2019 Calgary Stampede July 11 &12

The Calgary Stampede changed the format this year and everyone was a bit nervous initially! The original invitation-style entry was supposed to be a fence work only show; this idea left competitors confused as this is only part of our sport, a sport rich in tradition! Luckily, the many letters and voices of concern spoke clearly of the importance of having a non-invitational NRCHA approved show which had to include the reined work. July 11 was the NRCHA approved show, crowning champions in the Non-Pro Bridle, Open Hackamore and Open Bridle. Then, July 12 took the top 10 fence scores back to a second aggregate go to crown Fence Spectacular Champions in each of the same classes. The cattle were challenging as usual and the busy environment of the Calgary Stampede was all taken-in by the amazing equine athletes we all have the pleasure of working with!

NRCHA Open Bridle:

• Champion – Veronica Swales and her gelding Annies Playin Cat!
• 3rd place – John Swales and Cats Picasso, owned by Coast Performance Horses
• NRCHA Open Hackamore 3rd place – John Swales and Metal Hickory 014, owned by Jerry & Nicole Myer (Spring Haven Ranches)
• 5th place – John Swales and Northern Metallic, owned by Marti Katerberg

Calgary Stampede Open Bridle Fence Spectacular:

• Champion – John Swales and Cats Picasso, owned by Coast Performance Horses, 150.5 fence work score July 12! WATCH THE VIDEO HERE.
• Calgary Stampede Open Hackamore Fence Spectacular:
• Co-Champion – John Swales and Northern Metallic, owned by Marti Katerberg, 150.5 fence score July 12!! Championship shared with Dale Clearwater and Deluxe Strlit Night! WATCH THE VIDEO HERE.

2019 Cats Picasso NRCHA Derby, Paso Robles, California

Sponsored by Cats Picasso, this show was extra special for our crew! Our boys enjoyed handing out Cats Picasso hats and wearing Tonto's swag proudly!

Deb Anderson and fiancé, Dale Jarvis from Coast Performance Horses, were there all week cheering on Cats Picasso in the Open Two Rein Spectacular and handing out the Cats Picasso NRCHA Derby buckles on finals day! So many great memories!

Metal Hickory 014 – Open Derby Finalist, placing 10th, owned by Spring Haven Ranches. Steel, as we know him around the barn, was super consistent in the prelims marking a 218 in the herd, a 219 reining and a 215 down the fence. The finals brought a good pay cheque with solid runs (herd 215.5, reining 219 & fence 218.5). We were so proud of Steel! Congrats to Jerry & Nicole Myer!

Northern Metallic – Open Derby Finalist, placing 6th, owned by Marti Katerberg. High fence score in the preliminaries 223! Marti was able to fly down and cheer on “Harley”, which made it so much more exciting! Harley's scores in the finals were super for a four-year-old; 216.5 herd, 218 reining & 220.5 fence! We all enjoyed celebrating the successes at the stalls after the finals! Thanks to Marti for the drinks and pizza!

Nicole & Jerry Myer were able to cheer on their Stallion, Steel, as well as show their own horses. Jerry showed Metallic Cat Rose in the Non Pro Bridle Spectacular and Nicole showed Metallic Duals in the Non Pro Derby. Both of the Myer's shone in the reining; Nicole having the high reining score in both the Novice Non Pro Derby as well as the Amateur Derby!

2019 Cowtown Derby

The Open Derby Championship was scooped-up by Metal Hickory 014, a flashy Metallic Cat stallion owed by Spring Haven Ranches! Metal Hickory 014 tied with Northern Metallic for the high fence work both scoring a 150! Northern Metallic, owned by Marti Katerberg finished 3rd in the Open Derby, this stallion shared the high fence score and took the high reining score, a 148.5! The third derby horse John showed was Bet Across The Board, owned by Nick & Karren Costantino (aka Spot). Spot had the second high score in the Novice Horse Derby in both the reining and the herd work!

The Non Pro Derby was super exciting for Nicole Myer and her gelding, Metallic Duals! The pair won the Non Pro Derby, the Novice Non Pro Derby, the Intermediate Non Pro Derby and the Amateur Derby!! Their 149 fence work was so smooth and awesome – congrats Nicole!

Congrats also to Dr. Suzon Schaal riding A More Rey on their Non Pro Derby Reserve Championship.

Steve Hoar and Maximum San Master finished 6th in the Non Pro Derby and 5th in the Novice Non Pro Derby.

Laurel Scharien and Shesa Sweet Cat finished 3rd in the Amateur Derby.

Cats Picasso and John were both the Open Two Rein AND Open Two Rein Spectacular Champions! Proud owners, Coast Performance Horses, along with our entire family were thrilled with his 151 fence work!! Chics Made Me Do It, owned by Laura MacMillan, also saw success in the Open Two Rein marking a 150 down the fence and finishing Reserve Champion on Day 2.

Metallic Cat Rose and Jerry Myer captured Non Pro Bridle AND Novice Non Pro Bridle Championships on Day 2.

Smart Lookin Nurse and Bart Holowath took the Non Pro Two Rein AND Non Pro Two Rein Spectacular Championships!

Terri Holowath and SDP Blu Rey finished as Reserve Champions in the Non Pro Bridle Spectacular. Deb Anderson and Signed Prescripton were Reserve Champions in the Intermediate Non Pro Bridle class.

Tyree Swales and CD Shiner finished Champions in the Youth Bridle 13 & Under AND Youth Bridle class, and Reserve Champions in the Youth Bridle Spectacular! His 149 and 150 fence score were thrilling to watch and the control and position on a cow made us proud! Grateful for such a nice horse for our son!

2019 NRCHA Stallion Stakes

Las Vegas, Nevada… we were ready for your warm sun after the long cold winter at home this year!

Metal Hickory 014, owned by Spring Haven Ranches enjoyed the warmth also; he made the Open Derby finals with a sweet fence work (herd 216, reining 217.5, fence 219.5), then he finished up in 9th place! Their finals scores were 216 herd, 217 reining and 222 down the fence! This success earned Metal Hickory 014 $4888.17! Congrats to the Myer family! Bart Holowath & Styln Metallic Booty showed in the Non Pro Derby. Bart also showed Smart Lookin Nurse in the Non Pro Two Rein classes where he finished 11th in the Spectacular with a 146 reined work!

A shout-out to Veronica Swales who showed Annies Playin Cat in the Open Bridle Spectacular and finished in 8th place gathering a $2196 pay cheque!

Cats Picasso was in the Open Two Rein classes with John; the duo shone in the reining with a 221! Their herd draw of last-in did not allow for a smashing herd score as hoped, instead a 210… still finishing in top half of class. We know the stars will align better for this crazy talented stallion in the future!

We are anxiously awaiting our Cats Picasso baby out of our mare, Fire On Me once we return home!

2019 Celebration of Champions

Always lots of preparing for the Celebration of Champions and World's Greatest Horseman; every day or two John hauls out to go rope or work cattle in different arenas. This year we were so spoiled as we extended our indoor arena by 100 ft! In the Canadian winter months we lose our big outdoor pen 99.9% of the time; so we were thrilled to have the opportunity to have Integrity Post Frame Ltd. come build our addition. This means our indoor space is now 90x220, so we can rope inside, go down the fence, run BIG circles and LONG run-downs, and still cut the pen in half to work out of the herd!! So exciting!!

We still haul off site to get show horses schooled occasionally as that is necessary for these smart animals.

This year the trip to Fort Worth in February was icy and cold; so grateful for dependable vehicles and good tires.

This horse show like all others had its many ups and downs. John was pumped to show SLR Won Smart wolf in World's Greatest Horseman competition for owners Keri Hudson-Reykdal & Calvin Reykdal. Right off the bat, the herd work did not go as planned; this would prevent them from making the finals. Wolf Pup's reining, steer stopping and fence work were consistent, but as we all know this competition requires consistency in all four events. We know this pair have the talent and grit to make the finals; but it just wasn't in the cards this go-round. The fun part about the WGH competition this year was having all 3 Swales siblings competing! John, Clint and Veronica all had entries; and their father, Peter Swales, was even able to come cheer them on!

John also showed the great gelding Smart Lookin Nurse, for Bart Holowath, in the Open Hackamore class. The duo placed 11th in the preliminaries just missing the finals… tough luck! Terri Holowath and her steed, SDP Blu Rey, were Non Pro Bridle Finalists – congrats Terri! Bart Holowath, as well, made finals on Smart Lookin Nurse in the Non Pro Hackamore class. The two were 3rd in the prelims and finished a very respectable 5th place. Congrats!

2018 IRCHA Futurity, Derby, & Horse Show

The last stretch of the futurities! Idaho Futurity and Derby is a barn favourite! Usually the kids and I have been away from home so much for the fall run that we stay home to attend school and keep my Physiotherapy job! Here is how the show went:

Futurity

• Northern Metallic, owned by Marti Katerberg – 4th, with an exciting fence finals score of 147!
• Rated To The Max, a Maximum Echo gelding we own, was shown in the Level 1 Limited Futurity by Melody Andrews to a 5th place finish out of 21 entries!
• Styln Metallic Booty & Bart Holowath placed 3rd in the Non Pro Futurity!

• Metal Hickory 014 & John finished 13th out of 40 entries (owned by Spring Haven Ranches)
• Smart Lookin Nurse & Bart Holowath finished 7th in the Non Pro Derby

• SDP Blu Rey & Terri Holowath finished Reserve Champions in the Non Pro Two Rein!

• SLR Won Smart Wolf (owned by Keri Hudson-Reykdal) & John finished Reserve Champions in the Open Bridle with a 292.5 aggregate!
• Annies Playin Cat & Veronica Swales finished 4th in the Open Bridle!

2018 SBF & Hackamore Classic

Once again, we set out on the 3-day adventure hauling horses to Fort Worth, Texas for the NRCHA Snaffle Bit Futurity and Hackamore Classic!

Although the 3-year-olds did not make the finals, they had some high lights and gained valuable experience in the show pen. John and Bet Across The Board (aka “Spot”) were very consistent in the prelims marking a 216 in the herd, a 214 in the reining (with a stumble!), and a 217 down the fence… they finished 31st out of 209 entries, just missing the top 25 finals! Thank you to owners, Karren & Nick Costantino for entrusting us to train and show your very talented and beautiful gelding!

Northern Metallic, a stallion owned by Marti Katerberg, was the other Open Futurity entry. He had a bobble in the herd work marking a 208.5, but he was super strong in the other two events proving his right to be in this prestigious crowd! He marked a 220 in the reining (that's 7th out of 209 horses!) and 216 down the fence! His style and look had people watching! This young stallion is sure to make a splash!

Bart Holowath hauled his 3-year-old to Fort Worth also, Styln Metallic Booty. This Metallic Cat mare did not make the finals, but she is steadily maturing and we know she will do big things down the road!

The Hackamore Classic was a definite high light for us! We could not be more proud of Smart Lookin Nurse (aka “Finn”), owned by Bart Holowath. This gelding was piloted by both John in the Open and Bart in the Non Pro and he came out to win every run!

Finn and Bart had the high herd work score of 216, followed by a steady 214.5 in both the reining and fence work… ending up 4th in the Non Pro Hackamore Classic AND Champions in the Intermediate Non Pro Hackamore Classic!! This fine teamwork also landed the two 5th in the Non Pro Hackamore class. All this success in the Non Pro added $6045.30 to Finn's pot!

Finn continued to lay it out for John in the Open, they also finished up 4th marking a 216.5 in the herd, a 216.5 in the reining and a spectacular 223 down the fence!! This was the second highest fence work score in the open and advanced the team to the Open Hackamore Finals! And another $8703.95 to Finn's pot!

Now Finn had the Open Hackamore Finals to compete in! The finals were tough as the cattle were not allowing for the high scores everyone was hoping for; but John & Finn were very smart on their tough cow marking a 216.5! When combined with their 218 score in the reining, the came out on top! Super proud of John & Finn… Open Hackamore CHAMPIONS!! This very special horse gained another $9560 with this win. When reflecting on the show and how consistent Finn was, you know he is a once-in-a-lifetime horse… this show alone he earned a total of $24,309.26… what a horse!!!!

The Hackamore excitement did not end there (unbelievable!), John's other Hackamore horse, Metal Hickory 014 owned by Spring Haven Ranches, was also on his game! He was gritty and super consistent marking a 216.5 in the herd work, a 217 in the reining and a 216 down the fence! This landed him 9th place in the Open Hackamore Classic and a cheque for $2788.17!! Congrats to Spring Haven Ranches!

Terri Holowath also showed her horse, SDP Blu Rey, the duo came in 5th in the Non Pro Two Rein adding $650 to their winnings! Congrats Terri & Budlight!

2018 Canadian Supreme

The Canadian Supreme has been one of the largest western performance horse competitions in Canada over the years; it is comprised of reining, cutting and reined cow horse. The Canadian Supreme also has a Stallion Stakes component for eligible foals. Little did we know as we all travelled to Red Deer, Alberta this year, that this would be the last Canadian Supreme show. Sadly, it was announced in the spring of 2019 that the show was in financial trouble and that it would not go on. The money to be paid out over the next few years of the stallion stakes will be paid out at other shows in each discipline somewhere in Alberta. For Reined Cow Horse, these payouts will occur at the Alberta Snaffle Bit Futurity in the fall of 2019 (separate entry required). It was a cold Alberta week in Red Deer… snow and frigid temperatures brought out the winter blankets and long underwear! Despite the weather, the horses performed well!

Open Futurity

• Northern Metallic & John were crowned the Champions! This stallion is owned by Marti Katerberg and he was on his game! The pair scored 72.5 in the herd, 73.5 in the reining and a 74 down the fence! They earned the high rein and fence marks in the Open Futurity. They also won the Canadian Supreme Open Futurity (Stallion Stakes), claiming the high rein and fence scores and the second highest herd score. The pay-day for Northern Metallic was $8860.87! Congrats to Marti!!
• Bet Across The Board & John, owned by Karren & Nick Costantino finished up 4th in the Open Futurity, and claimed the high herd work score in the open… a 73! This gelding was able to add $1918.75 to his life-time earnings!
• Rated To The Max, sired by Maximum Echo and owned by John & Deanne Swales, was shown by Melody Andrews in the Level 1 Limited Open Futurity. The two finished in 8th place.

• Maximum San Master, another Maximum Echo colt, was piloted by Steve Hoar to finish in a very respectable 3rd place.
• Styln Metallic Booty and Bart Holowath were consistent and placed 4th overall, with the high herd score of 72.

• Metal Hickory 014, owned by Spring Haven Ranches, and John were crowned Champions in the Open Derby, marking a 75 in the herd, 73.5 in the reining and a 73 on the fence! Congrats!
• Chics Made Me Do It, owned by Laura MacMillan, and John finished in 4th place with scores of 73 in the herd, 72.5 in the reining and 73 on the fence.
• Shesa Sweet Cat, owned by Laurel Scharien, and John ended up 7th with a high fence score of 75! The pair were a 73 in the herd and a 68.5 in the reining.

• Huge congrats to Nicole Myer and her gelding, Metallic Duals for their Championship title in the Non Pro Derby class!! The pair increased their earnings and layed down some spectacular runs! Herd 71, Reining 73, Fence 71.

• Laurel Scharien & Doc O Nitro – Non Pro BridleChampions with a 71 in the reining and a 72 down the fence!! Congrats!!
• Jerry Myer & Metallic Cat Rose – Non Pro Bridle4th place.
• Another huge congrats goes to Helga Roh and her stallion, Freckles Golden Sun… crowned Novice Non Pro Bridle CHAMPIONS!! The marked a 69 in the reining and a whooping 74 down the fence!!!
• Laurel Scharien & Doc O Nitro – Novice Non Pro Bridle Reserve Champions
• Jerry Myer & Metallic Cat Rose – Novice Non Pro Bridle 4th place
• Tyree Swales & Feather In Your Cap were pretty cool in the big pen capturing $1k Non Pro Limited 3rd place in tough competition! They scored a 70.5 in the reining and a 71 in the boxing! Congrats Tyree & Trona!

2018 ARCHA/NRCHA SBF

This year Claresholm was the first Futurity we competed in; with Fort Worth and the NRCHA Futurity in our sights, we aimed to peak in October. This Futurity is a great show in Alberta and offers lots of classes; futurities, derbies, horse show classes and the Canada's Greatest Horseman competition! This year John did not have a Canada's Greatest Horseman entry, but it was fun cheering all the other competitors on! Here are the results:

Horse Show Classes:

• Terri Holowath & SDP Blu Rey, Non Pro Bridle Spectacular 2nd place
• Keri Hudson-Reykdal & SLR Won Smart Wolf, Non Pro Bridle Spectacular 3rd place
• Terri Holowath & SDP Blu Rey, Non Pro Bridle Champions
• Terri Holowath & SDP Blu Rey, Non Pro Two Rein 2nd place
• Jerry Myer & Metallic Cat Rose, Novice Non Pro Bridle Spectacular 2nd place
• Helga Roh & Freckles Golden Sun, Novice Non Pro Bridle Spectacular 4th place
• Deborah Anderson & Signed Prescription, Intermediate Non Pro Bridle Champions
• Melody Andrews & Skeets Hickory Miss (owned by Annet Ribling) Limited Open Bridle
• Tyree Swales & Doc O Nitro (owned by Laurel Scharien), Youth Limited 3rd place
• Tyree Swales & Doc O Nitro (owned by Laurel Scharien), Youth Limited 13 & Under 2nd place

• John & Smart Lookin Nurse, owned by Bart Holowath, Open Derby Champions
• John & Chics Made Me Do It, owned by Laura MacMillan, Open Derby Reserve Champions
• John & Metal Hickory 014, owned by Spring Haven Ranches, Open Derby 3rd place
• Nicole Myer & Metallic Duals, Amateur Non Pro Derby Reserve Champions
• Tyree Swales & Feather In Your Cap, Non Pro Limited Derby 3rd place

• John & Northern Metallic, owned by Marti Katerberg, Open Futurity 5th place
• Bart Holowath & Styln Metallic Booty, Non Pro Futurity Champions
• Steve Hoar & Maximum San Master, Novice Non Pro Futurity 3rd place

2018 CowUp On the Coast

This year we didn't feel a pre-futurity would benefit our 3 year olds, so we stayed home and continued preparing them here. A few Non Pro's ventured across the rocky mountains and did very well!

• Bart Holowath & Smart Lookin Nurse – Non Pro Hackamore Champions, AND Non Pro Derby Champions!
• Laura MacMillan & Chics Made Me Do It – Amateur Derby Reserve Champions
• Colleen Penner & CD Shiner – 1k Non Pro Limited Reserve Champions

2018 NRCHA Derby

Paso Robles, California… always a favourite destination for our family! We love the California sun (and really love the cooler evenings!!). This trip the Canadian Non Pro's shone brightly!! Congrats to the Holowath family on a brilliant show! Terri and SDP Blu Rey took home the championship title in the Non Pro Two Rein Spectacular class earning another $1640! Terri guided “Budlight” to a 145 in the herd work, a 140.5 in the reining and a spectacular 149 down the fence!! Sweet job!!

Bart & Smart Lookin Nurse were also on fire; this pair captured the Non Pro Derby Championship AS WELL AS the Intermediate Non Pro Derby Championship!!! In the finals the duo marked an impressive 219 in the herd work, a 215.5 in the reining and a whooping 219 down the fence! These championships added $7602.19 and $3559.36, for the Non Pro and Intermediate Non Pro respectively! Such fun celebrating with them!!

John showed Metal Hickory 014 and Metallic Missle Dr. in the Open Derby for owners Spring Haven Ranches and Jerry & Pam Koopman. Metallic Missle Dr. finished up 11th in the Novice Horse Open Derby, and Metal Hickory 014 took Reserve Champion in the same class! Metal Hickory 014 earned another $2292.88 towards his life-time earnings!

One of the highlights was Metal Hickory 014's 220.5 score in the reined work; this was the high reining score in the Novice Open Derby class!

2018 NRCHA Derby

Cowtown Derby; always a fun event! Congrats to all money earners and many other successes, big and small!

• Metal Hickory 014 & John – 6th Open Derby, 3rd 5000 Novice Horse Derby, owned by Spring Haven Ranches
• Shesa Sweet Cat & John – 4th 5000 Novice Horse Derby, owned by Laurel Scharien
• Metallic Missile Dr. & John – 6th 5000 Novice Horse Derby, owned by Jerry & Pam Koopman
• Smart Lookin Nurse & Bart Holowath – 3rd Non Pro Derby
• Metallic Duals & Nicole Myer – 4th Non Pro Derby, 3rd Novice Non Pro Derby
• SDP Blu Rey & Terri Holowath – 2nd Non Pro Two Rein
• Doc O Nitro & Laurel Scharien – 1st Novice Non Pro Bridle Spectacular, 2nd Novice Non Pro Bridle
• Metallic Cat Rose & Jerry Myer – 3rd Novice Non Pro Bridle Spectacular, 3rd Novice Non Pro Bridle
• Freckles Golden Sun & Helga Roh – 4th Novice Non Pro Bridle Spectacular, 5th Novice Non Pro Bridle
• CD Shiner & Colleen Penner – 1st 1k Non Pro Limited

2018 NRCHA Celebration of Champions

Not only is the Celebration of Champions an honour to be qualified for, it's a tremendous achievement to make the finals at this show and compete a second time in Fort Worth, Texas against the top 10 across North America!! This year both Laurel Scharien and Keri Hudson-Reykdal were finalists at 2018 Celebration of Champions!

Laurel Scharien made the finals on Doc O Nitro in the Novice Non Pro Bridle class; they finished up in a very respectable 3rd place position! Congrats Laurel!

Keri Hudson-Reykdal showed SLR Won Smart Wolf in the Non Pro Two Rein Finals and the duo finished in 6th spot! Congrats Keri!

SLR Won Smart Wolf was a busy guy at this show! He and John also showed in the Open Two Rein class. This was super exciting as the pair marked a 220 in the finals reining and a 220.5 down the fence in the finals! These scores pushed the two to the top of the list and gained them both a WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP TITLE! This win also pushed their points up and landed them the National Year End Open Two Rein title as well! Congrats to Keri and husband, Calvin, on their incredibly talented gelding, who we all know as Wolf Pup!

The NRCHA Derby also brought much excitement this year! Bart Holowath and Smart Lookin Nurse were in top form; the two won BOTH the Non Pro Derby and the Intermediate Non Pro Derby! They scored 148 herd, 146 rein and 148 down the fence! This success significantly added to their life-time earnings! Congrats to the team!

John had the honor and pleasure to show Metallic Cat Rose, owned by Jerry & Nicole Myer (Spring Haven Ranches) in World's Greatest Horseman this year! This talented mare was on track for the finals until an unfortunate break-out in the roping! The pair marked a 215.5 in the herd work, a 216 in the reining, a 202 in the steer stopping and a 213.5 down the fence. This placed them 20th out of 50 competitors, and only the top 10 advance to the finals. Dreams had to be swallowed and focus had to reroute for 2019! At the end of the day, we all know Metallic Cat Rose would be competitive in this prestigious group of horses given other circumstances and a new day!