After a five-year hiatus from the world of reining, Javier Melo has exploded back onto the scene. His reining hobby took a backseat while beginning college in New York and starting a career, but now the Miami-based rider is once again in the saddle.
Two months ago, Melo visited his “second parents,” Mark and Shannon Rafacz, and he jokingly told them to save him one of the “good ones.” Not thinking anything else of the comment, his parents ended up surprising him with the palomino 5-year-old stallion, A Spook Is Shining (Smart Spook X Ebony Shines X Shining Spark).
“My dad is all about the pretty horses, I sent him a picture of him, and a few days later he calls me into his office with my mom, and she told me I had a horseshow in two weeks,” Melo said. “That was the Florida Classic.”
The new team marked a 215.5 at their debut.
“That was my first time in the pen, and it was my seventh ride on a horse in five years,” Melo said, laughing. “He is about as kind as they come, and is like a big gelding. He doesn’t know he is a stud.”
With four weekends to prepare for the National Reining Breeders Classic after the Florida Classic and one schooling show in Tampa, Florida, the plan was to figure out the best way for Melo to show how great the horse can be in the pen.
“A lot of it was getting him ready but also it was getting me ready and having some time since I didn’t know what to expect,” Melo said. “More than anything, I needed to learn my horse.”
The team is getting along well since in the preliminary round here at the NRBC, where they received a score of 218.5. Melo knew he wanted to show here as the NRBC is his favorite event of the year. Since the transition to Tulsa, it is still Melo’s favorite event, and he says the facility is better suited for a horseshow that has the number of entries the NRBC has.
Melo knew he would get back into reining one day, he just wasn’t sure exactly when.
“Like everything in life, it is all about timing,” Melo said.
The next shows for the team include TNRHA Spinning in the Rein, and then onto the National Reining Horse Association Derby in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.