Boyd Rice doesn’t remember a time when he didn’t ride. The Weatherford, Texas, horseman grew up cowboy under his dad’s guidance, helping him train horses as early as high school.

“That’s all I’ve ever done, actually,” Rice shared.

Those countless hours in the saddle led Rice to become one of the only horsemen to hold million dollar rider status in both NRCHA and the National Cutting Horse Association, where he began his professional career. His NRCHA legacy began with the advice of Dick Pieper.

“Dick Pieper told me they were having an event at the Lazy E,” Rice remembered. “It was the World’s Greatest Horseman®. I had a horse I had cut on a fair amount, so I started roping on him a little and running a random pattern and got entered. Todd Crawford helped me get ready for it, and that’s how I got started—just picked an easy little show to get started at.”

Rice’s passion for training horses has landed him at the top of many leader boards, including the World’s Greatest Horseman® and the NRCHA Snaffle Bit Futurity®.

“I just love training horses,” he shared. “I love seeing their different dispositions and going through the entire process of training. You fall in love with them. I love to train a good horse.

“The cow horse is a humbling sport,” he continued. “It’s hard to have three or four clean runs [to make a finals]. You have to get through the herd, then the reining, and go down the fence and rope sometimes. It’s really hard for one person or horse to dominate the whole thing. It keeps you grounded.”

One such example: Oh Cay N Short—the horse he rode to win both the aforementioned events—the only pair to have accomplished this feat.

“He gave me everything he had,” Rice said. “He was exceptional. He was good in cutting and he was good down the fence. And he was real mature as a 3-year-old. He was ready to make tough runs and handle situations.”

Rice’s contributions to the association outside the arena began when the NRCHA Snaffle Bit Futurity® moved to Fort Worth. He joined the board then to help settle the event in Texas since he lived there. He became an NRCHA Judge and he’s served on many committees and currently sits on the Board of Directors.

“I want NRCHA to keep growing and be the best sport out there,” he said.

Rice’s wife, Halee, admires her husband’s grit and commitment to all he does.

“He’s so determined,” she shared. “It can be the end of the show, and he comes back and starts again the next day. He works so hard all the time to get better and continue to compete. I admire that he’s so respected as a horseman, but also as a person. I hope he’s remembered as someone who’s always willing to help, whether it was in the herd work or giving advice with a horse or helping the association.”