Amit Harlev didn’t hesitate to cross the Atlantic Ocean to compete against the top Non Pros at the National Reining Breeders Classic. The Kfar Neter, Israel, rider showed two horses in the Non Pro Classic preliminary, and while she didn’t make the Finals, her determination to improve as a competitor isn’t diminished.
“It’s really fun and really competitive to show in the United States. It drives you to be better, improve yourself and your horse, and to work harder,” she said. “I am very competitive and I like riding, it is fun for me. [This show] is really fun; it is my first NRBC but not [my first show] in Tulsa. I think this facility is amazing. This is a big show! I wasn’t nervous, but excited. I have done my best, but I was hoping to make the finals. I was half a point [out]. Maybe next time!”
Harlev, who has ridden reining horses since she was 10 years old, has been involved with horses her entire life. In Israel, her family first started in cutting horses. While they are not promoting cutting in Israel any longer but instead compete in Italy in the event, they continue to breed horses and look to bring a higher-level of competition to their country.
In Israel, it is required to join the army at age 18, and in 2022, following her time serving her country, Harlev and her boyfriend and fellow reining horse competitor, and trainer, Barak Gibori, enacted a plan to bring her to the U.S. Gibori’s friend and fellow trainer Yonathan Baruch was the logical person to help usher Harlev into competition in the states.
“Barak and I grew up together, we are like family, so he sent her to me,” said Baruch. “I think it is super exciting, from a Non Pro standpoint, to show here. They watch them on TV, then they get to be on tv doing those big competitions. It can be a ton of fun, but it is not easy to get on a plane. She’s been coming once a month for 16-17 hours, and that is a lot of commitment. You have to love it. Competition here is second to none. We’ve been all over the world and competed all over the world, and this level of competition is the highest in the world.”
And, Harlev does love it. Her competitive nature drives her to make the 16-to-17-hour one-way flight from Israel to Texas monthly in order to practice with her two horses, Gunna Be Pretty (Gunnatrashya x Whiz A Pretty Spook) and Missy (Colonels Shining Gun x Little Yankee Chic). Her first shows with Baruch in the U.S. were the 2022 Red Bud and the NRHA Derby. At the end of the 2022 show year, Harlev captured a NAAC reserve championship on Gunna Be Pretty.
“We were really proud of her there [at the NAAC],” Baruch said. “She showed Missy at the Cactus [Reining Classic] and she qualified for The Run For A Million there. Two horses to show is always better than one from a standpoint of practice. You get better faster [showing two], three is too much, one is too little, but two helps you divide the pressure without exhausting yourself.”
At the NRBC, Harlev showed Gunna Be Pretty to a 210.5 in the Non Pro Classic, missing the L1 finals by a half-point. A penalty in a lead change earned she and Missy a 206. Harlev is already looking forward to her next event.
“My goal is to be the best Non Pro ever, but that isn’t an easy goal; it’s wildest dreams,” she said. “At first, I was pretty nervous [at these big shows] even though I didn’t expect it. The next show I’ll do is the Red Bud and Derby, and I qualified for the Run For A Million in Vegas, then back to Tulsa for the 100X.”