As the 2024 Mars Hackamore Classic came to an end, after a hard fought battle, one horse and rider team rose to the top of the World’s Greatest Non Pro.
Our Mars Hackamore Classic event coverage is brought to you by Bimeda, makers of Equimax and Polyglycan.
What is the World’s Greatest Non Pro?
The breakdown of this event is featured on the NRCHA website, and states, “The NRCHA World’s Greatest Non Pro is a category 1 special event that will consist of four go rounds – herd work, reined work, cow work and steer stopping. There will be a cow work only finals to determine the final placing. It is open to all breeds of any age regardless of show history.”
Now here’s another cool thing about this event. Competitors must only use one horse for all go rounds. That means they’re mounted on horses that can rope, rein, stop, and read a cow. In a world of specialized events, the World’s Greatest spotlights the horse that can do it all. The horse must also be shown in the same bridle for each event. Tie-downs aren’t permitted, and a traditional bridle setup with romal reins must be used, although roping reins are optional for the steer stopping.
For it’s 2nd year, the World’s Greatest Non Pro will see added money of $20,000, along with other prizes.
[Read the Entire Article Outlining the Event HERE]
Lanham Brown and Hesa Twisted Bet Cash In At the Pay Window
In a field of 16 talented teams, the competition was close as we went into the final leg of the event; the cow work. A crowd favorite, the cow work is sure to excite, as contestants go down the fence at breakneck speeds. Lanham Brown and Hesa Twisted Bet captured the cow work title with a score of 225.5.
This came on the heels of the duo winning the Steer Stopping event with a 225. As Sunday rolled around, 5 of the riders from the World’s Greatest Non Pro (WGNP), competed in the cow work finals. And Brown came to win. As the lights went down on the 2nd World’s Greatest Non Pro competition, brought to you by Bimeda, Brown and ‘Casino’ were crowned the champions, with a final score of 1,096.5.
Raised by the legendary R.A. Brown Ranch in Throckmorton, Texas, Brown and Casino are no stranger to the winners circle. The Texas cowboy and red roan gelding have been stacking up wins for awhile now. From the Best of the West Ranch Rodeo to the Non Pro Bridle Spectacular Championship at the Teton Ridge Stallion Stakes, this team makes Texas proud.
A Ranch Raised Team
Bred by Landy Warren, by the great Bet Hesa Cat and out of a ranch raised mare off the R.A. Brown Ranch, Casino can do it all. We talked with Kelli Brown, Lanham’s mother about the roan gelding, and his history. “Casino is kind of the epitome of the horses we want to raise and be known for, here at R.A. Brown Ranch”, she says.
Although stud power can set a horse up for success, it’s oftentimes the great mares that nobody knows that play just as big a role. “I call them the no-name mares. Casino is out of a mare that goes back to the beginning of R.A. Brown ranch. Back to generations of horses from when the boys’ great granddad sat at the table, when AQHA was founded.”
The Brown family had sold Casino’s mother, RAB Twistin Dodger, but she found her way back to the ranch when the Brown family bought her back. At the time she had a baby on her side, and Kelli Brown’s father-in-law opted to buy just the mare. But Kelli made a call of her own. She said, “I told that man, I’ll take that baby. And that baby was Casino, and the rest is history.”
Behind the Scenes
When Casino isn’t out winning titles, he’s being a bit of a nuisance around the barn. “He can open gates, untie himself, he’s just Mr. Personality. He’ll jump out of his stall, and just keep everyone laughing.” It wasn’t always easy though, as Kelli says, “He wasn’t the easiest to start. He didn’t win a whole lot to begin with, but Lanham just kept after him, riding him on the ranch. Most of his LTE are from fairly recent winnings.”
But now Casino embodies what the World’s Greatest Non Pro competition is there to spotlight. The great horses that can do it all. Clark Weaver, a key player in helping get the competition started said it best, “We’re in it for the horse. Those are the most special horses, horseman respect those horses, and we just wanted to have a place to spotlight the four-event horses.”
Big Wins for This Family
Kelli Brown was in Tulsa to cheer on not only her son as he came home with the WGNP Championship, but her nephews; Myles Brown and R A Brown II. Myles rode the incredible One Time Legend, a horse owned by Larry Hall Cutting Horses (Larry Hall bred the legendary Peptoboonsmal.) That team brought home the Non Pro Bridle Spectacular Championship, as well as the herd work in the WGNP.
R A was aboard ranch-raised, Ima Wynna RAB, and rode him to a 3rd place win in the World’s Greatest Non Pro, with a score of 1079.5.
Ima Wynna RAB, aka, ‘Bubba’ has a story similar to Casino’s. “He’s also a ranch-raised horse, and is just incredible”, says Kelli. Bubba was the World Championship Ranch Rodeo Top Horse of 2019, and will be in Vegas at The Run For a Million Cowboy Invitational. Team Brown is homeward bound with multiple victories and titles under their belt. But more precious than the titles are the versatile horses that make R.A. Brown Ranch proud. “My father-in-law was in AQHA leadership when they started the versatility. And he always believed that what made good horses, was how versatile they were”, says Kelli. And the World’s Greatest Non Pro gives these great horses and riders a place to shine.
