move toward you, you won’t want to do a reining turn. That type of turn with a forward swing would get into the cow’s flight zone and chase her around you. Instead, you’ll turn the hands of the clock past 3 o’clock, shifting your horse’s weight back.

To initiate the cow turn, move your foot, chin, and hands to 5 o’clock. When the horse’s front hoof turns to that increased turn directive, he has to shift his weight backward. The inside hind foot becomes the pivot foot. With the horse’s weight shifted back, you’ll be ready to go wherever you need to work the cow. The horse will be ready to drive off or turn.

“You could compare this movement in the horse to an athlete,” Ralston says. “Think of a basketball player or volleyball player with a wide stance, ready to move in any direction at any moment, depending on where the ball goes. In this position, you’re always ready.”

Will you ever use a reining turn while working a cow? Ralston says he uses the initial cue of the turn (without the constant spinning) when he wants to send a cow away from him in a defensive move. Once the cow is moving away, he’ll most likely cue the cow turn in the next move.

This article about turns in reining and working cow horse events appeared in the October 2022 issue of Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

The post Perfect Your Reining and Working Cow Horse Turns appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.

In an atmosphere that can only be described as electric, the top horsemen and equine athletes in the sports of cutting, reining and reined cow horse took to the diamond of Globe Life Field for the first-ever The American Performance Horseman on March 10, 2023. Before a crowd of 18,000, the horse and rider teams pursued a prize pool of $1 million.

A creation of Teton Ridge, The American Performance Horseman was held during The American Western Weekend—a multi-event western showcase known for its title event, The American Rodeo. With support from the American Quarter Horse Association, American Paint Horse Association, National Cutting Horse Association, National Reining Horse Association, and the National Reined Cow Horse Association, The American Performance Horseman was the first event of its kind to shine the spotlight on each of these three western performance disciplines in the same night at the same venue.

The top five horsemen from the NCHA, NRHA and NRCHA battled head to head, offering fans the chance to see the most elite of these unique disciplines compete. The team format sent one horse and rider pair into the ring per discipline, with five horses and horsemen facing off per event for a total of fifteen performances. 

The teams were as follows:

Burnt Orange Team

1. Austin Shepherd – Cutting
2. Matt Mills – Reining
3. Lee Deacon – Reined Cow Horse

Racing Green Team

1. Lindy Thorn – Cutting
2. Casey Deary – Reining
3. Chris Dawson – Reined Cow Horse

Royal Blue Team

1. Adan Banuelos – Cutting
2. Fernando Salgado – Reining
3. Sarah Dawson – Reined Cow Horse

Imperial Purple Team

1. Wesley Galyean – Cutting
2. Andrea Fappani – Reining
3. Corey Cushing – Reined Cow Horse

Regal Red Team

1. Lloyd Cox – Cutting
2. Shawn Flarida – Reining
3. Justin Wright – Reined Cow Horse

Cutting was the first on deck and after the herd of cattle had been settled, the cutting team members were up to bat as ‘80s rock medleys set the tone. The crowd delighted in the athleticism of the cutting horses, erupting with cheers as the cutters dug deep in the dirt while working their selected cattle.

The Royal Blue Team’s Adan Banuelos, aboard Teton Ridge’s mare All Spice, lit up the scoreboard with a 229. This clenched a win in the cutting, and following the event, Banuelos admitted to the crowd that the only love letter he has ever written in life was for the talented red roan mare. He had won the 2020 National Cutting Horse Futurity Open with All Spice, but soon had to say goodbye to her when Teton Ridge made the decision to retire her. However, he had the chance to be reunited with her for this groundbreaking event and the two did not disappoint.

“Whenever I won the Futurity, I didn’t know what was next,” said Banuelos. “And Teton Ridge came out with something that created a bunch of energy and nerves, and it was fresh ground per se. I can’t tell you how blessed and lucky we are. This was an arena full of talent.”

Once the cutting was over, Sheryl Crow took to the stage as the arena crew worked to prepare the ring for reining. The crowd delighted in the Grammy Award-winning artist’s performance before turning their attention to the prowess of the reining athletes.

Whistling and howling as the reiners performed their exciting maneuvers of sliding stops, rapid spins, speedy circles and powerful rollbacks, the audience was enthralled by all five reining performances. 

Ultimately, it was Casey Deary aboard Down Right Amazing, a stallion double-registered with the AQHA and APHA, that most impressed the judges. With a score of 231.5, Deary and the bald-faced sorrel stallion took the reining title for the Racing Green Team.

“The reason that I do what I do is because I love that horse,” said Deary after his big win. “Everything that we do daily is about preparing that horse to handle any situation that we put him in—down to the daily care that he gets. Those horses are treated better than I am.”

The last event of the night displayed the fence work of the reined cow horse, a nail-biting performance in which horse and rider prove their ability to control a cow at a fast pace. Having already completed the rein work stage of the reined cow horse discipline earlier in the day, the teams saved this exciting portion of the event for the crowd—and they certainly did not disappoint. From the edges of their seats, spectators watched as horse and rider teams boxed their cow before running it down the side of the arena and then circling it each way—all performed at a quick pace. 

The final rider of the night was also the only female rider in the competition, Sarah Dawson aboard Shine Smarter. Dawson saved the best for last, guiding the sorrel mare through an eye-catching run. Together, Dawson and Shine Smarter marked a 226.5 for their fence work, with their 226-point rein work score from earlier in the day giving them a composite score of 452.5. With Sarah Dawson’s win in the reined cow horse discipline, her score pushed “Team Blue” to victory. 

One by one, each individual discipline winner entered the arena to accept their awards, including a $100,000 check and a Rolex watch. Then, Team Blue—consisting of Adan Banuelos, Fernando Salgado and Sarah Dawson—gathered before the crowd to celebrate their victory as a team and accept their awards: Lesley Rand Bennett hand-crafted rings and individual $25,000 checks. Every rider was outwardly emotional about their achievements and expressed gratitude toward their equine athletes.

Following the awards ceremony, it was clear the energy of the night and the significance of their accomplishments still had not sunk in.

“Honestly, I haven’t even wrapped my mind around the money yet,” said Dawson. “I just can’t get over the feeling that I have that this mare has accomplished what she accomplished tonight.”

At the conclusion of the night, it was evident something special had been born. Each horseman seemed to feel the momentum that the atmosphere the first-ever The American Performance Horseman had produced and was eager to see where it could take these western performance disciplines.

“We’ve always kind of talked amongst ourselves, knowing that our sports are so cool but that the biggest problem that we’ve had is that they haven’t been spectator sports,” said Dawson. “We kind of get the same people seeing them again and again, and I think Teton Ridge has just come in and proved that we can turn this into a spectator sport. I’m just excited to see what it’s gonna turn into from here, because I think they’ve just opened a door that we didn’t know we could open.”

This article about the first-ever The American Performance Horseman is a web exclusive for Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

The post The American Performance Horseman Shines Spotlight on Western Performance Sports appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.