Custom Gale

HorseandRider.com September 2016

Details: 2007 Half-Arabian gelding by Custom Chrome and out of SA Phantom Gale, by Amphantom Galleon. Barn name: Custom. Owned and shown by: Joe Betten of Grand Haven, Michigan. Crystal McNutt of Scottsdale, Arizona. Hey, good lookin’: “He’s really pretty,” says McNutt. Betten concurs, “Quarter Horse trainers kept approaching us at the NRHA Derby, asking if we’d sell him. Crystal responded, ‘I didn’t know you were in the market for a Half-Arab,’” he says with a laugh. Fancy ride: “He’s the smoothest horse I’ve ever ridden,” McNutt says. “You could wear an all-fringe outfit and it wouldn’t move.” Loping isn’t his only smooth feature, either. “He turns so well I have to look down to see if his feet are actually moving,” Betten adds. Three for three: Last year, Custom won all three reining events he was entered in at the U. S. Arabian Nationals. “He really put it together there,” McNutt says of Custom’s wins. “He deserved it— he’s so cool.” Licks with love: Though Custom gets annoyed if you get in his way, he lets you know when you’re doing a good job riding him by licking his lips. If you do a great job, he’ll continue to lick you when you’re finished riding. And, Betten adds, “If he thinks he performed well, he licks his lips in the arena after we complete a pattern.” Something special: “Everyone loves him,” Betten says. “Spectators, judges, other competitors come up and say they want to own him.” McNutt shares that Custom has become one of her favorites. “He’s so soft and good- gaited. He’s probably one of the nicest horses I’ve ever ridden, if not the nicest.” … Nichole Chirico

Year the Snaffle Bit Futurity moves to Fort Worth, Texas, for a minimum 3-year stint. For most of its 45-year history, the National Reined Cow Horse Association’s premier event has been held in Reno, Nevada ( nrcha.com).