Driving to a youth baseball tournament with her family on a hot Texas afternoon in May, reining champion Mandy McCutcheon thinks back on the places she’s visited thanks to horses, and the great people she’s met along the way. From the driver’s seat, her husband (WEG reining veteran Tom McCutcheon), grins.

“He’s pointing to himself,” she says with a laugh.

Three generations of her family have bonded over horses, especially reining horses. That’s how the McQuays and the McCutcheons met many years ago. Today, Mandy’s “large, fast” family circle includes her kids, her parents (National Reining Horse Association Hall of Famers Tim and Colleen McQuay), and a herd of athletic reining horses. She juggles a thriving family business, her competition schedule, her kids’ homework, and sports.

Tom’s family is also heavily involved in the horse business. His brother, Scott McCutcheon, competed with Tom on Team USA at the 2002 WEG. Tom’s brother, Jim, trains reining horses. Tom’s oldest brother, Terry, is an avid roper and heads-up the equestrian department at South Dakota State University.

But in August, life for Mandy and Tom at home in Aubrey, Texas, will come to a strong sliding stop as Mandy, Tom, their kids, and two sleek reining horses -- the McQuay’s champion stallion Yellow Jersey, and Tom’s mount, Dun Git A Nicadual -- head to Normandy for the 2014 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games.

“When it’s time to compete, I know I’m going to be nervous. Showing by myself is one thing, but being on a team is very different. I don’t want to let anyone down. Tom and I have been competing together for 15 years and we have a great system. He never puts any heat on me. I’m actually harder on him than he is on me.”

Yellow Jersey

“This spring, we weren’t sure who was going to ride Jersey at the WEG trials – me or my dad. During the last week of the National Reining Breeders Classic (NRBC), my mom and dad decided it should be me. The WEG happens at the same time as the Tulsa Reining Classic, a horse show that my parents run and own in a partnership. It was a last-minute decision, but that’s just how my dad and I do things. We’re both prepared for whatever. I rode Jersey in two warm-up classes at the NRBC so we could get a feel for each other.

“Behind the scenes, he’s a very laid-back horse and has a great mind. My 8-year-old daughter, Carlee, has ridden him. The kids lead him around and give him lots of cookies. He’s so good-minded and honest in the show pen that I don’t worry about how he’ll show for me.”

Short Stirrups

“I was raised by great horse people who care deeply about the horses. I started showing when I was four in walk trot classes. At that time, my parents were doing a lot of Quarter Horse shows, so that’s what I did. We lived in Minnesota. I showed in horsemanship, showmanship, pleasure, and some English classes. When I was six, my mom decided to specialize in the USEF shows and my dad the NRHA shows. That’s when we got my pony, Peppermint Bon Bon. I rode Western at home, but she and I began showing hunters and jumpers.

“Bon Bon and I went all the way from local short stirrup classes to the Pennsylvania National Horse Show in Harrisburg. She taught me everything about showing, from lead changes to patience. When I was ten, I began showing reiners as well. In 1989, when I was 13, we moved to Texas. I moved on to other mounts and continued showing reiners, hunters, and jumpers until Carlee was born in 2005.

“These days, my focus on reining versus show jumping is not because I love one sport more than the other, it’s just that I married a reining guy and that’s where our business went. We have an equine rehabilitation business and we stand five stallions: Gunners Special Nite (Tom’s 2010 WEG gold-medal mount), Electric Code, Smart Luck, A Sparkling Vintage, and Ruf Hearted Jac. We also just launched an online training site at virtualhorsehelp.com.

“I miss the show jumpers, but with the size of our business and keeping up with my kids, there just isn’t enough time in the day to do it all.”

Family Circle

“As a family, we are all competitive. We all want to win, but it’s important to step back and look at the big picture. There’s always going to be another horse show. And we’re so lucky to have what we have.

“My 14-year-old son Cade eats, sleeps, and breathes horses. He loves to go riding with my dad and Tom, too. Cade shows horses for my parents and horses that Tom and I own. Carlee has a pony and goes to horse shows with my mom. I love going to watch Carlee and catching up with my friends from the hunter/jumper world.
“We have a great life, though I think we take better care of the horses than we do ourselves.”

These Days

“Even though there’s a lot of work that limits the time I have for riding, I’m in the saddle three or four times a week at my parents’ place and at home. But both Tom and my dad also have excellent staff that keep the horses fit and in shape. Our staff makes it possible for me to be as successful as I am. Without their hard work, I couldn’t compete like I do.

“These days I’m showing a mare that Tom and I own, Ms. Whiz Dunit. She won the last three times I competed, including at the Southwest Reining Horse Association Futurity, the 2013 NRHA Non Pro Derby, and the 2014 NRBC Non Pro Classic in April. I’m also showing Customized Gunner, Shiney Enterprise, and Check Out My Guns, all owned by McQuay Stables.

“All of my horses are very important to me. They are relatively spoiled. When they see me coming, they know that there’s going to be a treat involved.”