Riata’s first year of tracking has pushed $2.87 million in team roping earnings onto AQHA papers. Through mid-July, the National Rope Horse Rewards Program has recorded $2,869,179 in team roping earnings against the papers of 269 registered horses. Those checks were won at WSTR, USTRC and Global-run jackpots that have been paying ropers for years. What is new is that the money now travels with the horse.
That is the whole premise of the program Riata launched in January with AQHA and Equine Network. For $300 a season, any aggregate check a horse-and-rider combination wins at a Global Handicaps roping counts toward a monthly cash drawing and lands in a database built to follow the horse for the rest of its career. Ropers have logged 1,045 qualifying checks so far, an average of just under $2,750 apiece.
Riata-nominated horses are carrying a heavy share of it. Eighty-eight of the 269 horses on the list are by a Riata stallion, and those horses account for $908,020, or 32% of everything recorded. Sixty stallions are represented, led by Hickory Holly Time, whose three head have combined for $72,985 across 35 checks.
Riata’s Lucas Gentry projects the program will record $6 million before the Dec. 9 Finale. Recorded earnings averaged $435,728 a month through June, with March the strongest at $637,516 on the strength of the USTRC and NTR finals.
“I’m projecting an increase to $30 million this year in rope horse earnings,” Gentry said. “We did $20 million last year. If we stay on track here, we will be at $26 million, and that does not consider any growth from Riata or AQHA or the futurities.”
TOP 25 HORSES BY RECORDED EARNINGS
| HORSE | RIDER | RIATA SIRE | CHECKS | RECORDED | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Heza Little Dulce | Mike Woolven | — | 16 | $122,773 |
| 2 | Kandy Jj | Brayden Morris | — | 17 | $78,835 |
| 3 | Red Buck To Simple | Shawn Sullivan | — | 13 | $76,195 |
| 4 | Pronto Blueberry Jam | Dennis Moore | — | 13 | $68,240 |
| 5 | Tw Stylish Pepto | Rylan Rogers | Stylin With Pepto | 21 | $67,409 |
| 6 | Sleepy Style | Chris Lawson | Lena Stylish Doc | 5 | $63,505 |
| 7 | Dinero N Dynamite | Earl Higgins | — | 37 | $58,270 |
| 8 | The Smart Dun | Jeffrey Holmes | — | 24 | $55,580 |
| 9 | Athenas Scorpion | Andrew Duncan | — | 9 | $45,540 |
| 10 | Jj Hesters Flash | Rainen Virden | — | 4 | $42,390 |
| 11 | Reygin Wanda | Charles Tenney | Magneticat | 10 | $42,345 |
| 12 | Jwroosterlittleboon | Leo Amado | Boonlight Wilson | 1 | $41,000 |
| 13 | Cp One Stylish Oak | Conner Callihan | One Time Pepto | 6 | $38,720 |
| 14 | Fifty Shadez Of Rey | Tray Paul | Stevie Rey Von | 12 | $38,135 |
| 15 | Dual Oak E | Reagan Overstreet | Olena Oak | 11 | $37,385 |
| 16 | Mega Jac Two | Darrell Tatum | — | 5 | $37,060 |
| 17 | Sg Stargazing | Will Ratliff | — | 5 | $35,785 |
| 18 | Just Wright Time | Jhett Vanderhamm | Hickory Holly Time | 10 | $35,600 |
| 19 | Jm Katie Shines | Paul Murdock | — | 10 | $35,115 |
| 20 | Graves Ghost Pepper | Jayme Marcrum | — | 5 | $34,150 |
| 21 | Stingreys | Cesar Ornelas | — | 7 | $33,955 |
| 22 | Leifs Mito Man | Kevin Poteete | — | 3 | $33,055 |
| 23 | Deacon Boon | Gregory Singletary | Once In A Blu Boon | 8 | $31,625 |
| 24 | Seven Cross Fitz | Shawn Edwards | — | 9 | $30,895 |
| 25 | Metallic Jay | Paul Murdock | Metallic Gray | 9 | $27,490 |
Wins reflect qualifying aggregate checks recorded through July 15. Where a horse has been shown by more than one roper, the rider listed is the one with the most recorded wins.
TOP 10 RIATA STALLIONS BY PROGENY EARNINGS
| STALLION | HEAD | CHECKS | PROGENY EARNINGS | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hickory Holly Time | 3 | 35 | $72,985 |
| 2 | Lena Stylish Doc | 2 | 9 | $67,935 |
| 3 | Magneticat | 4 | 18 | $67,915 |
| 4 | Stylin With Pepto | 1 | 21 | $67,409 |
| 5 | Boonlight Wilson | 2 | 5 | $44,146 |
| 6 | One Time Pepto | 1 | 6 | $38,720 |
| 7 | Stevie Rey Von | 1 | 12 | $38,135 |
| 8 | Olena Oak | 1 | 10 | $36,830 |
| 9 | Metallic Gray | 3 | 10 | $33,480 |
| 10 | Once In A Blu Boon | 2 | 9 | $33,245 |
Head counts reflect only progeny entered in Rope Horse Rewards that have won a qualifying check, not a stallion’s full book.
BY THE NUMBERS
| Earnings recorded, Jan. 1 through July 15 | $2,869,179 |
| Registered horses with at least one recorded win | 269 |
| Qualifying checks recorded | 1,045 |
| Horses by a Riata stallion | 88 |
| Earnings by Riata-sired horses | $908,020 (32%) |
| Riata stallions represented | 60 |
| Strongest month (March) | $637,516 |
HOW A HORSE GETS ON THIS LIST
A $300 fee covers one horse-and-rider combination for the 2026 season. Every aggregate check that combination wins at a Global Handicaps roping earns an entry in the monthly cash drawing and goes on the horse’s record. Up to 20 winners split as much as $25,000 a month, drawn live on EQN Sports around the 15th.
Payouts run in three tiers: $1,000 for any entered AQHA horse, $1,250 when the rider is the owner of record and $1,500 when the horse carries a current Riata nomination. Ropers who have not transferred papers have 30 days from notification to complete an AQHA transfer and move up to the owner tier.
Drawing winners earn a spot at Rope Horse Rewards Day, a new roping added to the Ariat WSTR Finale on Dec. 9. Three divisions, #13.5, #11.5 and #9.5, are capped at 100 teams at $2,500 a roper, with up to $200,000 paid in each. Winning teams are guaranteed $150,000, and a first-place roper mounted on a Riata horse adds $25,000. The six champions spin for a Laredo conversion truck at the Riata Showcase Horse Sale.
—TRJ—