REINED COW HORSE NEWS, Posted on October 22, 2022 by Molly Montag
Of the four horses Debbie Crafton rode in the 2022 National Reined Cow Horse Association (NRCHA) Snaffle Bit Futurity Non-Pro finals, the gritty little mare Biscuits R Smokin was admittedly her favorite.
That’s why it was so special when “Biscuit” threw down the cow work score worthy of her immense talent in front of the crowd at Will Rogers Memorial Center in Fort Worth, Texas.
The fact that the 224.5-point score won them the Non-Pro Championship was almost secondary to the emotion that Crafton, of Ordway, Colorado, felt in knowing the mare stepped up and showed everyone what she could do when it really counted.
“She’s the kind of mare that I think she would jump off a cliff if I said to. She has so much faith and trust in me, and then I do on her,” Crafton said of the performance, which sealed their victory. “So, there’s really no words to describe what it feels like. It’s just very, very special. She’s a very special horse. She’s a very special individual.
The score marked by Crafton and the 2019 mare by Hickory Holly Time propelled them to the top of the scoreboard above the leader at the time, eventual Intermediate Non-Pro champions Sophia Buttars and Dollar Signs.
When all was said and done, Crafton’s composite of 659 (216.5 herd/218 rein/224.5 cow) was seven points to the good of Buttars and the other Non-Pro Co-Reserve Champion, Abbie Phillips.
“I just worry about me and my horse and what that horse is capable of. And so, instead of worrying about where the leader board was and what I needed to be to take the lead — I didn’t even know, to be honest,” she explained. “I knew the [leading] composite was a was a 652, [but] I really didn’t know where my composite was sitting. I hadn’t even done the math.
Her goal was to go in and be smart and, regardless of what kind of cow they drew, to make the run they knew how to make and see where it landed them in the final standings.
“Winning it wasn’t even on the radar, so to speak,” Crafton said. “It was just go in here, let’s just make a good solid run and see if we can get us some of this money.
“So, that’s what we did — and, boy, did it exceed my expectations!”
The win earned a big paycheck of $40,000 for the first-place finish. The money pushed Crafton to more than $501,685 in lifetime earnings, according to EquiStat.
Biscuits R Smoking was one of four horses Crafton rode in the finals held Friday, Oct. 21 at Will Rogers Memorial Center in Fort Worth, Texas. She also placed seventh on SJR Diamond Luna (by CD Diamond), eleventh on SJR Kinda Caddy (by Smooth As A Cat) and sixteenth on Jefe (by Hottish).
Background of Biscuits R Smokin
Biscuits R Smokin entered Crafton’s program straight from her breeder, Bobby Lewis, of Overbrook, Oklahoma. Originally, the mare was supposed to be a boxing horse for Crafton’s daughter, but after a few rides she felt it would be better suited going down the fence with Crafton.
“Biscuit” first showed her talent earlier this year when she and Crafton won the National Stock Horse Association (NSHA) Pre-Futurity Non-Pro Championship in Las Vegas. That show at the South Point was the mare’s first time showing.
Crafton also showed the mare at the Colorado Reined Cowhorse Association Mid-America aged event, where they placed fourth in the Futurity Non-Pro.
$40,000 check to win futurity. Also won the $10,000 check on the CD Diamond Incentive for SJR Diamond Luna.
Biscuits R Smokin now has lifetime earnings of more than $44,576. She is the sole earner recorded in EquiStat for her mother, IC The Biscuits, who was a cutting horse who competed at age 3 in Canada before plying her trade at age 4 in the United States. IC The Biscuits retired to the broodmare shed with an EquiStat show record of $14,326.
Reserve Champions
Buttars and Phillips each earned $20,000 for the Non-Pro Co-Reserve Championship.
The horse ridden by Buttars, Dollar Signs, is a son of Hickory Holly Time and Wright About Now (by Lenas Wright On). The composite of 652 (217.5 herd/219.5 rein/215 cow) that Buttars marked on the mare bred by Gardiner Quarter Horses also won them the Intermediate Open and Limited Open championships. When combined with her earnings for finishing second in the Non-Pro, Buttars banked a total of $34,000 in winnings combined from all the classes.
Phillips rode Purdy Talker, a 2019 mare by Purdy Boy Flash and out of Money Talks Smart (by Smart Mate) to a composite of 652 (218.5 herd/217 rein/216.5 cow). Purdy Talker was bred by Beechfork Ranch.