Dream Come True
Few awards have yet eluded female competitors in the Western performance horse world. That list got a little bit shorter on March 1, 2025, when Erin Taormino made history aboard Hazardouz Material as the first woman ever to win the World’s Greatest Horseman. After a grueling four-event competition consisting of herd work (cutting), steer stopping, reining and cow work, Taormino and “Skeeter” won a decided victory with a composite score of 884.5, 4.5 points higher than Todd Crawford’s reserve champion score. They won $150,000 for their efforts.
Taormino has been with Linda Mars’ 2016 stallion (Metallic Cat x Scooters Daisy Dukes x Dual Smart Rey), also known as Skeeter, since his 3-year-old year. Skeeter is a powerful horse, and according to Taormino, his strongest traits make him a joy to ride.
“This horse has an incredible stop, and he’s such a pretty mover,” Taormino says. “Everything is effortless for him — he moves effortlessly. It makes my job easy in all the events. With his willingness to please and his athletic ability, he’s just an incredible athlete. He’s a once-in-a-lifetime horse.”
Skeeter and Taormino have been partners since his 3-year-old year. Photo by Abigail Boatwright
Taormino, from Dennis, Texas, and the stallion made the top 15 out of the 80 entries and went into the clean-slate format finals, ready to have a clean performance in each event.
“Coming into the finals, I just wanted to do the same thing and draw a good cow, and it worked,” Taormino says.
The duo scored 219 in the herd work and 221.5 in the steer stopping, which put them second in the class. Taormino’s friend, 23-time Women’s Professional Rodeo Association World Champion roper Jackie Crawford, was cheering her on from the announcer stand.
Their rein work score was 223.5, which was second place, bolstering their lead. Taormino and Skeeter scored a 220.5 in the cow work, putting them solidly in the top spot overall.
In the end, their score of 884.5 propelled Taormino to win the World’s Greatest Horseman.
“This is what I live for, this is what I strive for, this is what I want. It’s been goals and dreams of mine,” Taormino says. “Making the finals was amazing, but knowing that I had the horsepower that could do what he did tonight motivates you in ways that make you feel unstoppable.”
Taormino is the second woman to become a 1 Million Dollar Rider in the National Reined Cow Horse Association after Sarah Dawson.
Winning the World’s Greatest Horseman has been something Taormino has strived for all her career, and being the first woman to do it is even more special.
“It’s a dream come true. It’s surreal. It’s something that we think of, and we dream of, but you never think that you’ll be the one to have it happen,” Taormoino says. “It’s pretty incredible. It’s something that I dreamed of as a little girl.”
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