Inaugural Claiming Reining to be Held at 2024 NRBC

For the first time in 2024, the National Reining Breeders Classic (NRBC) plans to host a claiming reining. Claiming is a common practice in the race horse industry and is planned to be similar in practice at the NRBC.

The Prime Time Non Pro division. Horses older than four competing in a Derby. The Short Stirrup class for the youngest riders. What do they all have in common?

They were all first introduced to reining at the National Reining Breeders Classic.

Since 1998, the NRBC Board of Directors and Management Team have worked hard to bring innovative and new ideas to the reining industry, borrowing from the diverse Board’s background in other industries and from listening to peers. Many of those once out-of-the-box models have become mainstays at reinings around the globe.

“We are proud of the many things we have tried at the NRBC, from fun activities to making moves to help strengthen the longevity of the reining horse,” shared NRBC President Tom McCutcheon. “While a few of those concepts didn’t work and were discontinued, a large number have been very successful.”

The latest brainchild of the NRBC is the claiming reining. McCutcheon and fellow board member Pete Kyle brought the idea for the class, borrowed from the racing industry, to the rest of the Board for consideration.

The inaugural $40k Claiming Reining will be held Thursday, April 25, following the new Shootout lineup, which includes the Yellowstone Rookie, the Masters, the Legends, and the Green Reiner Shootouts.

The $20,000-added class will be open to all reining horses four years old and older and will give potential buyers the chance to buy a ready-to-show horse.

“It’s interesting to see how this concept will work in reining,” McCutcheon said. “We believe this will be an exciting class.”

The claiming class will feature $20,000 in added money, and entries will be due by noon on Tuesday, April 23.

To enter a horse in the Claiming Reining, the owner must sign an agreement that the horse is available for purchase for $40,000, and submit the registration papers and signed transfer to Show Management at the time of the entry.

Any NRHA member can claim a horse in the Claiming Reining by filling out a claim form and submitting a check for $40,000 to the show office by noon the day of the class. Show Management will hold the claim form and check, and the claims will be kept confidential until the end of the class.

“Once the class is over, owners of the claimed horses will be notified of the sale and given the new owner’s identity. All prizes and money won will go to the horse’s original owner,” McCutcheon explained.

So what happens when two or more people claim the same horse? In that case, the winning claimer will be drawn by show management in the presence of the individuals who made the claims.

The complete Terms and Conditions of the Claiming Reining can be found on NRBC.com.