Tie for Open Futurity Reined Work Preliminaries
The leaders of the preliminary open reined work at NRCHA Snaffle Bit Futurity® saw two horsemen sharing the spotlight, with Nick Dowers and Shadd Parkinson topping the phase with a score of 222.5 each.
Dowers piloted Tha Rizzler (Metallic Rebel x Starlight Playmate x Grays Starlight), owned by Triple D Ranches LLC and bred by Kalpowar Quarter Horses. Forty riders later, Parkinson matched the score aboard Thundr Strukk (Metallic Cat x Lightening Strike x Dual Rey), owned by Hannes Winkler and bred by Teton Ridge Ranch.
Dowers has amassed more than $1.5 million in NRCHA earnings. Less than a month ago, at the 2025 Reno Snaffle Bit Futurity, he and Tha Rizzler were crowned open champions and collected $60,000. The pair seems to be building off that early momentum.
“The reined work run was pretty awesome,” Dowers said. “He’s an extremely good-minded horse, so walking in, as soon as I stepped in there, I could tell he was dialed and ready to go to work. We got through the circles, and everything was clean and good there. Once we got to the stops and spins, that’s where he can really shine. He’s a huge stopper and very fast-footed.”
Parkinson is also no stranger to huge stops and fast-footed colts and has earned over $634,000 in NRCHA competition. Most recently, he and Thundr Strukk cashed in at the 2025 NSHA Futurity Open reined work as high scorers.
“We bought him through the sale as a yearling at the NRCHA Snaffle Bit Futurity® and have had him all along, and he's just been a great pleasure,” Parkinson said. “He's always been something special, so I'm glad he got to show it off today.”
Thundr Strukk's owner, Hannes Winkler, a good friend of Parkinson and native of Austria, has always had a great passion for the cow horse, and both Winkler and Parkinson look forward to seeing what Thundr Strukk has in store for herd work.
“I'm excited,” Parkinson said. “He's always been pretty exceptional on the cow, he just needs a little luck here and there, but it should all be perfect.”
Dowers and Parkinson both are jockeying promising colts that can handle the stage of the NRCHA Snaffle Bit Futurity® with ease.
“He’s handled pressure really good,” Dowers said. “I felt like right off the bat when I started him that he had a lot of composure and that he’s a really good horse. Coming off some of the other shows, he’s really with me out there, and I think that’s what makes him special.”
Tha Rizzler has been under Dowers’ guidance since he was a yearling. The talented stallion hasn’t known much different from Dowers being the one in the saddle, whether that be at home or at one of the biggest stages NRCHA has to offer.
“It’s always nice to mark a good score in the reining,” Dowers said. “We still have a lot of horse show left. I think it gives me a lot of confidence in what he’s capable of going forward. He’s definitely catching the judges’ eyes, and that’s exciting.”
With a lot of show left, Dowers and Parkinson plan to pursue their rise to the winner’s circle, not just in the reined work prelims, but in every facet of the show.
In the Intermediate Open, Love Struk Baby (Stevie Rey Von x Shinin Peaches x Shining Spark), owned by Trey and Sandra Neal, and Jay McLaughlin weren’t far behind with 220.5 points to take the high score. Metallic Sannrey (Sannman x What A Rey x TR Dual Rey), owned by Ruth Nixon and shown by Trapper Lowndes, marked a 219 to earn the high score in the Limited Open. Rounding out the Open Futurity was the Level 1 Open high score of 217.5 points for No Time For Talkin (Smooth Talkin Style x Annies One Time x One Time Pepto), owned by Charlene McCameron and shown by Laura Coflin.
