Slidin’ By The Sea at 2015 Reining By The Bay

2015 Reining By The Bay

by: Christy Egan

Of the three shows presented by the Brumley Management Group, LLC, Reining by the Bay is easily the most beautiful and delightful. It’s also the oldest. In 2015, it celebrated its 17th great year as the California reining community’s favorite horse show. One visit to the splendid Horse Park at Woodside, with its several hundred acres of rolling hills and oak trees, awash with sunshine and shade on the San Francisco peninsula, and horsemen are permanently hooked.

“You cannot come to Woodside and not fall in love with the surroundings,” laughs Amanda Brumley, show manager and promoter. “Of all of the shows we do, this is the one with the most delicious local scenery, restaurants and shopping. Fisherman’s Wharf, the sands of Half-Moon Bay, all of the sights in San Francisco, it’s a wonder the exhibitors ever make it to their classes! The 2015 Reining By The Bay show ran very smoothly, even though we changed the schedule, offering later starts in the mornings and earlier stops in the afternoons. It gave everyone a chance to take a run to the beach or into the city. The horsemen appreciated the hard work we put in to bring the footing in the rings a few steps closer to perfection. We were very proud of the dirt this year! The growth in the numbers for the ancillary divisions was a nice surprise. In spite of a few hot days at the beginning of the show, the weather was nearly perfect (as usual). We personally enjoy coming here every bit as much as the exhibitors!”

Tom Foran, who rode Crome Plated Step to win the Open Reining for owner Taylor Sheridan, was excited by his success at the 2015 Reining By The Bay. “We were very lucky and things worked out for us. We brought 14 horses and many of them did well. Daphne Thompson rode Whiz It On Sunday to a win in the Rookie Professional and to take a Reserve in the Limited Open. Kathy Copus went one-two with Daddy Day Care and Gumball Machine in the NP Masters and, in addition to my good ride with Crome Plated Step, Kathy’s three-year-old horse Select Code and I took Reserve in the Open Futurity. Reining By The Bay is one of our favorite shows,” Tom admits. “Overall, it was a great event with lots of spectators. The new change in schedule definitely helped out. One evening we got to slip away and run down to Fisherman’s Wharf. When I got home from this show I actually felt rested. Can you believe it?! What a great time we had!”

Martin Padilla just opened the doors at his own professional training barn last November after years of working for and with some of the top NRHA trainers and the best owners in the business. At Reining By The Bay, Martin’s black and red show drapes were heavy with ribbons by the weekend and he did it with fewer horses than some of the other professionals. “I only brought five,” Martin admits. “It was a big event for us and I decided that I personally wanted to spend high quality time with each rider and horse at the show.” Martin himself rode Reeboks Rerun, scoring a 73 and a 73.5 to win the NRHA Open and the Intermediate Open for owners Anne and Dennis McLeod. “Reeboks Rerun is honest in the pen and totally a show horse. He loves his job,” said Martin. Martin showed Reeboks Rerun along with Campbell McLeod, who won the DRHA Rookie level saddle and was Champion Youth, 13 and under on the horse.

In the Non-Pro Maturity and the Intermediate, Dana Avila and her One Time Pepto daughter, One Smart Pepto took home the titles. “My husband Bob orchestrated her pedigree before she was born and started her, so we’ve had her for most of her life. I am a confirmed ‘gelding rider’ myself, but Bob insisted that I was a match for this mare and he was right,” says Dana. “She’s smart, big-hearted and kind, but not overly fond of men. She likes what she does and she likes to be treated like ‘My Pretty Pony’ … definitely a ladies horse.” In 2013, Dana and her mare won the Level 1 thru 4 Non-Pro Derby at RBTB. Also a successful Reined Cow Horse, One Smart Pepto has a 2015 Whizkey N Diamonds filly on the ground and will be bred back to Smart Spook in 2016.

All four levels of this year’s RBTB Non-Pro Derby were won by Julie Ridgeway and Nu Pops, a horse she really just started showing. “Reining By The Bay was my third show with Nu Pops!” Julie laughs delightedly. “I just started in Reining myself. It’s only my second year at this show and I love it. There are exhibitor parties, wonderful awards and prizes and the backdrop is incredible. The scenery is so pretty, it almost doesn’t look real! I think they [Brumley Management], do a great job. The sponsors are so kind. I won two saddles, a beautiful blanket, several buckles, gift cards and sashes, and that doesn’t even count their generosity with the money! We also won a chair that says ‘Reining By The Bay,’ so we have a place to sit now and enjoy our cocktails when the show is over! I came out of the Hunter-Jumper world. There, you get a little bit of money and a crystal vase. The Reining world is wonderful. Everyone is a horse lover and both the horses and the people are very genuine.”

Yet another perk for attending all three of the Brumley shows: The Cactus Reining Classic, Reining By The Bay and the Las Vegas High Roller is the 2015 Trifecta Non Pro Reining Challenge. The rider with the highest money earnings at the end of the third show will win a trip to the Salamander Resort and Spa, Middleburg, Virginia. As the tallies for the Reining By The Bay show came in, Marc Gordon and Revolution Is Dun sprinted into the Trifecta lead with $10,767.30 in total earnings. Next highest is Cam Essick and Hollier Than Thou with $7,808.81 earnings. On to the third and final show of the year … the Las Vegas High Roller Reining Classic! Riders … saddle your horses!