Day two of the horse show classes at the National Reining Breeders Classic in Tulsa, Oklahoma saw more than 200 horses compete in the Mustang and Super Duty Arenas. While some exhibitors took advantage of the nice arenas to work their horses, most came to compete, marking great scores and setting themselves up for high point success.
Shauna Larcombe Wins Int. Open [1] on Shiners Chic
Shauna Larcombe and Shiners Chic competed as the final entry in the first slate of the Intermediate Open class in the Mustang Arena. That’s because she was busy showing an Open Classic entry in the Ford Arena. “I has just finished showing in the Ford and I had to quickly saddle this horse and come over here. It was a bit of a quick turnaround,” she said.
It didn’t matter, because Larcombe and Shiners Chic, by Smart Chic Olena out of Ebony Shines, put together an impressive run, resulting in a score of 145. It added an additional $1,100 to the veteran gelding’s lifetime earnings, which are now less than $1,000 away from $300,000.
“He’s 15 years old now, and he’s probably the coolest horse on the planet,” Larcombe said. “This horse is a legend and has been shown by the legends in this business over the years.”
Owned by Rosanne Sternberg, Shiners Chic is now typically shown by her daughter Jessica. Unfortunately, the pandemic has changed that. “This is the first time I showed him. Jessica usually does, but she’s stuck in Europe because of COVID-19, so I got the chance to ride him,” Larcombe said. “He’s easy to show. I just have to sit on his back and stay out of his way. I thank Rosanne for the opportunity to show this horse. I also thank Sean Pulley. He made the Non Pro Finals, so it’s been great.”
Naike Albert & Shesa Tinker Toy Win Ltd. Open [1]
With a score of 143.5, Naike Albert won the first slate of the Limited Open on Shes Tinker Toy. “She was with me the whole time, and a lot of fun to show. I am just very thankful to ride her,” Albert said. Shesa Tinker Toy, owned by Erin Meehan, is a five-year-old mare by Tinker With Guns out of Smartest Sister.
“We bought her at the beginning of the year from Ruben Vandorp,” she recalled. “I started showing her and we have learned to work with each other and she’s doing really good. I placed when I showed her at the Derby, but I had started riding her two weeks before that and I didn’t know her that well. Now I feel we are getting along really well.”
Albert and her husband Brian Bell have a busy week ahead, with non pros and horses in the NRBC Classic. “I thank my husband, the owner, and the whole team behind Brian Bell Performance Horses,” she said.
Wes Wetherell Ties for Win of Rookie Pro. [1] with Rock On Wimpy
It was only the second time for Wes Wetherell to show his wife Dana’s four-year-old reiner Rock On Wimpy, but the duo put together a solid run to tie for the win of the first slate of the Rookie Professional.
“I’m very happy with him. It was fast, but we stayed on pattern, and my wife is happy,” Wetherell said with a laugh.
Rock On Wimpy, by Wimpys Little Step out of Spot On Sassy, is doing double-duty for the Wetherell’s at this event. “She showed him yesterday, and I’ll show him again tomorrow,” Wetherell said. “I’m planning to do the same thing we did today.”
Summer Opinker and Lil Joes Hushmoney Tie for Win of Rookie Pro. [1]
Summer Opinker just began riding Lil Joes Hushmoney a few days before traveling to Tulsa for the NRBC, but that didn’t stop the two from tying for the win of the Rookie Professional class. The pair marked a 141.5.
“She was really good everywhere. It was a run-in pattern and she stopped really big for me,” Opinker said. “She was with me the whole time, and it was a lot of fun.”
Lil Joes Hushmoney, by Lil Joe Cash out of A Silent Affair, is owned by James Bart Hobbs. “This was the first time I showed her. She’s a really nice mare,” Opinker said. “I’ll show her again tomorrow, and I’m just going to stick with what I did today because it worked out pretty well.”
Jessicah Keller Wins Nov. Horse Non Pro Levels 2 and 3 [1] on Its Snippin
Time Riding her homebred mare Its Snippin Time, Jessicah Keller won dual classes in the Super Duty Arena. Her score of 145.5 garnered wins in Levels 2 and 3 of the Novice Horse Non Pro. “Everything went exactly as planned.” Keller, who rides with Todd Sommers, laughed and added, “I did exactly as I was told, which is something I struggle with.”
Its Snipping Time is by Shine Big Time and out of Snip O Satellite. “We raised both this mare and her mother. I thank my mother who breeds and raises all these horses and gets them trained and allows us to show them. I thank Todd Sommers for helping me, my boyfriend, Will, for holding down the fort at home, and my sister, who is actually running my trade show booth so I can show,” Keller said.
Keller will show again Saturday in the Affiliate Regional Championships.
Tamra Kyle Pilots KR Smart Dreamer to Nov. Horse Non Pro Level 1 [1] Win
Pete and Tamra Kyle had a plan to show KR Smart Dreamer in several classes during the NRBC, hoping to get the talented four-year-old some more exposure to the show pen. They’re sticking to the plan, and in the meantime, KR Smart Dreamer has accumulated two wins!
During Tuesday’s Novice Horse Open classes, Pete and KR Smart Dreamer won Levels 1 and 2. On Wednesday, Tamra competed with the colt in the Novice Horse Non Pro classes, winning Level 1 with a score of 144. “When they open the gate, we’re going to show him, so he gets to where he knows his job. He was really fun for me today,” Tamra shared. “Pete did good for me. This horse went to the center and was super soft, and it was the best turnaround we’ve had to date.”
KR Smart Dreamer is by Magnum Chic Dream and out of Smart Shiney Lena. “This colt is bred well, and he has a really good bottom side,” she said. “We bred and raised him. He’s been a really fun horse for us.”
It won’t be the last time for Tamra to show KR Smart Dreamer at the NRBC. “I will try to do some of the ARC stuff, and maybe qualify for that. I would like to get that done and go to the NRHA Futurity to compete in the NAAC,” she said. “Of course, I thank Pete. He’s done a great job on this colt. I also thank Casey Hinton who helped me his whole three-year-old year getting me back on a reiner, as well as Dan Huss who helped me out in Arizona.”
Kalicia Walters Sweeps First Slate of Green Reiner Classes on Lady Gotta Gun
In Tuesday’s Rookie classes, Kalicia Walters and Lady Gotta Gun put together a solid run. That confidence boost was all she needed to prepare for Wednesday’s Green Reiner classes. She and the flashy mare executed a seamless run which resulted in a score of 143 to win both levels of the Green Reiner.
“I had a pretty good run yesterday, so I felt good in this pen. We came in and I just knew I wanted to hit my markers and do things precise,” she said.
Walters rides with Dany Tremblay, and shared he gave her some solid advice before she went in the pen. “He told me not to be a chicken.” She laughed, and added, “He also clucked at me as I rode by, and that put a little fire in me.”
Walters has owned Lady Gotta Gun, by Spooks Gotta Gun out of Ms Kiper Nic, for more than a year. “She’s five and I got her from Matt Mills. We started green together and worked our way up, and we’re finally putting it all together,” she said.
Walters and Lady Gotta Gun can’t rest on their laurels; they’re entering more classes this week. “I’m going to show in the Rookie classes again on Friday and we will see what happens. I’d really like to make the Yellowstone Rookie Shootout,” she said. “I have a pretty good fan crew here. My family is all here with me this week, and they help me be positive and keep going.”
The Walters family will have a lot to cheer for on Saturday, as one of Kalicia’s horses, Tinker With Dreams, marked a 223 in the Open Preliminary round with Tremblay at the reins. “It’s so much fun to watch that horse. He is just amazing, and gets better and better the more he shows,” she said.