Mandy McCutcheon’s Milestones
- 1993: Mandy McCutcheon won her first NRHA Non Pro Futurity Championship aboard Hollywood Striker.
- 2007: McCutcheon became the first non-pro and first woman to reach $1 million in NRHA rider earnings.
- 2008: McCutcheon won the NRHA Futurity Non Pro Championship while her father, Tim McQuay, won the Open championship.
- 2011: McCutcheon was inducted into the NRHA Hall of Fame.
- 2014: McCutcheon reached $2 million in NRHA rider earnings. Her mother, Colleen McQuay, was inducted into the NRHA Hall of Fame.
- 2017: Won her first NRHA Derby Level 4 Non Pro Championship aboard Hollywood Starburst.
- 2021: McCutcheon reached $3 million in NRHA rider earnings.
- 2022: McCutcheon reached $2 million in NRHA owner earnings, and Tom reached $2 million in rider earnings.
- 2026: McCutcheon surpasses $4 million in NRHA rider earnings.
On Friday, Oct. 2, 2026, Mandy McCutcheon and Suzy Que (Spooks Gotta Whiz x Fille Code) entered the Celeste Arena at the All American Quarter Horse Congress and left with multiple titles and a major career milestone. The pair won the All Star Reining Stakes Non Pro Level 4 Futurity for $15,850.02, the NRHA Non Pro Level 4 Futurity Stakes for an additional $8,398.18 and the Oswood Stallion Advantage Non Pro Level 4 Futurity Stakes for $55,476.
Those earnings pushed McCutcheon past $4 million in lifetime NRHA earnings, marking another milestone in a career that has made her one of reining’s most accomplished non-pros.
McCutcheon had only recently partnered with the 3-year-old mare, who had been in her brother-in-law Jim McCutcheon’s barn.
“She’s just pretty new to me,” McCutcheon said. “She’s honestly a little green for me in a couple of spots, but she walked in there and did everything that she could to the best of her ability that day. I was really happy with her and her brain.”
Heading into Congress, McCutcheon joked that she was racing her son, $3 million NRHA Open rider Cade McCutcheon, to see who would reach $4 million first. She had a good idea of where she stood financially, but she wasn’t looking to add pressure to a new partnership.
“My goal coming to the Congress, honestly, was just to have some solid runs and try and win paychecks,” McCutcheon said. “I really didn’t think I could be the winner, to be honest, and when I was done with her pattern, I was like, ‘Oh, she was pretty good.’ So yeah, I guess I got lucky.”
The Road to $4 Million
McCutcheon’s road to $4 million began long before she rode into the Congress pen.
Born Mandy McQuay, she grew up surrounded by horses and reining. Her father, Tim McQuay, is one of the sport’s leading riders and was inducted into the NRHA Hall of Fame in 2000. Her mother, Colleen McQuay, made her name in show jumping before being inducted into the NRHA Hall of Fame in 2014.
McCutcheon began riding at a young age and found success with both reiners and jumpers before focusing solely on reining. In 1993, she won her first NRHA Non Pro Futurity Championship aboard Hollywoods Striker (Hollywood Dun It x Strike Zone).
In 1999, she married Tom McCutcheon, and the couple settled in Aubrey, Texas, where they raised their children Cade and Carlee.
The milestones continued. In 2007, McCutcheon became the first non-pro and the first woman to reach $1 million in NRHA rider earnings. The following year, she and her father won the Non Pro and Open divisions, respectively, at the NRHA Futurity. She was inducted into the NRHA Hall of Fame in 2011.
In 2014, McCutcheon reached $2 million in rider earnings and represented the United States at the World Equestrian Games in Normandy, France. Riding Yellow Jersey (Wimpys Little Step x Ms Clara Melody), she helped the U.S. team win gold and earned individual bronze.
“I think the World Equestrian Games will always be the highlight of my career,” McCutcheon said. “Bronze medal and team gold at Normandy will always be a very big highlight for me.
“Honestly, making the Open Futurity finals when I was 18 years old was pretty exciting. Now looking back, I didn’t really know how cool that was until now. You realize it more when you’re older. I snuck into the NRBC Open Finals once, too. Those kinds of things are exciting and fun for me.”
In 2017, McCutcheon won her first NRHA Derby Level 4 Non Pro Championship aboard Hollywood Starburst (Hollywood Dun It x Chic Olena Starbuck). She reached $3 million in rider earnings in 2021 and $2 million in owner earnings in 2022.
McCutcheon noted that countless horses have played important roles throughout her career, including Miss Okie Too (Muskeg x Glenda’s Miss Okie), Dun Its Deja Vu (Hollywood Dun It x Miss Okie Too), Always Gotyer Gunsup (Colonels Smoking Gun x Always A Dunit), JLosa (Arlosa Whiz x Spook N Jessie), and Starlights VooDoo (Shiners VooDoo Dr x Whizen Starlight).
A Family Affair
McCutcheon’s $4 million milestone is part of a family story that spans generations of reining accomplishments. Her husband, Tom, reached $1 million in NRHA rider earnings in 2006 and $2 million in 2022. In 2026, he joins Mandy and her parents in the NRHA Hall of Fame.
Their son, Cade, spent his youth career competing in the non-pro division before becoming an NRHA professional. In 2015, he became the youngest rider to win the NRHA Non Pro Derby. He went on to reach $1 million in NRHA earnings in 2019, surpassed $2 million in 2023, and crossed the $3 million mark in 2025.
Their daughter, Carlee, has made her own mark in the English disciplines, traveling internationally to compete. Her accomplishments include winning the two-star qualifying class in Chantilly, France, placing third in a U25 Grand Prix at the Winter Equestrian Festival and finishing second in the U25 WEF Series Final Grand Prix. She has also competed in reining, becoming the youngest rider to make the NRHA Level 4 Non Pro Futurity Finals. In 2022, she finished as reserve champion in the Non Pro division at The Run For A Million, the same year Mandy won the Non Pro title.
For McCutcheon, the $4 million milestone means more than a number on a leaderboard.
“I don’t take any of my wins for granted at any event,” she said. “I’m always thankful, and I feel like it’s so much more than just me. It’s my parents who got me started, Tom supporting me with everything he can, and both my kids always in my corner. Another big part of it is the teams we’ve had working for us over the last 40 years and the people in the barns taking care of the horses. Without all of that, you can’t do it.
“I’ve been very, very lucky.”