The National Reining Horse Association (NRHA) Adequan® North American Affiliate Championships (NAAC) continued today with Novice Horse Open competition.

(Photo:  Shannon Rafacz and Zapp In The 2024 Adequan® NAAC Novice Horse Open Level 2 And 3)

NRHA Professional Shannon Rafacz of Citra, Florida, rode Zapp to a 221 to capture the Adequan® NAAC Novice Horse Open Level 2 Championship and the NRHA Novice Horse Open Level 2 and 3. Rafacz was thrilled when the 7-year-old gray stallion joined their training program six months ago.

“I’ve had a crush on him since he was 3-years-old,” she said. “A good friend of mine, Robert Peterson, owned him at that time and I told him if he ever wanted to sell him to let me know.”

At the National Reining Breeders Classic, Rafacz finally had the opportunity when she found out the stallion was for sale.

We Believe You

“I called the Freilichs who own him now and asked them if there was any chance we could make this happen and they were so nice and bought this horse sight unseen,” she said. “They didn’t try him, they just said, ‘We believe you.’”

The stallion, who receives endless praise about his disposition by Rafacz, is by NRHA Hall of Famer Spooks Gotta Whiz and out of Clearin The Smoke. Zapp was bred by Diane Beckmann.

“He is truly a unicorn—as cool as he is to look at, he is that cool to be around,” she said. “He is a very kind individual. You wouldn’t even know he’s a stallion. He loves to just be around people, and we are privileged to have him.”

Rafacz was pleased with their run and looks forward to continuing to show him next year, along with Zapp’s owner, Tammy Freilich, who will show him in entry-level classes.

It Was A Redemption Run For Us

“When he’s on, [reining’s] a very simplistic thing for him to do,” she said. “Today was one of those runs where you didn’t have to overthink anything—just ride. He deserved this win. It was the last Novice Horse Level 2 class for him. I wish I had him sooner in his life, but what he’s done for us in the last six months has been incredible– it was a redemption run for us,” finished Rafacz.