Joseph Harrison Dominates ARHFA Oil Can Classic

Joseph Harrison managed to take the win in both heading and heeling futurity classes, along with other classes during the ARHFA’s annual Oil Can Classic. His dominant appearance in the roping pen is nothing new to both the horse shows and the rodeo scene as well.

Kaitlyn Woodman | May 2, 2024

Branded Mane Photography

The American Rope Horse Futurity Association held its annual event in Ardmore, Okla., over the weekend of April 26-28, despite record-breaking tornadoes making their way through the area. Joseph Harrison made a huge appearance topping both the heading and heeling futurity as well as other classes throughout the weekend.

To start the weekend, the ARHFA offered Pre-Futurity classes for the next up-and-comers of the rope horse industry. Harrison and Purposely Tagged, by Hashtags and out of Purposely Driven, took the win in the Pre-Futurity Heeling. The two recorded a total score of 694.59, earning them over $6,000 for their efforts.

Harrison rode fan favorite Air Force 1, owned by Diane Beckman, to the win in the Open Heading Futurity. The flashy roan is by One Fabulous Time and out of Spooks Bellerina, and their total score of 928.98 on four head was enough for a $10,693 payday in the final round of the futurity.

Later on in the day, Harrison continued with his winning ways and clinched the Open Heeling Futurity Championship aboard NU One Time Blues owned by Gucci Equine. Affectionately known as “Boujee,” this bay roan is by the legendary sire One Time Pepto and out of Nu Bay Be Blue.

Two go-round wins and a composite score of 950.2 earned $14,385, bringing the stallion’s earnings over the $136,000 mark. The two also managed to mark the highest score of the entire show with 239.59 points in Round 1 of the Futurity.

Despite the historical weather and damaging tornadoes blowing through areas surrounding the event, the contestants and horses managed to stay safe throughout the brutal storms. Some even brought home thousands in prize money, which added to their standing in the race for the trailer given away at the ARHFA World Championship in October.

For more information or complete results, visit the American Rope Horse Futurity Association.

Published May 2, 2024

KAITLYN WOODMAN

Kaitlyn grew up in a small east Texas town called Marshall, Texas, and now resides in the “Cutting Horse Capital of the World” Weatherford. The rodeo lifestyle was instilled into Kaitlyn at a young age as her entire family has a rodeo background. She spent most of her life at Martha and RE Josey’s ranch just down the road from her house. Kaitlyn was lucky enough to have been surrounded by incredible role models in and out of the arena that got her to where she is today both as a competitor and a person. As a barrel racer, Kaitlyn has competed at just about every level the sport offers. The barrel racing industry is something that she is deeply passionate about, whether it be the futurity and derby scene, the rodeo world, or even the breeding side, she finds herself excited to learn new things and grow the industry as much as she possibly can. Kaitlyn graduated from Sul Ross State University in December of 2023 with a Bachelors of Science in Agriculture degree and knew that upon graduation she wanted to get a start in the western sports media industry. Before graduating from Sul Ross, Kaitlyn was able to start a career as an Equine Insurance Agent and takes pride in protecting her customer’s most valuable assets. Kaitlyn is excited to share her passion for the Western Sports and Agriculture industries through her writing, and she strives to reach audiences far beyond our community to advocate for the betterment of our lifestyle!