Jeremy Buhler closed out the 2025 futurity season by sweeping two major heeling championships on Hickory Holly Time offspring, adding another dominant chapter to a year defined by consistency, horsemanship and the depth of DT Horses’ program.

DT Hickorys Stinger won the World Finals heeling with a composite of 907.11, worth $10,000 for the main average, $1,000 for a round win, $19,300 for the Elite Stallion Incentive and $7,500 for the Elite Breeders Incentive. Buhler and SLR Swinging Hickory backed it up with the 6-and-under heeling title with a 908.00 on four, worth $10,000 for the main average, $17,700 for the Elite Stallion Incentive and $7,500 for the Elite Breeders Incentive. Buhler, SLR Swinging Hickory’s owners/breeders Stump Lake Ranch and DT Horses (Hickory Holly Time stallion owners) pocketed a collective $65,449 in the 6-&-Under Heeling, as Buhler placed on three different Hickory Holly Time horses.

Before the Gold Buckle World Finals, Hickory Holly Time’s team roping offspring earnings had already his $821,484 in 2025 alone, with the former World’s Greatest Horseman equine champion being the year’s overall leading rope horse sire and also the leading sire in Riata and American Rope Horse Futurity Association competition.

The wins also top off a year in which Buhler won the Reno Rodeo and the Cheyenne Frontier Days with Aaron Tsinigine, winning $68,722 with a limited rodeo schedule while balancing his futurity training business.

DT Hickorys Stinger

DT Hickorys Stinger entered the Gold Buckle Futurities World Finals with limited show mileage but delivered like a finished horse. Buhler had only been riding the 4-year-old for the second part of 2025, sharing time on the horse with DT Horses’ owner Dean Tuftin.

“He’s got such a good mind,” Buhler said. “He’s four, it’s only his second show, and he feels like you’re riding a 15-year-old gelding.”

The stallion’s natural frame, especially his uphill build and clean neck-to-withers tie, made him stand out.

“When I think about Hickory Holly Time colts, a great neck is the first thing that comes to mind,” he said. “They’re not too short, not too long, they run uphill, and they stay framed without you manufacturing it.”

Buhler called DT Hickorys Stinger one of the most straightforward horses he has ever legged up, noting that even when turned out loose, the colt carries the same frame he shows in the arena. That efficiency translated into the smooth, repeatable runs futurity judges reward.

SLR Swinging Hickory

A 2019 mare, SLR Swinging Hickory has been in Buhler’s program since the start. She’s earned $175,512 in her career before the Gold Buckle. That includes the $100,000 she won at the Old West Futurity in Utah—the biggest title in the rope horse futurity business.

“She’s taught me a lot,” Buhler said. “She’s so honest and wants to be good, but I had to learn how to stay out of her way and let her strength show. The more I focused on balance and feel, the better she got.”

SLR Swinging Hickory shares many of her sire line’s traits: a clean neck, a natural uphill run and a tendency to stay framed even under pressure. Those qualities surfaced throughout the year as the mare consistently advanced into short rounds and positioned herself as one of the most reliable horses in the pen.

2025’s Learning Curve

Even with a load of good ones and a PRCA world title to his name, Buhler wasn’t satisfied. He said his biggest growth came in the spring, when he reached out to a long list of horsemen for help tightening the details of his program.

“I bet there were 10 or 12 guys I reached out to,” he said. “Anybody who would stand still. We’d talk, ride, watch video—whatever it took.”

The focus stayed on horsemanship fundamentals: softness, balance, showmanship and what he calls “getting into the horse’s mind instead of making them do it.” The goal was to build confidence and longevity into each horse rather than rush through drills.

“There’s a lot of room in horsemanship to get better,” he said. “I’m always trying to find a weakness to touch on.”

Looking to 2026

With futurities expanding across the country, Buhler and DT Horses will need to choose their 2026 targets carefully.

“We haven’t talked about it yet, but there’s going to be a lot of thought that goes into it,” he said. “Now that there are enough futurities, you don’t have to show the wheels off. But at the same time, that’s the goal—to make the best horse and keep him intact.”

DT Hickorys Stinger’s mind and SLR Swinging Hickory’s maturity give him confidence they can hold a strong schedule without risking burnout.

“I think they’ll take it,” he said. “The main goal is to keep getting them better physically and keep them intact mentally.”

The Hickory Holly Time Influence

Hickory Holly Time’s influence runs deep. The offspring share similar conformation, similar mental willingness and similar frames that make them idealfuturity partners.

“The majority of them have great necks, and every one of them wants to stay framed,” he said. “That’s the best part about them.”