The National Reining Horse Association proudly congratulates Tish Fappani on achieving the distinguished milestone of Million Dollar Rider, a feat she reached at the NRHA South Central Affiliate Regional Championship & 100X Reining Classic in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Tish’s accomplishment not only cements her place among reining’s elite but also completes a rare trifecta: with husband Andrea, NRHA’s all-time leading money-earner and Million Dollar Owner, and son Luca, an NRHA Million Dollar Rider, the Fappani family now represents generations of reining excellence at the sport’s highest level.
While the Fappani name has long been synonymous with reining greatness, Tish’s journey to the million mark is distinctly her own. Known for her feel, finesse and unshakable competitive drive, she has built her career at some of the sport’s most prestigious events, including her fair share of NRHA Futurity Non Pro Championships.
Her career highlights include winning the 2024 NRHA Futurity® Level 4 Non Pro Championship aboard Wish I Was Yours (Andrea and Tish Fappani: owners, NRHA Corporate Partner Tamarack Ranch LLC: breeder and Tish Fappani: nominator), earning $75,000, and the 2024 100X Reining Classic Invitational Level 4 Non Pro Championship with the same horse, adding another $52,000 to her record. Fappani was the 2015 NRHA Futurity® L4 Non Pro Champion aboard Legend Slides Wright (Tish Fappani: owner, Camela Essick: Breeder and Steve Simon/Edoardo Bernadelli: nominator) and won again in 2018 on Icecube . She has also earned $180,863 aboard Joes Genes (Andrea and Tish Fappani: owners, Rancho Oso Rio LLC: breeder and Tish Fappani: nominator), one of her most successful and consistent partners in the show pen. They were reserve co-champions at the 2020 NRHA Futurity.
Tish officially crossed the million-dollar threshold aboard Tight Genes, a son of Joes Genes, when she marked a 221 to earn Co-Championships in the 2025 The Invitational, 100X Reining Classic Futurity and the North American Reining Stakes Non Pro Futurities, all run concurrently at Tulsa.
At the same event where Tish made history, Andrea captured the 2025 The Invitational Open Futurity Championship aboard Man of The Year, another son of Joes Genes. Their parallel victories underscore the depth of the family’s impact on the sport, with Tish’s milestone serving as the crowning moment.
With this achievement, Tish becomes the third member of her family to surpass $1 million in NRHA lifetime earnings as a rider—and adding yet another jewel to the dynasty of one of reining’s most influential families. She is now one of only 7 individuals to be both an NRHA Million Dollar Owner – and a Million Dollar Rider.
