NRCHA Million Dollar Rider Shane Steffen of Powell Butte, Oregon, rode Sprinkld Confetticat (WR This Cats Smart x PPH Especial Nitro) to the Open Bridle championship at the NRCHA Celebration of Champions, marking a 441.0 (219.5 rein / 221.5 cow) to secure the win. The 2015 mare, known as “Confetti,” narrowly edged out Zane Davis and Snapdragons (Gunnatrashya x Catnaps, who finished second with a 440.
Owned by South Cove Ranch LLC, the mare added $14,274 to her lifetime earnings with the victory, pushing her career total past $176,000.
From Non-Pro Partner to Open Contender
Confetti’s journey to the open winner’s circle hasn’t followed a typical path.
“I got her as a 3-year-old for the previous owner and she showed her in the non pro through her derby years,” Steffen explained the mare’s journey in his program. “And then we ended up selling her to Julia [Jaspen of South Cove Ranch LLC] and gave her a year off to get her more in the bridle. Then I started showing her in the bridle probably three years ago.”
Making the leap from a non-pro career to competing at the open level is no small task and many non-pro horses often can’t handle the added pressure. Confetti thrived under the pressure and Steffen’s guidance.
“I think it takes a special horse to be able to step up into the open level when they haven’t been asked to do that,” Steffen said.
Steffen knew the mare had ability. The question was whether they could build the partnership necessary to handle the added intensity of open competition.
“Whenever I rode the mare myself, it just felt like we got along really well,” he said. “When we decided to sell her, Julia asked if I’d be interested in keeping her to show in the open. I told her she had the talent — I just needed to see if I could get her mind with me and find that consistency. She’s gotten better and better ever since.”
Harnessing Grit Under Pressure
“She has a lot of go, she has a lot of grit, and so if you ask her to do something, she’s going to go 100%,” Steffen said.
Confetti’s natural ability has never been in question. Refining it was the key.
“She just seemed to be getting more consistent in the reined work,” he explained. The duo scored a 219.5 in that area in the Open Bridle class. “That was kind of our challenge with her, was just kind of getting the consistency in the reined work as far as her just being with me to where I felt like I could run her without her getting too excited.”
“She has just gotten better and better… I mean, every time I show her, she just feels more with me,” he shared.
While their partnership has grown, her physical tools do the rest.
“She’s a huge stopper in the reined work and so I think it’s easy for her,” he explained. “Every time you run her down there, she drags her tail. And then down the fence, it doesn’t matter what type of cow comes out, she can handle it and she’s not going to lack try or lack trying to get there. And that’s what it takes to have a good fence.”
Celebration of Champions Results
Building on a World’s Greatest Résumé
Confetti is no stranger to high-pressure stages. The pair placed third in last year’s World’s Greatest Horseman, and in this year’s prelims, they marked a 225 in the reined work to finish third in that phase.
The Open Bridle win came after a demanding week for Steffen, who had just finished ninth in the Open Hackamore aboard Rock O Rama (Bet Hesa Cat x Very Mild Remedy).
“Well, we weren’t planning on even being in the bridle. We were planning on being in the World’s Greatest Finals. But I wasn’t cowboy enough, I missed my steers,” he joked about the tough cattle that the World’s Greatest Horseman competitors faced.
With a change in plans, Steffen entered Confetti in the Open Bridle, and the mare rose to the occasion.
What followed was a performance that underscored how far the mare has come.
“It’s a huge blessing,” he said. “I mean, it’s feat in itself [to make the finals] because there were a bunch of good bridle horses, as always, and to be able to make the finals in the first place and then to be able to win the whole thing is not an easy task.”