Floridians Top Adequan® NAAC Novice Horse Classes
The National Reining Horse Association (NRHA) Adequan® North American Affiliate Championships (NAAC) continued today with the NAAC Novice Horse Open competition.
In the Adequan® NAAC Novice Horse Open Level 1, NRHA Professional Jorge Puente rode the Sergio Elia-bred Comehellorhiwater (Inferno Sixty Six x Berry Dun It Best x Hollywood Dun It) to a 220 to take the championship.
Puente and the 6-year-old gelding have been a team since August and have won nearly $5,000 in the show pen together.
“I found this horse for my client about five months ago. We went to a few schooling shows at the beginning to get a feel of him,” he said. “Since I started showing him, he has been really consistent. We have been getting 72-73.5 scores all the time. We showed at the Southeast ARC [Affiliate Regional Championship], and that is where we qualified [for the NAAC].”
Puente was excited about his run.
“He was awesome today. I showed him in the [NRHA] Open a few days ago just to school him and see how he felt, and he was great. He is such a fun horse to show; a big stopper. You can send him down the pen and he is loose in the front end and just looks pretty. I really like him.”
The NRHA Professional from Florida had his last run of the season in the Adequan® arena, but he is looking forward to being back in the gelding’s saddle.
“We leave tomorrow, but I hope next year I get to show him more again,” he said. “The plan is to let the owner show him in some Green [Reiner] classes, but I am really hoping I can steal him some more next season.”
Puente thanked his clients for their support, especially the gelding’s owner Kevin Faulkner for his trust with his mount.
“I also want to thank my team—everyone who helps me at home and here at the show. Showing the horse is the easy part for me. It is the getting ready part that takes a team of people. All the paperwork, getting the horses ready, braiding [their hair], preparing before the show and actually driving to the show…that’s the hardest part, and I really appreciate all their help,” closed the champion.
Puente, who had $315,727 in NRHA Lifetime Earnings (LTE) before arriving in Oklahoma City, also took home the NRHA Novice Horse Open Level 1 division.
Shannon Rafacz on Zapp * Photo by NRHA
NRHA Professional Shannon Rafacz of Citra, Florida, rode Zapp to a 221 to capture the Adequan® NAAC Novice Horse Open Level 2 Championship and the NRHA Novice Horse Open Level 2 and 3. Rafacz was thrilled when the 7-year-old gray stallion joined their training program six months ago.
“I’ve had a crush on him since he was 3-years-old,” she said. “A good friend of mine, Robert Peterson, owned him at that time and I told him if he ever wanted to sell him to let me know.”
At the National Reining Breeders Classic, Rafacz finally had the opportunity when she found out the stallion was for sale.
“I called the Freilichs who own him now and asked them if there was any chance we could make this happen and they were so nice and bought this horse sight unseen,” she said. “They didn’t try him, they just said, ‘We believe you.’”
The stallion, who receives endless praise about his disposition by Rafacz, is by NRHA Hall of Famer Spooks Gotta Whiz and out of Clearin The Smoke (by Smokeys Gray). Zapp was bred by Diane Beckmann.
“He is truly a unicorn—as cool as he is to look at, he is that cool to be around,” she said. “He is a very kind individual. You wouldn’t even know he’s a stallion. He loves to just be around people, and we are privileged to have him.”
Rafacz was pleased with their run and looks forward to continuing to show him next year, along with Zapp’s owner, Tammy Freilich, who will show him in entry-level classes.
“When he’s on, [reining’s] a very simplistic thing for him to do,” she said. “Today was one of those runs where you didn’t have to overthink anything—just ride. He deserved this win. It was the last Novice Horse Level 2 class for him. I wish I had him sooner in his life, but what he’s done for us in the last six months has been incredible– it was a redemption run for us,” finished Rafacz.
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