Kaci O’Rourke Crowned the First Female NRHA Futurity Level 4 Open Champion

Kaci O’Rourke teared up when she heard her score. * Photo by Amy Olson

December 7, 2024, would go down as the last National Reining Horse Association (NRHA) Open Futurity finals in the Jim Norick Coliseum. On this very historic event, another long streak was broken. Kaci O’Rourke became the first woman to win the NRHA Futurity Level 4 Open.

From the run-in and huge first stop, the crowd went wild knowing they were witnessing history in the making. They held their collective breath during each set of spins, cheered during the circles and roared as each rundown and stop grew stronger. By the time the 229 score was announced, the Jim Norick was erupting and fans were on their feet.

The Firemen (Inferno Sixty Six x Redhot Walla x Walla Walla Whiz) is the stallion that carried O’Rourke to the 229 that earned the Championship and a check worth $350,000. He is owned by Peter and Courtney Morgan and was nominated by Tamarack Ranch, who also bred the sorrel.

“I’m so thankful that God placed him [The Firemen] in my life because he’s incredible,” O’Rourke said.

The People Behind The Firemen

Then she was quick to thank her husband, Jack Daniels.

“I want to thank my husband, because my husband started him. My husband rode him his entire two-year-old year, he was such a reactive, intense horse that he was challenging in the first month or two and my husband just always believed in him and knew how special he was,” she said.

Kacie O’Rourke will be the last NRHA Futurity Champion crowned in the Jim Norick Coliseum. * Video by Amy Olson

Before the Futurity championship, O’Rourke had logged $415,783 in earnings according to EquiStat. Daniels has $203,555. Their earnings reflect the success earned in their young careers. They decided to go out on their own only four years ago.

“I went to work for Casey Deary at 18 years old,” O’Rourke explained. “He was incredible to work for, incredible to me. He just fostered so much growth, patience and time invested. I was fortunate enough to be with him when he won the futurity on Shesouttayourleague. What an incredible experience and I didn’t think I’d be in the same situation right now.”

She also noted her time working for Craig Schmersal and expressed her gratitude for all he taught her.

O’Rourke was still eligible for the Open Level 3 division before her win and she also took home that championship title worth $70,000.

The Firemen

“He’s like driving a Ferrari,” O’Rourke said. “He’s nothing like you’ve ever felt stopping. He’s so smooth, it’s so easy for him. I mean I’ve never felt a horse up front that just melts into the ground.”

 The pair’s first stop after their run-in stunned the crowd so much O’Rourke didn’t know if her horse would be able hear her anymore.

Kaci O’Rourke and The Firemen * Photo by Amy Olson

“I have no idea how he could hear me, to be honest, because it was so loud,” she admitted. “I was just praying that he was going to stay with me and, as I was going through my run, I kept thinking, ‘wow. He’s there, he’s there’. Every time I kind of asked something of him, he was like, ‘Yep, I’m here, it’s all good’, So he gave me confidence throughout the run. I don’t know if we gave each other confidence, but he certainly kept telling me, checking back in. It was an amazing feeling. It was so loud.”

The Firemen walks behind Kaci as they leave the arena. * Photo by Amy Olson

O’Rourke said that The Firemen is more of a one-person horse and she’s taken the time to build a bond with him. It could be witnessed during all of the excitement of the awards ceremony. When large crowds approached the two, The Firemen looked to O’Rourke for comfort and she held his head in her arm nearly all night. She wasn’t the first to know he was special though.

“My husband knew about June or July [of his two-year-old year]. He’s like, ‘this horse is really special’. There’s a lot of two-year-olds in the country that might feel special, but my husband always believed in him one hundred percent.”

She quickly came around though and was fully supported by the horse’s owners. People had offered to purchase the son of EquiStat Elite $3 Million Sire Inferno Sixty Six. Peter and Courtney Morgan didn’t sell.

“The first time I showed him we had a couple baubles and some stuff to figure out and they never doubted us. They always trusted in the plan. So I’m just so thankful for that,” she said.

The future looks bright for the young champion and after some well-earned time off The Firemen’s team will put together a plan to show his four-year-old year and maybe breed some mares in the future.

The First Lady

She was the only woman in the Level 4 Open finals on Dec. 7 and Kaci O’Rourke achieved the highest honor at the NRHA Futurity. One many woman had tried before to take and somehow the trophy slipped away from them. O’Rourke’s name will be permanently written in the history books.

“Just stay true to yourself,” she said to all the girls and women who might be out there watching. “If you want something, be willing to work for it and stick to your dreams and it will come.”

 Growing up in Vermont wasn’t entirely conducive to building her career as a reining trainer. But, her parents —  who own Pond Hill Performance Horses — hauled her far and wide following he dreams and instilled a strong work ethic in the young trainer.

“I never, in my wildest dreams thought this would happen now. I always dreamed it would happen but it just felt like everything kind of fell into place,” she said. “I’d like to thank my dad and my mom and my family for carting me around the horse shows when I was 13-years-old. They’ve always told me that I could do anything.”