Joseph Harrison made history by taking the top four spots in the futurity heeling at the 2025 Oil Can Classic—winning with Who Reye by Stevie Rey Von out of Millione Dollar Baby with a 919.23.
We caught up with Harrison, the reigning ARHFA world champ, to break down his horses, his program and what’s ahead after he won $43,440 in the aggregate and another $3,200 in the go rounds in Ardmore April 27:
TRJ: Let’s start with the horse that won of Tara and Daren Johnsons’. Give me the rundown on Who Reye.
Joseph Harrison: Yes, ma’am. He’s a Stevie Rey Von out of Millione Dollar Baby. Honestly, I don’t know why he didn’t make it wherever he was supposed to be going originally—he should have. He’s a very, very good horse.
TRJ: Was he a cutter or a cow horse?
Harrison: I’m not sure. I didn’t know anything about him until late last summer. Mr. Daren had me run a few on him at his place before the rope horse futurity and the World Show. That’s when he brought him to me.
TRJ: And you knew then he’d be a good one?
Harrison: Yeah, he was already doing good. Daren had him going the right direction, so it didn’t take much. I just put my little program on him, and he took to it well.
TRJ: What did you like about him when you first rode him?
Harrison: He moves square—some guys might not like that, but I’ve ridden some like him. He’s got a blocky shoulder and hips, and that makes him move a little square.
TRJ: What exactly does “moving square” mean, especially for a heel horse?
Harrison: Doug Carpenter—rest his soul—once told me at a sale, “If you ever see one of them horses that waddles when they walk, they can stop.” This horse moves like that. He doesn’t have to jump at the ground; he can just go down, one foot at a time and still drag his butt. That’s hard for a horse to do. Plus, he can really run and reads a cow well. Daren had him broke right, so now when I pick up on him anywhere in a run, he comes right back to me.
TRJ: You ride for some great owners. What does it mean to win for them?
Harrison: I have an awesome group of customers. Nobody tries to control where we go—they let me handle it. And in return, I want them to make money. If everyone in the barn is making money, I’m making money too. That’s how it works.
TRJ: One through four in Ardmore is unbelievable. You had one through three in Utah, but this is next level. What does that mean to you?
Harrison: Like I told Miles (Baker), if anyone thinks they’ve got a better set of 5- and 6-year-olds than me, I’d love to ride through them. He’s got a pretty dang good set himself, but I’ve had three of these for a year or two—they were already good at 4, and now they’re just stronger, more trained and seasoned. It’s fun.
TRJ: I made Miles rank his head horses, and he talked about Sevens Hank 2 being hard to get around. If everyone had their best day—draw, helpers, everything—can you say which one of yours would win?
Harrison: If I’m heeling good and the partner’s on point, out of my four—it’s either Tony or Bougie. For Miles, he’d say Copperton or Nu One Time Blues. I’ll let Miles say it so it ain’t biased.
TRJ: Who are you showing at the Gold Buckle this weekend?
Harrison: A couple of my 4-year-olds are eligible—my Sanman horse and Mav, a Paint Catty Hawk. I’ll ride both. In the 5-6, they’re all eligible: Bougie, Tony, Nitro (he’s the Stevie) and Gucci—a Gunners Special Nite of Chris Young’s. I’ll also ride one of my own, a little sorrel Paint I took to the winter rodeos. He’s 6 and eligible too.
TRJ: You went to Guymon—close to home and a circuit rodeo. Are you itching to get back on the rodeo trail a bit?
Harrison: We went everywhere we could around here this winter. And yeah, Guymon’s a circuit rodeo for me. I’ll circuit rodeo some and hit a few amateurs.
TRJ: Is qualifying for the winter rodeos in 2026 something you’re thinking about?
Harrison: Buck (Bubba Buckaloo) wants to. In his words—quoting “The King”—’you can’t fiddle, this is a lifestyle.’ But yeah, we didn’t go too hard this year and we’re actually not in bad shape in the tour. I’ll go to whatever’s close, and if it looks good, Buck might take the horses and stay at Mr. Scott’s (Repps) in Ellensburg, and I’ll fly in and out.
TRJ: That dun horse you rode at Guymon—you said he wasn’t exactly a show horse, but you showed him?
Harrison: He’s 7 now. We did show him some—he won the TX Best. But yeah, he’s more than proven himself..
TRJ: A pretty solid investment.
Harrison: Yeah. Between helping and jackpots, he’s made about $165,000 without rodeoing. He’s been a good one.
TRJ: Thanks Joseph! Good luck at the Gold Buckle.
—TRJ—
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