“I’m careful who I choose on my team,” Ford said. “We give them (the students) a lot of attention. I have an amazing group of horses that have been donated to us. They’re cared for as show horses. They have the best veterinarians, the best farriers and they mean the world to us. Between the horses, the staff and the students it’s just a no-brainer. And yet, It still does become the luck of the draw.”

Saturday June 16th is the Bob Avila Clinic, limited to twelve riders, starts at 9:00AM Pacific time, followed by a fun, relaxing BBQ for all. Sunday, June 17th begins the day with an ‘unsanctioned’ jackpot reining competition, where the learning continues as NRHA Judge Tina Riley, from Cave Creek, Arizona, will take some time to review the penalties in reining that many don’t understand.

Mark Struthers and Lauren Hunkin are coaches from Ottawa University and they brought two Individual riders that qualified, Rebecca Bedard and Caroline Gaudette. “This is our first time at Nationals and we’re very excited,” Struthers said.