The Run For A Million 2025

𝐌𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐑𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐀𝐝𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐮𝐧 𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐀 𝐌𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐂𝐮𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐇𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐞 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔
𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘙𝘶𝘯 𝘍𝘰𝘳 𝘈 𝘔𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘦𝘭𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘳𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘉𝘳𝘢𝘻𝘰𝘴 𝘉𝘢𝘴𝘩 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 $200𝘒 𝘊𝘶𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘏𝘰𝘳𝘴𝘦 𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 10 𝘵𝘰 15 𝘳𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴.
At the 2025 The Run For A Million, ten of the country’s top cutting horse trainers went head-to-head for a share of the $200,000-added purse. From the time the first horse entered the herd to the final buzzer, the South Point crowd cheered every move. In the end, it was Michael Cooper Cutting Horses and Bella Louella who won the title and accompanying $50,000 check.
“The crowd was amazing, I couldn’t even hear the buzzer,” Cooper shared following his win. “I appreciate TRFAM for giving us the opportunity to show off our sport on a platform like this.”
The enthusiasm of the crowd provided an excellent backdrop for owner Taylor Sheridan’s announcement that the 2026 Cutting Horse Challenge will feature more riders taking the stage in Las Vegas. Now, the top 15 finishers from the Brazos Bash, September 30-October 14, will qualify to advance to the Cutting Horse Challenge.
Sheridan’s vision for The Run For A Million is to showcase the best in Western performance horses, and the Cutting Horse Challenge has delivered. Expanding the Brazos Bash qualifier ensures even more riders have a shot at that stage.
Kim Cox, Secretary of the Brazos Bash and the NCHA’s 2025 Secretary of the Year, echoed the excitement. Cox also serves as the Cattle Event Coordinator for TRFAM. “The Brazos Bash is one of the most fun and exciting events of the year, and the fact that it’s a qualifier for The Run For A Million puts an exclamation point on its importance,” she said.
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐮𝐧 𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐀 𝐌𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐨𝐧
Making its debut in 2019, The Run For A Million has changed the face of elite Western performance events. Held annually in August at the South Point Hotel & Casino, TRFAM now highlights several disciplines in the Western Performance Horse industry, and culminates with the Million Dollar Reining, where more than $1,000,000 is paid out to 16 of the world’s most talented reining trainers.
For more information about The Run For A Million, visit TheRunForAMillion.com
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐫𝐚𝐳𝐨𝐬 𝐁𝐚𝐬𝐡
Held annually at the picturesque Bosque Ranch Weekend Cutting Events in Weatherford, Texas, the Brazos Bash is one of the most significant added-money events of the National Cutting Horse Association.

Congratulations to the 2025 The Run For A Million Champion Arnaud Girinon, who piloted Flexing Guns N Town to a 232, bringing the crowd to its feet!
Thank you to everyone who made this event one to remember - our incredible sponsors, talented riders, gracious owners, spectators, the staff and management of the South Point Arena & Equestrian Center, and of course, the equine athletes who gave their all this week.
We look forward to seeing everyone again in 2026.

🏆 NFR 2025 Spotlight: Stetson Wright — Rodeo’s Young Legend 🤠
Since turning pro in 2018, Stetson Wright has rewritten the record books. With three straight All-Around world titles, plus world championships in bull riding and saddle bronc riding, he’s one of the most versatile and accomplished cowboys today
A member of Utah’s legendary Wright rodeo family, he made history again in 2021 by edging out his brother for the saddle bronc title—continuing a family tradition of excellence
Utah Sports Commission
Following a challenging year marked by injury, Stetson is cleared and ready to reclaim his spot at the top of the rodeo world at NFR 2025
The Cowboy Channel
Watch him chase history all over again!

🔥 It’s time for The Run For A Million Reining Million Dollar Competition — don’t miss the top riders and horses in the sport go head-to-head for the title!
🕰️ Starts at 6:30 PM
🏆 The owner of the Champion horse will receive the iconic Run For A Million Trophy Ring, crafted by MS Diamonds TX:
💎 121 diamonds 💎 9.83 total carats 💎 40 grams of handcrafted excellence
A ring that tells a story — and a moment you won’t want to miss!

🎥🎥The Run For A Million 2025 – LIVE STREAM 💥🏇
📍 South Point Arena & Equestrian Center, Las Vegas
⏰ Start Time: 6:30 PM (Las Vegas)
🔥 The Run For A Million Reining – PATTERN 9
💰 Million Dollar Competition
Only 16 riders in the world earned their spot for this ultimate showdown! 🌍🏇
✔ 5 Riders – 2024 TRFAM, Las Vegas, NV
✔ 1 Rider – 2024 Equita Lyon, Lyon, France
✔ 10 Riders – 2025 Cactus Reining Classic, Scottsdale, AZ
⚡ These elite competitors will battle it out in one go-round, all-out competition for $1,000,000!
🏆 The Champion alone takes home $500,000!
Get ready for world-class reining action, ultimate precision, and unforgettable excitement! 🌟

The Run For A Million 2025 –💥🏇
📍 South Point Arena & Equestrian Center, Las Vegas
This is the final performance of the 2025 The Run For A Million, and what a night it will be!
At 5 p.m., the inaugural Race to the Slide presented by ThorSport Farm will take place. Twenty incredible entries will vie for a piece of the prize. With $70,000 in added money up for grabs, everyone is going to hammer down and lay it on the line.
Then, we start the pre-game show for the Million Dollar Competition. Sixteen of the winningest horses and riders are all chasing a piece of the $1 million purse, and the winner will leave Vegas $500,000 richer.

🏆✨ The Run For A Million 2025 – Million Dollar Competition Riders ✨🏆
📍 South Point Arena & Equestrian Center, Las Vegas
Meet the 16 elite reiners competing tonight in the ultimate one-go-round showdown for $1,000,000! The Champion takes home $500,000!

Qualified Riders:

From 2024 TRFAM Open Shootout (Las Vegas, NV):
• Casey Deary
• Cade McCutcheon
• Kole Price
• Craig Schmersal
• Jason Vanlandingham

From 2024 Equita Lyon (Lyon, France):
• Arnaud Girinon

From 2025 Cactus Reining Classic (Scottsdale, AZ):
• Andrea Fappani
• Luca Fappani
• Dany Tremblay
• Arno Honstetter
• Marco Ricotta
• Casey Hinton
• Nathan Piper
• Matt Mills
• Matt McAuslan
• Fernando Salgado

These world-class riders face off in a high-stakes, single-round battle filled with skill, speed, and sheer will. This is reining action at its finest!

We are having a blast here at The Run For A Million!

𝐂𝐨𝐰𝐛𝐨𝐲 𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐑𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐡 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐥
🏆 𝐑. 𝐀. 𝐁𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐑𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐡 - 𝐋𝐲𝐝𝐢𝐚 𝐁𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐧 & 𝐑𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐧 𝐑𝐨𝐲𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐲 𝐑 𝐀 𝐁 🏆
Continuing the evening at The Run For A Million with the Cowboy Heritage Ranch Challenge presented by Markel Fence Work, the spotlight turned to America’s working ranches and the talent they bring to the arena.
As the only female entered in the Ranch Challenge, Lydia Brown didn’t let that hold her back from showcasing her skills. Representing Brown Ranch, she rode Ranchin Royalty R A B, a 9-year-old gelding by One Time Royalty and out of Shesa Rock Handcock. The horse she originally planned to bring didn’t meet eligibility requirements for the event, but Lydia regularly uses “Roy” at home on the ranch.
“Just this spring, I was dragging calves and branding on him. We rope on him, and I’ve done breakaway on him. He has all kinds of jobs—he’s my brother’s ranch rodeo horse, and my sister-in-law has run barrels on him. He’s a great kid horse ... so dependable. Every day is a little different, and he excels at all of it," she said.
The Brown family raised and trained Roy, but he hadn’t been in the show pen for three or four years. “He can get kind of nervous—and he did down the alley. I could feel his heart pounding, but he handled it so well,” she said. That composure helped them secure the top score.
Lydia and Roy entered the fence work with a 213.5 from the reined work. “Coming into the arena, you don’t know what kind of run you’ll have,” she said. “I just told myself I’ll work whatever I get, keep it clean, and show Roy really well. That was the plan—and it worked out pretty good.” Their run included an open-field turn in the fence work and a top knot loop that they managed to fish on and complete the steer stopping, earning a 221. With a composite score of 434.5, they took the lead.
During the Buckle Ceremony presented by Honda, Lydia and Roy collected a check for $7,500, along with a Bob’s Custom Saddle, a Gist Silversmiths buckle, a Cuttinup Show Blankets authentic blanket, and several other prizes from TRFAM.
Lydia expressed gratitude to her sister Amanda for hauling out with her, her parents for coming to watch, and her brothers for helping prep and train Roy. “It’s a family effort for sure,” she said.
Congratulations to Lydia Brown, the Brown Ranch, and Ranchin Royalty R A B for their well-earned success here at The Run For A Million!

Abbie Phillips and Peptos Stylin Time set the South Point Equestrian Center on fire after an incredible run down the fence that left everyone in awe. The duo nudged Kyle Trahern out of the number one spot to earn $50,000 and TRFAM Cow Horse Challenge championship!

🔥Tonight the big competition the run for à million at 18:30 pm local time in Vegas in Europe 3:30 am the morning,
16 riders competing for the title,
THE RUN FOR A MILLION is the richest event in the history of Reining. The event will be hosted by the prestigious South Point Arena and Equestrian Center in Las Vegas,
Nevada from August 10 - 16, 2025. Sixteen riders, including some of the most accomplished NRHA Professionals in the history of Reining, will compete for a purse of $1,000,000. In addition to the MILLION DOLLAR Competition, there is the $200,000 Cow Horse Challenge, $150,000 Added Open Shoot Out, $50,000 Bull Fighters Only Fight For Fifty, Cowboy Invitational presented by XIT Ranch, $50,000 Non Pro Championship and Bloomer Rookie Championship— at South Point Arena & Equestrian Center.

🎥🔥 The Run For A Million 2025 – LIVE from Las Vegas! 🔥🎥
📍 South Point Arena & Equestrian Center, Las Vegas, Nevada
The wait is over! 🏇✨
Watch the world’s biggest reining, cutting & cow horse competition unfold as top riders and horses battle for glory and the million-dollar dream! 💰🐴
✅ Don’t miss:
⭐ $200,000 Cutting Horse Challenge
⭐ Cow Horse Challenge presented by Priefert
⭐ The Million Dollar Competition presented by CINCH JEANS
⭐ Concerts & buckle ceremonies 🎶🏆

⚡Experience the thrill, skill, and passion — all in one arena!