By Tania Millen, BSc, MJ 

John Swales is the first Canadian rider to win over $1 million in lifetime earnings in National Reined Cow Horse Association (NRCHA) classes and join the prestigious NRCHA Million Dollar Club. Swales earnings surpassed $1 million during the Alberta Reined Cow Horse Association Snaffle Bit Futurity, Derby, & Cow Horse Show in Claresholm, Alberta at the end of August 2023. He’s only the 27th rider to achieve the feat. 

“I’ve been lucky to have really good horses,” says Swales when asked about his accomplishment.  

Swales first earned a NRCHA cheque in 2004 and has won money on 76 horses. Cats Picasso, a 2012 stallion that is now retired to stud at 6666 Ranch in Texas, USA, has earned the most money for Swales so far. Swales second-highest earning horse is the 2017 sorrel stallion Hendrixx (pictured), which he still competes. Both horses were owned by Canadian individuals. 

Photo: Kristina Lynn Photography 

“They’re both exceptionally good-minded horses,” says Swales, who operates John Swales Performance Horses on his family farm near Millarville, Alberta. “And very, very gifted as far as talent goes. They both showed a lot and tried their best every time I showed them.” 

Swales started showing reined cow horse in about the year 2000, when in his early twenties and says he struggled to train his first few horses. 

Related: Top Five Myths About Cutting Horses

Photo: Kristina Lynn Photography

“It’s quite simple [to train a reined cow horse] but it’s complicated at the same time,” he says. “The first ones that I trained were really bad. But I did lots of watching and learning, then trying out what I saw at the shows to see if I could make it work.” 

All that watching, learning, practicing, and hauling horses long distances to compete at larger venues in the USA has paid off.  

“This is an outstanding accomplishment, and we are proud to welcome John into the NRCHA Million Dollar Club,” says Callie McCarthy-Boevers, the NRCHA Director of Media & Communications. “This accomplishment is not only a testament to Swales as a horseman and competitor but also a major milestone for NRCHA. To have an international rider reach this milestone speaks to the growth the reined cow horse industry has seen in recent years.” 

Photo: Kristina Lynn Photography 

Reined cow horse competitions are open to all breeds of horses, although Quarter Horses are most commonly used. They combine an individual reining pattern — called “dry work” — with one horse and rider working a cow. Once the cow is allowed into the arena, the rider must hold the cow at one end of the pen, called “boxing.” Next the rider gallops down the fence after the cow and stops it when going both directions. This is known as “fencing.” Then the rider must maneuver the cow so that it circles both ways in the centre of the arena. These full-on gallop circles are called “circling.” It’s a challenging sport that requires much skill and each horse and rider must complete all four challenges to get a score for the event.  

Photo: Kristina Lynn Photography 

Similar to reining competitions, classes range from non-professional to open rider divisions divided by money earned to date and the stage of a horse’s training. But Swales is modest about his achievement. 

“It was never really a goal until the last couple years,” says Swales of earning $1 million. “But it’s a milestone. It's pretty exciting, because there’s not a whole lot of people that have won a million dollars.” 

Indeed. The first NRCHA $1 million rider was Teddy Robinson in 2006 and only 28 riders have been inducted into the club to date. Of those, two are women — Annie Reynolds (2012) and Sarah Dawson (2021). The NRCHA all-time leading rider is Corey Cushing who has won over $3,470,000. 

Related: Rhythm & Cadence for the Reining Horse

Related: How to Set Up a Spectacular Stop

More by Tania Millen

Photo: Kristina Lynn Photography