This year too, the show season of the great western events is coming to end. And as usual, it does so with the most prestigious event of the year from a technical point of view and also in an economic perspective: the Irha-Irhba-Nrha Reining Futurity, organized by the Italian Reining Horse Association under the patronage of the American National Reining Horse Association. With the beginning of this week we get into the heart of an event with a completely new philosophy.
Remember: November 15, 16 and 17. These are the days for all the finals which will take place after the go-rounds have been held in the previous ones. And in this 2024, the word “all” takes on a very particular meaning.
Reining and cutting have always been two closely linked sports. They are the two most technical and fascinating specialties, with the richest turnover and with a common breeding base that dates back to the great working horses of the American West. Well, the November event will be a journey from one discipline to the other in their most prestigious declination on this side of the ocean. Because in addition to the Reining Futurity, the Ncha European Cutting Futurity will also be held.
But that’s not all. The ongoing “Futurity event” is taking some important steps towards the transformation from a pure sport event to an occasion with a charming appeal for a wider range of spectators. This year, the show will host some events that combine spectacularity with high level equestrian technique, and others at the service of the breeding world that is always and in any case the lifeblood of every competitive circuit. For the first, scheduled in some strategic moments of the Finals’ evenings, it is worth mentioning the colt starting demonstration by the trainer Franco Giani, the only Italian 5 Star Master Instructor of the Parelli school, and some charming performances by Laura Magic Horse Show.
Talking about breeding, the organizers have then created two other important stages: the second edition of the Acme Prospects & Stallions Presentation, and the open day with Avantea, a world leader in the production of equine embryos through the innovative OPU-ICSI technique.
For breeding enthusiasts, or for those that are looking for the right stallion for their mare, or even the right horse for the next show season, the stands of all the most important European breeding centers in this field, gathered in pavilion 2, will also provide a surely interesting focus.
But let’s get to the numbers of the event. The prize money for this European “Big One” will be the highest ever: 730 thousand dollars, with a significant increase compared to the 600 thousand of 2023.
Added to this record is the exceptional response from the European cutting riders, who will participate with 160 horses when the average of previous years was around 104. The combination of the two Futurities is therefore a winning one, which will bring the total number of horses competing to over 830, while the exhibitors will increase by a good 25% compared to the previous edition, reaching the significant number of 240, for a total size of the commercial area of 8 thousand square meters.
The nations from which the exhibitors will come will be 11: Great Britain, France, Germany, Austria, Poland, Switzerland, Belgium, Holland for Europe, but also the United States, Canada and Brazil; while the riders competing will be over 900 from 12 different European nationalities but also from the USA and Canada. And these two factors will make the 39th edition of the Italian Futurity the most international ever.
The event will be held in 4 pavilions, while the arenas will be 7, of which 4 are completely dedicated to reining including the now famous “oval” of pavilion 3 (70x35m), the official location for all the “sliding riders”. The show ground was here completely renovated on last May for the Nrha European Futurity. There are a total of 3,000 seats for the public, and the spectators in the three days of the Finals are expected to be around 15,000.
The estimated economic impact on the city of Cremona can be quantified at around 15 million euros, and at least 1,200 guests travelling from all over Europe are, or will be welcomed in the town’s accommodation facilities. 1,300 special tickets have already been sold for the reining Open Finals, but some will still be available at the ticket offices for those who decide to attend last minute.
8 refreshment points are offered to the public and the competitors, including self-service, pizzeria, bars and street food. This event has a very demanding organization: 5 kilometers of fences and 6,000 cubic meters of footing, 85 people for the organization staff, and over 60 for the sports staff including secretaries, stewards, judges and those in charge for the show grounds’ care.
