The National Reining Horse Association has officially entered a new era, and at its forefront stands Andrea Fappani. With the conclusion of the 2025 NRHA Futurity Open Finals, Fappani became the first and only NRHA rider to surpass $10 million in NRHA Lifetime Earnings, further solidifying his position as the most prolific professional in the association’s history.
For more than two decades, Fappani has defined excellence in the reining pen. His career résumé reads less like a highlight reel and more like a historical record book—one where it is genuinely harder to list the events he hasn’t won than those he has. Across generations of horses, evolving competition, and the sport’s biggest stages, Fappani has remained the benchmark by which greatness is measured.
A Career Built on Championship Performances
Fappani’s dominance is perhaps most evident at the NRHA Futurity®, where he has repeatedly risen to the occasion under the sport’s brightest lights. Among his most notable victories and podium finishes:
- $250,000 (225) – 2020 NRHA Futurity Open Champion on All Bettss Are Off (Gunner x Wimpys Little Chic) owned at the time by breeder and nominator Arcese Quarter Horses USA, currently owned by Rancho Oso Rio LLC
- $150,000- 2001 NRHA Futurity Open Champion on RR Star (Like A Diamond x RL Miss Kitty) owned by Lundin Farm
- $150,000 (225.5) – 2016 NRHA Futurity Open Champion on Spooky Whiz (Spooks Gotta Whiz x Myo Starlight) owned at the time by Kristie Banks, currently owned by Bosque Ranch Performance Horses LLC, nominated by breeder Spence Bell
- $150,000 (227.5) – 2011 NRHA Futurity Open Champion on Lil Joe Cash (Nu Chex To Cash x RS Lilly Starlight) owned at the time by Russell Giles, currently owned by Lil Joe Cash Inc, nominated by breeder Kurt & Angie Harris
- $150,000 (225.5)- 2023 NRHA Futurity Open Reserve Champion on Inferno Thirty Five (Inferno Sixty Six x Madeof Pure Spangled) owned at the time by Stephen Archer, currently owned by Paul Simonson, nominated by Mary Jansma and bred by Cardinal Hill Training Center LLC
- 2021 NRHA Futurity Open Co-Reserve Champion on Winding Inferno (Inferno Sixty Six x Windher Up Chic) owned at the time by Teton Ridge, currently owned by Diane Yoder, bred and nominated by Cardinal Hill Training Center LLC and Mr Farenheit (Magnum Chic Dream x Wimpy Little Girl) owned by Morin and Vandorp, bred and nominated by Peter Morgan– $125,000 each (223)
- $119,933 (224.5) – 2017 NRHA Futurity Open Reserve Champion on All American Vintage (A Sparkling Vintage x All Ruffed Up) owned at the time by Cuoghi Reining Horses USA LLC, currently owned by Eyal Carmon, bred by Petra Zeitler, nominated by Harper Conner (USA) and Gennaro Lendi (EU)
- $119,133 (225.5)- 2011 NRHA Futurity Open Reserve Champion on Spook Off Sparks (Smart Spook x Setting Off Sparks) owned at the time by Arcese Quarter Horses USA, currently owned by Silver Spurs Equine, bred and nominated by Rosanne Sternberg
- $109,634 – 2005 NRHA Futurity Open Reserve Champion on Big Chex To Cash (Nu Chex To Cash x Snip O Gun) owned at the time by 23 Partnership, currently owned by Silver Spurs Equine
- $104,342 – 2003 NRHA Futurity Open Reserve Champion on NQH Little Jac (Jac Daniels Neat x Annies Little Squaw) owned by Juston Palmer, currently owned by Molly and Tom Hilaire
Beyond the Futurity, Fappani’s success spans every premier event in the sport:
- 2023 100X Reining Classic Invitational Level 4 Champion on Inferno Thirty Five – $100,000 (225)
- 2023 100X Reining Classic Stakes Level 4 Reserve Champion on Mic Dropp (Spooks Gotta Whiz x Dun Dry Whiz) owned by Tim Anderson and Clark Reining Horses LLC, bred and nominated by Clark Reining Horses LLC – $100,000 (231)
- 2022 The Run For A Million Reserve Champion on Trash Talkin Spook (Gunnatrashya x I Spook) owned at the time by Marilyn Overgaard, currently owned by Ella Family Trust, bred and nominated by Vicki Dias– $100,000 (234)
- 2025 All American Quarter Horse Congress Futurity & All Star Reining Stakes Futurity Champion on Gunners Smokin Chex (Gunner x Chexanicki) owned by Tim Anderson and Clark Reining Horses LLC, bred and nominated by Toyon Ranch LLC– $100,000 (230)
- 2025 NRHA European Futurity Champion on Hosss (Colonels Shining Gun x Brennas Dream) owned by Jimmy Nichols and Nancy Wheeler, bred and nominated by Loren Booth – nearly $82,000 (225.5)
Collectively, these wins underscore a career marked not by flashes of brilliance, but by sustained, generational dominance.
A Legacy of Firsts
Fappani’s impact on NRHA history dates back to the very beginning of his career. In 2001, he became the first international rider to win the NRHA Open Futurity, a milestone moment that also produced the first-ever runoff in the Open Futurity Finals. It was an early signal that the sport was witnessing something special.
In 2021, Fappani again rewrote the record books by becoming the first NRHA rider to surpass $7 million in Lifetime Earnings, claiming the title of NRHA’s all-time leading rider. Two years later, he crossed the $8 million mark—and he never slowed down.
Crossing the $10 Million Threshold
The historic $10 million milestone was officially reached during the 2025 NRHA Futurity Open Finals, a fitting stage for a career defined by excellence at the highest level. Entering the finals, Fappani needed to finish eighth or better on both of his Open entries to eclipse the mark.
He delivered.
Fappani tied for fourth place aboard Gunners Smokin Chex (Gunner x Chexanicki) for owners Tim Anderson and Clark Reining Horses LLC, earning $99,178 with a standout performance—sharing the placings with none other than his son, Luca Fappani, in a moment emblematic of both legacy and future. He followed that effort with a seventh-place finish on Americas MVP (Walla Walla Whiz x Americasnextgunmodel), also for Tim Anderson and Clark Reining Horses LLC, adding just over $70,000 to his tally and officially pushing his lifetime earnings beyond $10 million.
A Standard All His Own
The list of Andrea Fappani’s accomplishments is vast, but numbers alone fail to capture the full scope of his influence. He has won the NRHA Futurity Level 4 Open four times, claimed the NRHA Derby Level 4 Open, captured the NRHA European Futurity championship, and succeeded on every major stage the sport has to offer. More importantly, his relentless pursuit of excellence has elevated the level of competition across the industry.
Through discipline, longevity, and an unmatched ability to develop elite horses, Fappani has shaped modern reining and redefined what is possible in the sport. At $10 million and counting, Andrea Fappani is not simply the most successful rider in NRHA history—he stands alone, in a league entirely his own.
