The NCHA Summer Spectacular closed out its final week in Fort Worth, the SRCHA Pre-Futurity and AQHYA World Championship Show are both underway, and The Run For A Million is now just days away.
Stay updated on all things Western performance horse news here.
Table of contents
What Happened July 27–August 2
Cutting: NCHA Summer Spectacular — Amateur Week
Fort Worth, Texas | July 10–August 2 | Will Rogers Memorial Center
The Triple Crown’s summer jewel wrapped its final week with amateur titles and a repeat champion in the show’s special operations cutting challenge.
Senior Chief SEAL Scott Allcorn repeated as champion of the NCHA Special Operations Cutting Challenge, marking a 226 aboard Royalty Smart (Windy Pass).
13-year-old Trystan Crow and Tessa Rey (Crow Performance Horses LLC) topped the Amateur Derby with a 224, earning $11,845.53 plus a $12,216 Valley Equine incentive payout. Read the story here.
Amateur Derby Finals
- 1. Trystan Crow and Tessa Rey (Crow Performance Horses LLC, 224.0, $11,845.53).
- 2. (tie) Sandra Halliday Patton and The Bad Ich (Sandra Halliday Patton, 218.0, $10,811.97) and Tony Smith and Stevies Playboy (Tony Smith, 218.0, $10,811.97).
- 4. Christina Huntley and Times All Gone (EJ Huntley, 216.0, $10,278.41).
- 5. Alvin Fults and Lemon Drops (Fults Ranch Ltd, 214.0, $8,922.71).
15-year-old Sawyer McWilliams closed out FS Fine Lil Hashtag’s limited-age-event career with the Amateur Classic Challenge championship, marking a 222 for $16,266.78. Read the story here.
Amateur Classic Challenge Finals
- 1. Sawyer McWilliams and FS Fine Lil Hashtag (Brittinee McWilliams, 222.0, $16,266.78).
- 2. Linda Werner and Rollin Stylish (Painted Valley Ranch, 219.0, $15,154.44).
- 3. Colton Cogdell and Kodakk (Jim Cogdell, 217.0, $14,542.10).
- 4. Kathy Bro and PRF Shesa Rebel (KT Ranch LLC, 215.5, $13,929.76).
- 5. Victor Davis and Blue Beacon (Victor Davis, 213.0, $12,317.42).
Full NCHA Summer Spectacular results here.
This Week August 3–9
Reined Cow Horse: SRCHA Pre-Futurity & Horse Show
Fort Worth, Texas | August 4–10 | Will Rogers Memorial Center
The Southwest Reined Cow Horse Association opened its Pre-Futurity Monday, Aug. 3, running a $100,000 Added Futurity sponsored by Davis Lewis Builder and a $15,000 Added Derby sponsored by Hat 6 Ranch/Walt & Joc Greeman alongside a full horse show slate.
How to watch: Live streams run through SRCHA’s own Vimeo channels for the John Justin Arena and the Coliseum/Watt Arena. You can watch here (scroll down).
Verify entries and follow along at chclivescoring.com. Full schedule and forms here.
Youth: AQHYA World Championship Show
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma | July 31–August 9 | OKC Fair Park
The AQHYA World Championship Show continues this week, with Level 3 ranch riding, ranch trail and reining still on the schedule alongside the rest of the youth Western slate. Find results here. Watch the livestream here.
Looking Ahead
Cutting, Cow Horse, Reining: The Run For A Million
Las Vegas, Nevada | August 7–15 | South Point Arena and Equestrian Center
The richest week in Western performance horse sports is back. Created by Taylor Sheridan in 2019, The Run For A Million has grown into a nine-day event spanning reining, cutting and cow horse, and this year adds a new discipline: a $50,000 Breakaway Roping Showcase presented by Shorty’s Caboy Hattery, in partnership with Premier Women’s Rodeo and Ultimate Calf Roping.
Interested in breakaway roping? Follow our friends at the Breakaway Roping Journal here.
Three nights under the lights crown three champions.
- Thursday, August 13, is Cutting Night: the $250,000 Cutting Horse Challenge follows a new $125,000 Added Non Pro Cutting Challenge. Qualified riders for the Cutting Horse Challenge include Adan Banuelos, Cullen Chartier, Wesley Galyean, Kory Pounds, Tarin Rice and Austin Shepard, among a 15-rider field that punched its ticket at the 2025 Brazos Bash. See the full list of qualified riders here.
- Friday, August 14, shifts to cow work with the $250,000 Cow Horse Challenge, the Cowboy Heritage Ranch Challenge and the Youth Cow Horse Challenge, and hosts the debut Breakaway Roping Showcase at 6 p.m.
- Saturday, August 15, closes the week with Million Dollar Night and the $1 million Million Dollar Competition, with $500,000 going to the champion.
The 16-rider field includes Andrea Fappani, Cade McCutcheon, Casey Deary, Jason Vanlandingham, Kole Price and international riders Alessandro Frassa and Martin Muehlstaetter. Full field and qualifying routes here.
Livestream packages start at $29, with more information here. highlights from the Million Dollar Competition air on CBS Saturday, August 22, 8–10 p.m. ET/PT, and stream on Paramount+. Full event breakdown here.
Coming Later This Fall
Beyond Las Vegas, the fall run starts stacking up.
The Reno Snaffle Bit Futurity (reined cow horse, Reno, Nevada, September 11–20) and the High Roller Reining Classic (Las Vegas, Nevada, September 11–17) both land the same week—different disciplines, different states.
The All American Quarter Horse Congress (Columbus, Ohio, September 26–October 24) opens not long after; with Performance Report’s focus on ranch and reining classes.
The NRCHA Snaffle Bit Futurity, AQHA World Championship Show, NCHA Futurity and NRHA Futurity are all on the radar, with more information coming as they get closer.
The weekly Performance Report publishes at the beginning of each week on HorseandRider.com.