Breeding Chronicles V: Nominating the Foal for Incentive and Futurity Programs

When breeding a horse, there are many things to consider to produce a healthy and successful foal. When I first started the breeding journey in the spring of 2022, I documented the process on this blog, including why I decided to breed my mare, stallion selection, the use of artificial insemination, and prenatal care for mares. You can read all about Sky’s breeding to Dual Reyish on the previous Breeding Chronicles blog posts.

Since we decided to breed Sky, I’ve had hopes for a top-quality performance horse that I will either compete myself or sell to a home that would plan to campaign the foal on a national scale. I knew that Sky had great breeding potential, with her conformation and bloodlines, and I knew that we had selected a popular stud, Dual Reyish, who had successfully competed prior to becoming a breeding stallion. However, one aspect of breeding that was completely new and foreign to me, was nominating the foal for the various incentive (added prize money) programs/shows that he or she would be eligible to compete in.

Simply put, Incentives and Futurities are added money initiatives that will allow the foal to compete in additional classes, at exclusive shows, or earn added prize money. These programs typically cost several hundred dollars to enter and will give the foals more places to show and the potential to earn thousands of dollars in prize money once they are old enough to be ridden under saddle. This will make the foal potentially more valuable and attractive to potential buyers; if I choose to keep the foal, these opportunities will give me more venues to compete at, while also allowing me to win incentive funds.

Dual Reyish foals are eligible for a number of different incentive and futurity programs, including the Breeder’s Invitational, National Cutting Horse Association (NCHA) Super Stakes, National Reining Breeders Classic (NRBC), National Reined Cow Horse Association (NRCHA) Stakes, National Reining Horse Association (NRHA) Sire & Dam, Pacific Coast Cutting Horse Association (PCCHA) Stakes, Gold Buckle Futurity, and Brazos Valley Stallion Station (BVSS) Super Stallion Incentive. Some of these need to have the offspring nominated for a fee while they are in utero or during the first months of the foal’s life. Others are open to the get of all nominated sires, so the foal will automatically be eligible because it is by Dual Reyish. All of the programs provide the foal with the opportunity to win additional prize money once it has matured.

To be completely honest, I didn’t know much about these programs when we first thought of breeding. That meant that I needed to do a substantial amount of research to see what my various options were. While I plan to keep the foal, I want to nominate the baby for the ones that could potentially raise its resale value in the future.

The programs that the foal will be eligible for are:

Breeder’s Invitational: This is a major cutting horse competition that offers a large purse to the winners. Only horses that are sired by nominated stallions are eligible, with both the stallion owner and the mare owner receiving a portion of the prize money for their incentive for breeding a quality performance horse. Sky’s foal is automatically enrolled in this program because they are by Dual Reyish, with his owners submitting breeding reports to the invitational each year.

NCHA Super Stakes: If we decide to nominate the foal for this, they will be able to compete at the prestigious Cutting Horse Association Super Stakes competition in their four-, five-, and six-year-old years. The NCHA will require an enrollment fee prior to the foal’s yearling year.

NRBC: This reining competition provides large payouts to the nominated foals. Foals are eligible to compete if their sire is enrolled, but the breeder (me!) still needs to pay a fee to enter the foal. The fee increases as the offspring ages, so it benefits me to enroll the baby before its yearling year. In 2022, they offered over $23 million in prize money!

NRCHA Stakes: Depending on the foal’s skills and training level at the time, they may be eligible to compete at the four and five-year-old classes at the National Reined Cow Horse Association Teton Ridge Stallion Stakes because Dual Reyish is a Subscribed Stallion.

NRHA Sire & Dam: Dual Reyish was a part of the NRHA Stallion Auction, which means that the foal is automatically able to compete in the NRHA Futurity and NRHA Derby without a nomination fee. This is a reining competition that showcases the best of the best.

PCCHA Stakes: This will provide the foal with opportunities to win a larger purse in the Open and Non-Pro Futurity classes at the PCCHA Futurity. The offspring can be enrolled until its three-year-old year, but it is less expensive if I pay the nomination fee prior to the foal turning one.

Gold Buckle Futurity: This is a new futurity (founded in 2023), that supports elite roping horses. These value-added competitions will have additional purses for the foals of enrolled stallions. The offspring will be eligible to compete at these shows and events due to its breeding.

BVSS Super Stallion Incentive: The Brazos Valley Stallion Station stands a variety of stallions, including Dual Reyish. All of the stallion owners have reinvested extra funds to supplement their foals’ places at the Finals of the Open Division of the NRCHA World Championship Snaffle Bit Futurity and the Finals of the Open, Non-Pro, and Amateur Divisions of the NCHA World Championship Futurity. The offspring is automatically entered into this because it is sired by Dual Reyish.

As you can see, I have a lot of decisions to make and some paperwork to fill out as I determine for which programs to nominate the foal. Thank you for reading about these incentives and futurities with me as I continue my journey as a first-time Quarter Horse breeder!

Read all about Maria’s adventures breeding her mare on our Breeding Chronicles Blogs, including Breeding Chronicles Part I: Considerations When Deciding to Breed My Mare, Breeding Chronicles Part II: Selecting a Stallion, Breeding Chronicles Part III: The Process of Breeding My Mare, and Breeding Chronicles IV: Prenatal Mare Care.