National Cowboy Clinic at Rafter 3C

The National Reined Cow Horse Association Priefert Cowboy Clinic was held at the Rafter 3C Complex on August 2-4, 2024. This is the first time NRCHA has had a clinic of this type on the West Coast, as these clinics have always been held in Florida or Texas.

The NRCHA Cowboy Class is helping to preserve the cowboy lifestyle using the four components on a ranch when working cattle: reining, cutting, fence work, and now adding roping. This is the fastest-growing class in the National Reined Cow Horse Association and requires the horse to be in superb athletic shape. This will replace the Four-event held by club shows, which NRCHA did not recognize for national points. This class will most likely be available in 2025 at the Reno Snaffle Bit Futurity and Derby. The main eligibility requirement is that the contestant must own or show proof of working on a ranch, thus protecting the cowboy and ranching way of life. 

The eight clinicians were Flint Lee, Darrel Norcutt, winning the 2015 NRCHA Open Hackamore, Jake Telford, Shane Steffan, Brady Weaver, Trevor Carter, Matt Fredrick, Jimmy VanBelle, and Bobby Ingersol; these cowboys are all stars of the NRCHA. The legendary Bobby Ingersol is a 3-time NRCHA champion, winning the Triple Crown in 1975 by winning all three divisions: the Limited Cowhorse, Intermediate Cowhorse, and the Open Cowhorse NRCHA championships.

Fallon’s own Flint Lee, a local rancher and 2022 NRCHA Limited Futurity Open Champion, and his wife, Bea, have spearheaded this clinic coming to Fallon and being held at the Rafter 3C, with Priefert donating the use of the Rafter 3C facility for this clinic. There were 60 attendees from Nevada, Oregon, California, Utah, Idaho, and New Mexico, and eight clinicians worked in six different arenas throughout the weekend at the complex. The decision was made to cap the entries at 60, and the clinic was full within two days of being open. Many of the local businesses donated merchandise, lunches, or dinners for all the attendees. 

Thank you to all the people and businesses that helped support the clinic. Berney Realty provided breakfast and lunch for the attendees on Saturday. Patty Julian provided breakfast, and Snyder Pinenut Livestock provided lunch on Sunday. The Local 4-H and FFA provided an all-you-can-eat spaghetti feed for everyone Friday night, and Fallon Livestock LLC stocked the bar at the spaghetti feed. Fallon Livestock Processing LLC donated 50 lbs. of ground beef for the spaghetti, and American Ag Credit donated water and ice to the attendees throughout the weekend.