Last fall, I had the opportunity to go to the Snaffle Bit Futurity finals and watch some of the top 3-year-old cow horses in the world compete for the prestigious title of Snaffle Bit champion. As I watched John Swales complete his fence work run, I couldn’t help but tear up. John wasn’t just on any horse—he was riding Bowie Nights, a horse trained by his sister, Veronica Swales. Veronica was involved in a serious accident at the National Stock Horse Show back in August and was unable to compete, but she knew that if anyone could step in and show her horses to their full potential, it was her brother. That story—and the against the odds spirit it represents—set the tone for an unforgettable fall show season.
That story really made me realize what a year it’s been for the “underdog.” Underdog might not even be the right word—because these riders, horses, and owners have put in the work. They’ve earned every second of the spotlight. But they each faced moments where the odds weren’t in their favor, and they rose above anyway.
The Small Breeding Program
“I’m just the little guy with big dreams.” That’s what Devin Warren told me when his stallion Customize My Dream won the Level 4 NRHA Derby with Casey Deary in the saddle. Devin was talking about the stallion’s dam, Gunna Be Custom—a mare that changed everything for the Warren family. When they bought her, she was unproven, with just one foal by her side. That foal turned out to be Magnums Custom Dream—yes, the same stallion Andrea Fappani showed at this year’s The Run For A Million.
That was only the beginning. Since then, Gunna Be Custom has reached million-dollar dam status and has produced a string of foals that have gone on to achieve incredible things—including Customize My Dream, who also competed in this year’s Run For A Million. It was the first time two full siblings ever competed in the main event in the same year. In a world where some breeding programs are backed by millions, the Warrens have proved, against the odds, that the “little guy” still has a place in the performance-horse world.
European Dominance
The Run For A Million is an event unlike any other. It’s the one weekend a year when the best riders in the world step into the pen and remind us why we love this sport. And this year, the story everyone’s still talking about belongs to French rider Arnaud Girinon.
Arnaud is well known across Europe for his skills in and out of the show pen, but this was his first big win on American soil—and he made it count. Riding Flexing Guns N Town, a horse he shipped from Europe, Arnaud went head-to-head with riders who have as much as $9 million in lifetime earnings. In one night, he nearly doubled his own lifetime earnings and proved, against the odds, that he belonged on that stage.
Glass Ceilings Shattered Against the Odds
When Erin Taormino and Hazardouz Material walked into the Will Rogers Coliseum, the crowd knew they were watching something special unfold. And by the end of the night, Erin had made history as the first woman to ever win the World’s Greatest Horseman title.
Erin’s journey from a grain farm in Saskatchewan to one of the biggest stages in Western performance horse competition is the kind of story that inspires other riders to give it their all..
Against the Odds: Believe In Yourself
“From Veronica and John Swales’ story of resilience to the Warrens’ small-but-mighty breeding program to Arnaud’s joy-filled victory and Erin’s history-making ride, this year has reminded me what truly defines greatness in this industry. It isn’t money, prestige or perfect circumstances. Against the odds, it’s belief that makes champions. ”