We hope you’re ready for another exciting day here at the 2025 NRCHA Snaffle Bit Futurity® presented by Metallic Cat! We’ll kick off this morning with our youth meeting at 8:00 a.m. in the Watt Arena’s French Room. Youth members will also have the opportunity to participate in the Cow Horse'n Around Classes, sponsored by Be He Sparks, in the John Justin Arena at 3:30 p.m.
Yesterday officially commenced the beginning of our youth classes, starting with our Youth Boxing, and will continue today with our Youth Cow Horse in the John Justin Arena following the Box Drive.
Today marks the final day of the Open Futurity herd work preliminaries, and Thundr Strukk (Metallic Cat x Lightening Strike x Dual Rey) owned by Hannes Winkler and shown by Shadd Parkinson, hold the lead with a combined score of 439. Contestants are in the final countdown before the cow work preliminaries start on Sunday.
Non Pro Boxing Futurity Reined Work
The Non Pro Boxing Futurity reined work results are in, and we’re currently sitting with a two-way tie between Addisyn Grilli aboard Lil Miss Outlaw (Shiney Outlaw x Lil Lena Long Legs x Smart Little Lena) and Nicole Petty showing Sheboonzy (Bet Hesa Boon x Smokin Hot Gal x Hottish), both with a score of 218.5.
“She ran great circles; I was able to pitch her away,” Petty said. “She's really honest. Every time I asked her to go, she was right there for me. She wants to be a huge stopper. I should have sent her a little harder in that last stop, but the rest of it worked out pretty well.”
Sheboonzy, bred by Tammera Hartman Bishop, was purchased by the Petty family in April from Dave Thacker of Thacker Training in Fallon, Nevada, and has impressed her owners every step of the way.
“She came with a great start on her,” Petty said. “She was a really insecure little horse and needed a lot of confidence. She doesn't fight us at all. She wants to be the best she can be, so she gives us 100% pretty much every day. I'm thrilled to death with her.”
Grilli, a youth exhibitor from Colorado, also marked a 218.5, debuting her first Futurity horse, Lil Miss Outlaw, whom she proudly trained herself.
“It feels pretty good being a youth exhibitor doing all this, competing with all these non pros who've been doing it for a lot longer than I have,” Grilli said. “It's a confidence-booster knowing that I'm actually doing things right with my horses.”
At only 14 years old and a high school freshman, Grilli has had an impressive start to her career in the reined cow horse world and looks forward to riding out the rest of the show.
“It's a lot of hard work and dedication,” Grilli said. “Riding your horse every day and making sure that you like the way your horse feels. That's the biggest thing that I've learned.”
In addition to tying for first in the Non Pro Boxing Futurity reined work, Grilli also claimed first in the Level 1 Non Pro Boxing division.
“I wanted everything to be clean and good,” Grilli said. “I knew that with our stops, she would go in there and drag and do her turn around, so we needed to make it through the circles.”
Grilli and Lil Miss Outlaw will return to the arena this afternoon, back- to-back with Petty and Sheboonzy, for the Non Pro Boxing Futurity herd work.
“Being here is a win in itself, so being able to come here and mark big is just the icing on the cake,” Petty said.
Reined Work: Non Pro Futurity Prelims
NRCHA Million Dollar Rider Debbie Crafton is no stranger to the winner’s circle—nor to sitting in it on multiple horses. Piloting 11 horses across four different classes at this year’s NRCHA Snaffle Bit Futurity®, Crafton is aiming to slide into the pay window every chance she gets.
With a score of 221 in the reined work, Crafton and Barbie Mandrell (Stevie Rey Von x Maliblu Barbie x Smart Boons) marked their claim on the Non Pro Futurity prelims high score. The 2022 mare is owned by Crafton, and while she says she’s fortunate to ride many talented horses, Barbie Mandrell nears the top in honesty.
“Clayton Edsall called me when I was looking for something for a Futurity horse,” Crafton said. “This mare came to me from Clayton’s program, and she’s been real easy to get along with—really willing and pleasing all the time. The reined work is easy for her. She is a big stopper with lots of turn. She wants to please you all the time, wants to be a partner.”
This isn’t the first time Crafton has been at the top of the leader board. On Monday, Crafton and SJR SumKindaRockstar (Smooth As A Cat x SumKinda PinkCadillac x Peptoboonsmal) won the Non Pro Bridle Championship, marking a 295 score (R:145.5/C: 149.5) and helping to set the pace for the rest of her week. Despite riding a variety of horses in a relatively short time frame, Crafton approaches each run individually, taking it horse by horse and run by run.
“Knowing those horses is the biggest thing for me,” Crafton said. “Getting on and focusing on that horse—what its shortcomings are, what its strong suits are—and trying to capitalize on the strong suits and minimize the shortcomings—I focus on each horse, and it allows me to do my job.”
That ability to successfully jockey various horses plays a big role in Crafton’s NRCHA Million Dollar Rider title; and considering non pros typically compete for smaller purses compared to those of professional status, that achievement is no small feat—even to those of open classification. This far at the 2025 NRCHA Snaffle Bit Futurity®, Crafton continues to surpass that milestone.
“That’s really special—being an NRCHA Million Dollar Rider—there are no words to describe what that is,” Crafton said. “To have my banner hanging in there with all of my heroes is an incredible feeling and accomplishment. I’m going to continue to do what I do—keep showing horses and keep adding those earnings. I’m looking for two million now.”
Wrapping up the reined work: Non Pro Futurity prelims, Darby Callahan and Sparklet (Woody Be Tuff x Sparking Metallic x Metallic Cat) claimed first in the Intermediate, Limited and Level 1 divisions, marking an impressive 219.5. Tying with Callahan for the Intermediate Non Pro was Bubba Petty and Sheeboonzy (Bet Hesa Boon x Smokin Hot Gal x Hottish).
Youth Boxing
DJ Crafton and Voodoo Sweetheart (Shiners Voodoo Dr x Very Smart Sweetheart x Very Smart Remedy) earned the title in both the Youth Boxing and Youth Boxing 13 and Under with a composite 294.5 points. They had an impressive 149.5 in the reined work and a strong 145 in the cow work.
Crafton and Voodoo Sweetheart have had a busy schedule during their time in Fort Worth. The talented youth rider also showed this mare in the Non Pro Boxing and will show her in the Box Drive this morning.
