Gold Buckle Futurities and Platinum Medal have announced a merger between their roping events and incentives, facilitating continued benefits for trainers, breeders, stallion and mare owners with operations of all sizes within the roping futurity industry. 

“This merger is poised to elevate the industry,” said Platinum Medal Founder, Billy Myers. “All of these events will have a standard judging system with consistent expectations. Now, trainers and horse owners can now focus their training efforts specifically for these events, ensuring a level playing field for all participants, and newcomers can easily understand the expectations and get involved as the rope horse futurity industry continues to explode.”

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The merger consolidates prominent figures in the industry, including Myers of Myers Performance Horses, World Champion Header Kaleb Driggers, World Champion tie-down roper Shane Hanchey and his wife, NFR qualifying barrel racer and breakaway roper Taylor, World Champion couple Shelby and Haven Meged, and industry leader Jeremy Barwick, owner of Western Bloodstock. 

“The uniting factor of everybody in this merger is that we are here for the industry as a whole,” Driggers said. “We’ve all produced or competed at top-notch events, and mostly, we’ve each been on both sides. We outsource our added money for the events instead of pulling it out of the incentive, bring quality cattle, and moving forward we’re committing to opening more doors for intermediate and limited ropers—it’s all designed to honor that core commitment of leaving the sport better than we came into it.” 

A crucial aspect of the merger is the Elite Breeders Incentive, allowing breeders to enroll all offspring from their mares, making them eligible for the incentive regardless of the stallion they are crossed with. Horses enrolled in the Elite Breeders Incentive and crossed with Gold Buckle stallions will have the opportunity to maximize their earnings through both programs at each event. Gold Buckle Stallion incentive slots currently have a waitlist, while Elite Breeders Incentive positions have limited remaining openings.

Under this new arrangement, the competition calendar will include the Gold Buckle Futurities Spring event in Ardmore, Oklahoma, on May 9-12. Added money is increasing for team roping, breakaway roping and tie-down roping, and the event flyer will be released shortly for those interested.

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Additionally, the Platinum Medal Futurity presented by Gold Buckle in Rapid City, South Dakota, is on tap for August 19-22 and will feature a platinum, gold and silver format for horses aged 6 and under with $20,000 added, plus a new $10,000 added Jerry Bailey Memorial Intermediate class. Additionally, a Gold Buckle Futurity will be scheduled for the upcoming winter. 

This expansion underscores Gold Buckle Futurities’ commitment to regional growth and enhancement of roping events, benefiting breeders, competitors, and the industry at large.

For more information on Gold Buckle Futurity, Platinum Medal, and the Elite Breeders Incentive, please visit www.GoldBuckleFuturities.com.