With 2023 waning, the number of last-minute foal enrollments received by the National Reining Breeders Classic ramped up. According to NRBC Foal Enrollment Coordinator Meredith Harrison, the number of 2023 enrollments received by Friday,  December 29, exceeded 3,000, a new record.

“A year earlier, the program set a record number for the number of foal enrollments, with 2,914. We are already past that benchmark, and since foal enrolments just need to be postmarked by December 31, we won’t likely know the actual 2023 total until a week or so into 2024,” Harrison explained.

It’s a 300 percent increase from when the first NRBC foals were enrolled back in 1997. In the beginning, NRBC founders had voiced their belief the program would be successful if more than 500 foals were signed up. When the final tally was done, there were over double that amount, with 1,004 foals coming into the program.

In the ensuing years, foal enrollment numbers increased steadily, with only two years showing a drop in enrollments before rebounding. 

NRBC Secretary/Treasurer Cheryl Cody said, “Enrolled foals have increased market value because the NRBC enrollment gives them eligibility to compete in the Classic for 4 years – as 4, 5, 6, or 7-year-olds. The L4 Open Champion earns $100,000, and the Non Pro Champion receives $50,000. In 26 years, the NRBC has paid nearly $28 million into the industry.

“The growth is a testament to the consistency and steadiness of the NRBC over the past 26 years. The NRBC Board and Officers are people who make their living in the reining industry and their forward-thinking vision has secured its place as the most successful reining stallion program of all time.”

That NRBC team has always provided transparency – with a distribution formula that’s easy to understand. One hundred percent of foal money is put into the purse (in the year that foal crop is four years old), and 90 percent of the stallion enrollment fees go into the purse (in the year it is collected).

Foals that missed the December 31 deadline can still be enrolled at increased prices, and the NRBC has payment plans that are available for owners wishing to enroll older foals.

The National Reining Breeders Classic, will return to Tulsa’s Expo Square in 2024, and is slated for April 16-27.

For more information on the NRBC or on foal enrollment, visit NRBC.com.