Day 10 of the 2025 NRCHA Snaffle Bit Futurity® could only mean one thing: the Open Futurity cow work preliminaries are officially underway!
Holding the high score from Day 1 with an impressive 221.5 points is Black Atcha (WR This Cats Smart x Reys Stressin Melody x Reys Dual Badger), owned by Lita West and shown by Justin Wright. Wright sits third in the composite as we head into the second and final day of the cow work.
Leading the preliminary composite with a tie for 657 points are Shining Stevie (Stevie Rey Von x Just A Sparknshine x Shining Spark), owned by Russ Mothershead and shown by Sarah Dawson (R: 219.5/H: 217/C: 220.5), and Mink Seville (Metallic Cat x Duel Rey Mink x Dual Rey), owned by Austin and Stacy Shepard and shown by Boyd Rice (R: 215/H: 221/C: 221). After yesterday’s 16 sets, a composite of 643.5 or higher is needed to remain in the top 30 advancing to the finals.
The final 20 sets of the Open Futurity cow work preliminaries kick-off this morning in the John Justin Arena, followed by the Non Pro Boxing Futurity cow work preliminaries.
The RealCow: Designed by Horsemen, Built for Horsemen
Rising cattle prices and limited resources can make owning a working cow herd for training horses a real burden. Expensive upkeep, frequent replacements and uncooperative livestock have proven to be real challenges that many trainers in the equine industry are forced to navigate.
That's why Billy Wier, the visionary and founder behind RealCow Training Systems, developed the RealCow, a highly realistic, 3D, mechanical cow training dummy that closely mimics the movements of a live cow. It’s perfect for training horses in life-like scenarios without the financial and time constraints of live cattle.
“It'll do anything you can make a live cow do,” Wier said. “You can circle it. You can get a fence turn with it. You can cut with it. It's very mobile and very adjustable.”
Wier, a Clemson University graduate with an engineering degree, grew up roping and riding. After college, he trained rope horses before transitioning to cutting horses. He now resides in Barnwell, South Carolina.
“On the East Coast, our cattle are pretty terrible,” Wier said. “They’re a bunch of English black and red cows that don't move. I wanted to become a better horse trainer, so I developed a cow that would work instead of just standing there across the fence.”
The RealCow is the only mechanical cow on the market with the ability to move in a straight line, arc or full circle. With a simple-to-use, push-button remote that attaches to your wrist, trainers have the ability to perform more reps with their horses in a shorter amount of time.
“A lot of times you get a cow that won't do what you need to do with that horse that day, and you can always make this do exactly what you want,” Wier said.
Adjustable from a slow walk to a fast gallop, and reaching up to 30 miles an hour, the RealCow allows you to practice boxing, work the fence or simply familiarize young colts with the movements of cattle.
“It's designed to run across any kind of ground that you're going to work a horse on,” Wier said. “It could be deep ground, soft ground or hard ground. If the ground is good enough to work a horse on, it will travel.”
The RealCow is not only versatile but highly dependable, with a unique rubber track system that allows it to gracefully glide across almost any terrain. Its mechanical and electrical components are strategically sealed within a rugged, lightweight base that's dustproof and waterproof, and the life-size cow replica mounts on a durable frame that attaches or detaches in minutes, making it highly realistic and simple to transport.
“Horses react to it like they would react to a live cow,” Wier said. “If a horse is really scared of cattle, sometimes they'll be a little wary of it. But there are very few horses that don't go to working it like they've been working a live cow.”
Compared to the traditional flag setup, the RealCow prides itself on its highly realistic cow movements, which not only capture the attention of a horse but also adequately prepare them for the show ring.
“You can apply pressure, you can release pressure and the horse won't get bored. They react to it like a live cow a whole lot more than a traditional flag,” Wier said. “A live horse will get pretty bored with the flag because it's two-dimensional. This is three-dimensional.”
After starting the project 10 years ago and working through a few prototypes, the RealCow is now offered to the public in four models for four disciplines: cutting, reined cow horse, calf roping and breakaway roping.
“As technology has improved, the batteries have gotten better and the motors have gotten better,” Wier said. “If you're doing fence work and circling a bunch, you can work about 10 to 12 horses on it. Cutting, you can work 20 to 25 horses on it before needing to change the batteries.”
To learn more about the RealCow, visit their website at realcowtraining.com.
The Shared Shoes of Jared Jones and Mckaul Carnahan
The path to becoming a reined cow horse trainer can take many forms. Some are born into the industry, hoisted onto the back of a show horse before they’ve learned to independently stand. Others find their way there on their own, becoming the first in their family to feel the rush of a horse’s quick movements beneath them. And then there are those who come up knowing the bones of the business through the art of cowboying itself.
Hailing from the western United States, trainer Jared Jones and assistant trainer Mckaul Carnahan share cowboying roots that ran deep long before they ever swung a leg over a show horse.
Carnahan grew up on a Wyoming ranch with three siblings, where working cow horses was a family trade centered around everyday ranch life, as opposed to competing in prestigious arenas. Jones came from similar beginnings on a ranch in Idaho. Yet despite those humble roots, both Carnahan and Jones were inspired to break into the reined cow horse world through the influence of an older brother.
“I grew up on a ranch, and I always liked the horse deal,” Jones said. “My brother liked the show horse deal, too, so I learned a lot from him as a really young kid. And then a few years after I graduated high school, I decided I wanted to learn how to train them and show them.”
On a similar basis, just a decade or so later, Carnahan’s older brother’s interest in the reined cow horse pen also sparked his own passion for it, leading him to meet Jones through mutual friend Casey Manning.
“Riding with Jared has been great for me,” Carnahan said. “We've had a lot of really nice horses come through that I've been able to help start right. Jared is great to work for, starting out. He takes as much time as you need to help you understand something.”
Now showing four horses in the Open division at the NRCHA Snaffle Bit Futurity®, Jones began his training career under Justin Wright. As a result, he now strives to offer the same kind of opportunity to up-and-comers within his own program.
“When Mckaul got to me, he’d never worked for a trainer before; he was just a cowboy kid,” Jones said. “But he’s very natural about everything and picks up on things really fast. He’s a talented kid who never complains and is great about asking questions.”
While Carnahan has been riding with Jones since last November, he’s still relatively new to the reined cow horse scene. He competed in his first show in September at the Reno Snaffle Bit Futurity, where he won the Level 1 Open Futurity Championship aboard 2022 mare Scootering (Scooter Kat x Bar Gal For Hire x Gangster Chic), owned by Maya Horsey. Now, at the NRCHA Snaffle Bit Futurity®, the pair posted a 218 in the Open Futurity herd work, clenching the second-highest score in the Level 1 and tying for the highest score in the Intermediate and Limited divisions. Going into the cow work this week, he has a 432 composite score.
Although his early success is evident, transitioning from working cows in his backyard to competing on a larger stage has been an adjustment.
“When you’re in the arena, it’s so much different,” Carnahan said. “The job of the horses we’re cowboying on is to be ridden for long hours and work cows. While that foundation is still there, it’s much more technical on these horses. It’s more challenging, but a lot of fun.”
While it may have been an adjustment, it’s one Carnahan has adapted to quickly—and an adjustment Jones was once familiar with, too, considering the similar shoes they’ve both worn.
“He went from making ranch type horses to where he is now in just a year,” Jones said. “It says a lot about just how good he is at quietly watching, asking questions and wanting to know and get better everyday. That’s why he’s improved so fast—he wants to learn, and whatever he learns, he takes it and applies it.”
The final portion of the Open Futurity—the cow work—began Sunday, October 12, and will finish today. Both Jones and Carnahan aim to make their marks on the last leg of the Futurity and also share the shoes of this year’s Open Futurity finalists.
