Total Earnings: $624,535 Three time World’s Greatest Horseman, Russell Dilday, got his start in the cow horse world after watching the 1993 Snaffle Bit Futurity in Fresno when Sandy Collier won. His father-in-law was also a cow horse trainer. Dilday had grown up around horses. His family ranched and roped for fun. Dilday’s dad
Kimberlee and Metallic MaverickPhoto by Shane Rux Photography Kimberlee Gabel has been involved with reined cow horses for five years. Previously, she had rodeoed and competed in stock horse versatility before making the switch. “For me, the pinnacle has always been the reined cow horse,” she said. Gabel bought her current horse
Total Earnings: $65,471 Straight out of high school in Idaho, Tyson Benson went to work for Corey Cushing in Arizona and stayed there for six years. His dad Rick had given Benson a solid foundation with horses and he spent time with Al Dunning and Bobby Ingersol at clinics alongside his dad. Benson went
Betty and A Shooting Spark Reined cow horses have been a consuming passion of Betty Lou Valdez for more than 10 years. She bought a finished cow horse and liked it so much she then got her first futurity horse in 2010. She remembers one year she and her daughter travelled to
Clay Damuth has a ranching background but he has always had an interest in cow horses. He was advised to go work for trainers to learn the trade. He first went to work for a cueing horse trainer at 20 years of age and then branched out to cow horse trainers with a foundation
Total Earnings: $268,631 Ben Baldus has always wanted to be a cowboy for as long as he can remember. At 17 he went to Pennsylvania and worked for Christian Evangelist, Lew Sterrett, who used horses to preach. Sterrett gave Baldus a foundation. Then, at 20 years old, Baldus moved to Texas to work for
Clark and Lillys Vaquero From showing paint horses as a kid in Kansas to starting colts and fixing rope horses in Colorado, Clark Weaver has been a life long student of the horse. He graduated from Colorado State University with an equine science degree. Weaver then moved to Amarillo, TX selling ads
Shane Steffen working buffalo out of a herd Is the expense and difficulty of sourcing cattle getting to be too much for you? Some reined cow horse trainers are branching out and working buffalo instead. Shane Steffen, 2021 World’s Greatest Horseman Champion based in Powell Butte, Oregon, started using buffalo out of
Amy and ASmidgeMoreDiamond Photo Credit: Stacy Judd Amy Ost rode jumping horses for years and was introduced to reined cow horses when she was in college. The people, culture and the event in general inspired her to make the switch. Although her jumper background has been helpful as
Russel Dilday giving a boxing clinic You could say going down the fence in reined cow horses is the hero event of the sport. Like bull riding at a rodeo, it’s what the crowd most wants to see. But chasing down a cow at breakneck speed and turning
Accomplished reined cow horse trainer and rider Phillips Ralls from California is one of Reined Cow Horse Training Online's featured trainers. He encourages everyone involved in the sport to learn from the best in the business by watching our experts reveals their training and showing secrets. Become a member and try RCHTO
