Author Archives: nrha

“I did a lot of things in the Army; you name it, I probably did it,” said Frank Cutolo, who runs one of the parking booths for the State Fair Park in Oklahoma City. Born in Jamaica, New York, in 1948, Frank was drafted into the Army right out of high school. He said, “it […]

n the NRHA Futurity ended in 2018, all Dieter Buerger was thinking about was November 28, 2019. Hailing from Germany, Dieter looks forward to getting behind the wheel of a tractor to prep the ground in Oklahoma City all year long. “I’ve been working for NRHA Germany since 1998. I’ve worked the dirt in Germany […]

After receiving her first horse at 12 years old, Susan Meyer hung up her spurs nine years late. For the next 30 years, Susan didn’t have the opportunity to ride. That all changed six years ago.  “When I was in my early 50s, I got a new horse and I rode him for a while. […]

She’s not your typical California girl, regardless of taking her first breath of life in Los Angeles. Sara Honegger is kindness and humility personified, and she’s your NRHA youth and professional programs manager.  “I get to see both ends of the spectrum. I get to help our youth participate in our amazing programs while watching […]

The NRHA Futurity opened up with a big win by Mirjam Stillo on Steppin Little Lena. She was the North American Affiliate Championship Open winner on Thursday. The presentation took place on Friday but came with a special twist.  “I’ve known Mirjam since she was a younger youth. Back in Italy, I had trained all-around […]

“Reining here is tiny in comparison to the US and Europe. Our biggest hurdle is that we have a lack of trained reining horses,” said Greg Garland from South Africa. He’s one of the founders of the NRHA Affiliate in his country. His wife, Lizelle, is the other founder, along with a handful of reining […]

A piece of horsehair attached to a medallion sits behind the seat of a saddle cinched to a loud-colored Appaloosa named Bane. It bounces along to Bane’s gait, almost unnoticeable to those who haven’t heard the story behind it.  In November 2017 hurricane Irma ripped across the state of Florida. In her path was NRHA […]

At the 2018 NRHA Futurity, Melissa Mower was simply focused on helping the event run smoothly. It was her first year working as staff for the show. Back home, she is a full-time police officer.  “I grew up in Iowa, so I am definitely western born. When I rode for the mounted patrol for the […]

“I spend 90 percent of my time out in the barn. They have to come make me leave the barn or I’ll stay out there all night,” said 15-year-old Ariana Dejong. This Canadian started out riding jumpers but switched to reining horses six years ago, and she’s never looked back.  “My mom rode, so I […]

“When you’re havin’ fun it’s not really work. I’ve been doin’ this for 31 years, so it’s not really work—it’s just fun.”  That’s what well known shoe-shiner, tack maintainer and all-around good guy, Rondell Stevenson said about his job. He learned the tricks of the trade back in 1988 when a friend of his needed […]