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Foreign.

I'm Sarah Honager.

And I'm Kristi Landwehr.

And you are listening to this special monthly National Reigning Horse association episode of Horses in the Morning on the Horse Radio Network for this Thursday, May 8, 2025.

Good morning Horse World.

It's the second Thursday of the month.

That means it's time to sl in to the National Reigning Horse association episode of Horses in the Morning.

In this National Reigning Horse association episode, listen in to hear from two NRHA professionals of the year from 2024.

So as the show year ramps up, there's kind of those banner horse shows that are and on everyone's mind and we're all watching too as fans.

As one of those just finished up in Tulsa and that is the national reigning Breeders Classic.

It was such a great huge horse show and we crowned a new champion.

It was Cole Price and Golden Coins.

They won the Level 4 championship after scoring a big 227 and a half.

Wow.

That is pretty darn awesome.

Yes.

I'm so excited for that team.

It's such a neat horse.

And for those of you listening who don't know, we actually have an nrha.

Sometimes it's a non pro, sometimes it's a professional, sometimes it's an owner.

But every single week we have an NRHA member on the Cowboy Channel every single Thursday on Western Sports Roundup.

And so if you are a reigning fan or a Western Sports Roundup fan, you can tune in this Thursday to see Cole Price in studio to talk about this big level four winner.

I will definitely be doing that for sure.

It should be great.

And the other thing that was just so exciting is we now the next show that's kind of big and accumulation of everything is our four sixes and our HA Derby presented by Markel.

And it is happening just next month in June.

And what's really exciting about it, and I think we talked about it a little bit on the show last time, but this is the first international event to take place in the new coliseum at the state fairgrounds in Oklahoma.

Yes, it will be so, so exciting.

And for those of you who are maybe local in Oklahoma City or wanting to travel to the event, the non Profinals are on June 20th, the open finals are on June 21st and our invitational freestyle reigning sponsored by Visit OKC is on June 19th along with a pair raining championship.

So June 19th to June 21st.

If you're looking for a long weekend in Oklahoma City and to see an incredible raining event, we welcome you to come in and break in the new arena with us.

Yes.

And if you do come, please come over to the show office and ask to see Sarah or I.

We would love so much to know that there's some fans of Horses in the Morning Horse Radio Network and our NRH show on this platform to come over and meet you in person.

We'd love to take photos, we'd love to do all of it.

So if you do end up coming, please do track us down.

Yeah, absolutely.

And for those listening, if anyone has questions, you could always go to nrhadby.com or you could always message us on Facebook or Instagram one of the NRHA pages and we'd be happy to chat through there if that's more convenient for you and get you all the information you need so you can come and join us.

Well, our last podcast talked about our international members and boy do we have a lot of them in NRHA.

And the start of this podcast and our very first 2024 NR NJ professional of the Year that we will feature is Jonathan Baruch and he is from Israel and now trains here in Texas.

I'm so excited to have these Professionals of the Year on because this is actually an award that is decided on by their peers by NRHA professionals themselves.

So it's really such an honor for each of these recipients to get this award and I'm so excited to have Jonathan and later on Julia on the show today.

Jonathan Brusch is a longtime NRHA professional who trains coaches, non pros and youth as well as conducts clinics on a worldwide basis.

He has more than $580,000 in NRHA lifetime earnings and was the 2024 NRHA Non Pro Coach of the Year, the 2024 NRHA Derby Level 2 Coach Champion and he also tied himself for the level two championship and reserve in the level three at the 100x last year.

He supports the sport of reigning on an aged event level as well as at affiliate events.

He is a regular supporter of large and small shows with sponsorships as well as non pro and open competitors.

Jonathan respects athletes and exhibitors by paying careful attention to the details to assist whenever is necessary.

He is a longtime supporter of the Reigning Horse foundation and NRHYA and all of these details made him the perfect recipient for this award last year.

Jonathan, thank you so much for joining us this morning.

Yeah, absolutely.

Glad to be here.

So, Jonathan, you are originally from Israel and now you train out of Texas.

Can you share with us what that move was like and how your training program has maybe changed or adapted since the start?

Yeah, absolutely.

You know, but you know, I came over here in 05, so we're talking about 20 years ago.

And when I came, you know, I had very basic background.

I showed a lot as a youth and I showed in the all around as well, but my knowledge was limited.

And back then, you know, we're talking about the age before social media, so there wasn't a lot of info out there.

As a kid, you know, we, we would watch the fraternity.

You know, we would buy the DVDs back in the day and have them shipped to us.

But that's all we really did as far as knowledge and seeing the outside world.

So when I came in 05, you know, I came right away to work for Craig's Marshall and I stayed there for six and a half years.

So, you know, he really is the one that built me the most.

I would say that 90% of the program today, even though I moved on my own in 2012, is from everything that he taught me both as a trainer and a horseman.

Then, you know, over the years you, you kind of, if you're not progressing then you're falling backwards.

Then we keep pushing the limits.

Obviously the spot of raining keeps advancing.

So, you know, 10% are things that we always add and add to the program.

But all the foundation, all the fundamentals all came from him.

I love that.

Jonathan.

So last year you earned more than $74,000.

You had your Derby Level 2 CO championship and you won of course, our non pro coach of the year by your peers.

So looking back on all of that success, tell us a little bit more what the year was like and what you think led to all of that.

You know, I think it's a lot when preparation meets opportunity.

You know, we're just part of being an equine athlete.

You know, our sport I consider is one of the toughest sports there is to do because it just takes, it's not just about yourself, it's also about the horse.

And at the same time, you know, it's a little bit relentless in order to be good at this.

It's a very demanding kind of a sport.

You know, we, our sleep schedule changes all the time according to horse shows or riding at home.

You know, every horse is a little bit of a different personality.

So a lot of it is just, you just got to work hard at it and get ready.

And I think a big part of it is making sure that you're and your horse is ready.

So in order to be successful you just gotta, you know, put the time, put the effort, put the knowledge and get it all lined up and then, and that's where it all comes together.

You know, you, I, I say, I say that winning is one preparation means opportunity.

But being consistently doing well is a huge part about being successful.

So you need to really, like I said, put the work daily, on daily basis really and that's what gets you to be successful.

You know, there, there's always room for improvement and you just need to keep working at it.

And that's kind of what we do.

So last year, you know, I just had the right kind of setup on horses and, and, and they were all prepared like I felt like they needed to be and it just all worked out exactly like it should.

You know, throughout the year, you know, there were, there are different points where I showed a group of a lot of different horses.

So there were points where things still worked well, you know, and we made the finals and we did good in the finals and then the top ones won, you know, because earlier in the year, the nrbc, I want to go around in Level two on a different horse and then at the Derby I also want to go around in the Level 2 as well as the finals.

And then we were, I believe we were tied for reserve in the Level three.

So.

And that was as far as the derbies and then the futurity horses, you know, they did very well too.

Like I said, you know, in Tulsa I tied myself to win the Level two and we were reserving the three and we continued that success throughout the year and made the finals the third.

So it's just a matter of always putting the work into it and having the right setup of horses.

Well, I love that you talk about the consistency and I typically am in the back pens doing photos or interviews with people and every time I'm back there.

You're always coaching non pros, you're always coaching youth and your non pros and youth had a great year last year as well and, and consistently always have great years like you mentioned.

So you obviously kind of bring that program to them as well.

So what is your best piece of advice for non pros that are currently in raining?

I think the most important part is to finding the right match.

You just got to have a good chemistry with your horse, you know.

So the Choosing process is the most important part, if you're asking me.

There's always ups and downs as being an athlete, but if you have the right teammate, especially for the non pros, then you're set up for success.

Okay.

Because every rider is a little bit different.

Every non pro is a little bit different.

Different levels of riding, different abilities, different backgrounds.

So you really need to find the right kind of match in order for them to consistently do well.

I think that's, that's the biggest part of it.

So, Jonathan, what would you tell somebody who rides, whether they are currently riding some other western performance or maybe they're even writing English?

Gosh, maybe they're jumping.

We' had a lot of jumpers come over.

What would you tell them?

And has considered trying raining, but just hasn't tried it yet.

What are some things that you would chat with them about?

I think it's a blast.

I think they all should try it.

You know, I came from a different background.

I agree.

And I think that, you know, over the years, you know, I just found raining to be the passion.

But I think for a lot of people is just a combination of how well tuned the horses are and how simple it is and at the same time how, how much horsepower using those maneuvers, you know, So, I mean, I've seen multiple English writers come and do our sliding stop and you can wipe the green off their face, you know, because it just, it's just so exciting kind of a feeling to know that, you know, to, to basically do that rundown when you, you start at a lope and you finish at the gallop and, and you're running really fast and you say, you say whoa is the word that we use to stop.

And, and it's not like you're, you're getting jarred.

It's actually a very smooth feeling.

And that a horse just apply himself to the ground, keeps on running.

It's, you know, it's something that, that is just a very, very cool feeling that there's a lot of, a lot of riders from different disciplines, I notice, really like to feel and the same thing with the spins.

So I think that no, basically my is anybody should try this.

I agree.

100.

So now I'm going to go a little bit off script here with you.

What were some of the disciplines that you've done in the past?

What was your horse journey like?

You know, in Israel you kind of had to do a lot of everything if you're into horses, you know, So I, I actually started most of my youth career In a sense or youth writing time was on half Arabs, you know, so on the half Arabs, I mean I did everything.

I did English, I did jumping, I did all the all around.

So Western riding, Western pleasure horsemanship, showmanship, more the equitation part like showmanship was actually probably more on a minimal base.

We had to learn it, but we didn't compete as frequently as we did the rest of it.

We did the raining, I ran barrels, you know, as a kid we, we, we wrote some, but then at the time they bended from Israel animal activists did at the time.

So we didn't get to do that as much.

I mean I, I can rope a mean barrel, but that's about it.

But we, that's basically it.

I mean that was our background, you know, we did everything.

We did.

I mean I did pole bending.

Anything that you can think of really.

You know, before we had raining even in the US there was an event that's called like a ranch horse and it's very similar to what we do today in the Ren Training you basically had.

It's maybe a combination of the range riding and the rent training because we had to go through gates to go through a pole.

We had to run large, fast circles, slow down, change leads, turn and stop, you know, so even did that before raining came to Israel.

I love all of this.

You had me at Arabian, so I rode pure and half Arabs for a long, long time.

And I agree with you, I got to ride native costume, I got to ride show hat country, English pleasure crazy because they just did it all.

And especially back then, right, there was no specialization.

So I just love that you started on half Arabs and I love that you've kind of done a little bit of everything, which is I think what makes you such a wonderful horseman and such a wonderful pro.

Because you're not just one discipline focused, right?

You're multiple discipline focused and.

But the reigning is now your passion.

So.

You know, over the years, you know, you, there's a few things that you learn.

One, the horsemanship is horsemanship, you know, it doesn't matter what you ride.

Being a horseman is how you learn how to train, no matter what discipline.

Because I even did gated horses at some point because that's all I had to make money breaking horses and that's all I got.

You know, when I was a kid, that's how I paid for riding.

It's the combination of all of it that makes you into a good horseman.

But later on it becomes to where when I decided to Basically focus my efforts on running is because multitasking is doing a lot of things not very well is the way I consider it.

You know, so you need to, there's some people that multitask well, but still, if you look specifically at each subject that we multitask, we don't do it to the perfection of it, you know.

And I think in training, in any other discipline, if you want to be very successful, you, you need to focus, you know, you need to just give it your all in one direction.

Well, Jonathan, we're already, you know, partway into the year, you already had success at nrbc.

The day I was up there chatting with you, you were already leading it the first time, showing that horse that you just kind of got paired up with.

So you're already off to a great start this year.

What are some of your main goals that you're looking forward to in 2025?

Building off that last year, you know.

I have a very strong string that's going to the NHA Derby of four year olds.

So that's really a big part of the focus for this next event.

And as well, I have Hot Guns and Candy, which is the one that I won the level two on.

And then we have a very nice group of 3 year olds that we're going to continue with and you know, securities are just around the corner.

So you know, we just, we, it's.

I, I consider it one horseshoe at a time but you know, we kind of have a yearly plan over.

We, we know we're going to go to the 100x and there's one in July and one in August because those are convenient to us because one is Waco and one is Tulsa, but that's, and there's derbies over there as well.

You know, we have the 100x in Tulsa.

We have the Invitational as well as we have the, the four year old derby which the four year olds are going to go to.

And also now I guess they, we're going to consider the fact that in the, the one in Waco they opened it to 8 year olds as well.

So we might bring some 8 year olds to the derby.

And then again in the one in Tulsa you have a combination of a regular Derby and a 4 year old.

So it's quite a bit.

It is quite a bit.

And I'm so excited to see you at derby in Oklahoma City next month.

And in the meantime, Jonathan, where can our listeners learn more about you and your training program?

Website.

Facebook.

What is best?

Yeah, both, honestly both, you know, the website of all of our, all of our general background and you know the way to reach us and etc and on Facebook you can see a lot of what we do, you know, because nowadays you, you showcase most of of of your the showing that we do on social media, right?

Instagram, Facebook.

That's where you can find a lot of what we did.

I agree.

So for the listeners listening, it's Barouche Reigning horses.

That's B A R U C H Reigning horses.

So thank you so much, Jonathan for today.

Congratulations again on all of your continued success and so excited to see what the future holds for you and all of your horses and clients.

Thank you very much and thank you for having me.

I appreciate was fun.

Well, I think it's such an exciting thing to have someone on this show who did so well at the Derby last year and has already been doing so well this year because I don't know about you, but now I'm even more excited for the Derby.

I can't wait to see the horses that were younger last year and I'll come back even stronger and more competitive this year and this is really just such an exciting time of the year to be a reigning fan.

I feel the same exact way.

And I'll tell you his journey.

I couldn't help myself in the Arabian thing, right.

Because that was of course a big part of my class.

I knew it was coming too.

I could not help myself.

But it's just, you know, so neat to hear from our pros and what their past is because their past makes them who they are today.

And I did love how he said how much though he loves focusing on the raining and how much he just enjoys it and he's like, well, who wouldn't want to ride raining, right?

Absolutely.

So really enjoyed it.

Well, I'm sure Julia will have a whole lot to add too.

So excited to have her up next.

While attending the University of Finley, Julia Rochelli worked as an nrh, a show management intern at major events and for NRHA professionals Brent and Mary Marsh while at school.

After graduating in 2019, she started working for Brandon Brandt through the opportunities at Brandt Performance Horses.

She has been a finalist at the NRHA Futurity, the nrbc, the All American Quarter Horse Congress and has multiple Level 1 and Level 2 Congress Futurity Championships accruing a lifetime earnings of 70,000 2024.

Accomplishments include Level 1 and Level 2 Congress Futivity Champion and Level 3 and Level 4 Finalists along with the Tulsa North America reigning stakes Level one Futurity Reserve Champion alongside Brandon Branch.

He has coached multiple non pro and youth finalists at major events, coached top 10 world titles and Congress championships.

Last year she received the Becky Hansen Horsewoman of the Year award from her peers through the nrha.

Thank you, Julia for being on the show today.

Thank you guys so much for having me.

So we would love to hear kind of your journey with horses as a whole and how that led you to the University of Findlay and beyond.

So I grew up riding when I was little, just at a lesson barn, taking lessons and, you know, rode anything I could get my hands on.

I wrote English a lot growing up.

At least some horses.

I never owned my own horse growing up.

My parents weren't into the horses, but they're very supportive of my horse hobby.

So they got me into it and kept me in it as a kid.

And then I had some friends growing up who were a few years older than me at the barn that I rode at that went to the university.

So that's how I heard of it in the first place.

And I would come out to Ohio to visit them, you know, a couple times a year and got to love the campus and the barn and I got to meet the instructors there and the coaches of the IHSA team and just love the environment as a whole.

And the hands on at that university is incredible.

You know, you're riding and working in the barn every day.

So everything about that had me hooked from a pretty young age.

So then by the time I was a junior in high school, that was the only school I applied to.

So I did an early admission, got accepted, and that's where I ended up going for four years.

I love that you just had your heart set on that.

You were like, you know what?

No need to even attempt to go anywhere else.

This is the one.

I know I was like, you know, my parents encouraged me to visit some other schools, so we did.

But after visiting Finley, that was, that was for sure the one.

So once I applied and got accepted there, that was.

I knew that was where I was headed to.

I love that.

Well, Julia, last year was a really big year for you as a whole, including those championships at Congress which anyone who knows the All American Quarter Horse Congress, it's near and dear to all reigning horse fans.

But I know especially living in Ohio, it's has a whole different level of pride and, you know, a hometown energy to it as well.

Can you tell us a bit about what those huge wins meant to you?

Yeah, absolutely.

You said it perfectly.

That hometown energy, you know, is, is so cool about the Congress.

I mean, first off, just to win any level of that horse show is an incredible accomplishment because everyone that comes to show their level one through level four are great competitors.

So that's just a huge honor to begin with.

But for us, you know, we train about 45 minutes from Columbus, where the Congress is, so it's really local for us, so it's home.

You know, it's one of our favorite horse shows.

We always take a lot of horses there, and all of our clients go.

And we have such a great group of clients, even people who, you know, maybe don't own a show horse that year.

We have clients that get camping spots and just come for the week to be there, even if they're not showing, you know, so just.

That's kind of the mentality our group has for the Congress.

So, you know, as cliche as it sounds, the cheering section is incredible.

And that's just.

It's a great thing to jog to the middle of the pen and hear that, especially knowing it's in your hometown.

And I'm from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, so my parents come out for every Congress, which is really cool, too.

So I have some family there because it's local enough.

And there is not much that compares to the stands at the Congress on finals night.

I mean, it's just something about that arena.

You know, it's enclosed, and everyone's tight, and the stands are packed, and it's just one of the loudest arenas that we show in, and that's just a pretty awesome feeling.

And then to top off your 2024 season, you were voted as the Becky Hansen Horsewoman of the Year by your peers.

What does that award mean to you, Julia?

Oh, it's incredible.

I mean, I think especially as a female in this industry, it's one of the biggest compliments and honors you can receive.

I never had the privilege of meeting Becky, but everything I've heard about her from anybody who knew her is just incredible things.

So to win that award that was created in honor of her means a lot, because to have anything with her name, I mean, she was one of the most incredible horsewomen there was.

So I think we all kind of strive to have the same values and be the same quality of horseman and person that she was.

So to fall under that category is.

Is a huge compliment.

And to know that other professionals and peers in the industry voted for me, you know, thinking that I had the qualities to fulfill that honor is a huge compliment, because, you know, most of those people that voted for me are people I look up to or watch and learn from.

And so to know that those people believed in me to fill that honor is a huge compliment.

Well, that really kind of made me pretty emotional over here.

She really was so amazing and.

A.

Beautiful person inside and out.

So the way you just spoke to that award, what a beautiful way to honor such a beautiful person.

Yeah, that's, you know, I'm.

I'm bummed I never got the chance to meet her.

But when you hear such great things about somebody from everybody in the industry, it, it makes you feel like you knew them a little bit because there's nothing but great compliments and stories told about her.

Absolutely.

She was truly one of the kindest and most resilient and strong people I ever gotten to meet.

And looking back at your 2024 season, you were met.

Met with some hardship and you will absolutely always be known for your resilience and your talent and positivity.

So, you know, what would you tell those who are also going through their own hardships and what encouragement would you maybe give to those folks?

So, yeah, it was, it was for sure a hard year.

But I think the biggest thing that came from that is it reminds us to be thankful for a lot of things.

You know, it's reminded us to focus on the things that we do have here today in this moment to enjoy, you know, because for a lot of it can be taken away in a split second without expecting it.

But even when that happens, it doesn't mean you're not left with things to still be thankful for.

And it puts a lot of things in perspective.

It has for me, you know, of, you know, what really is a bad day or what really is frustrating me or stressing me out.

I think that's a way it's made me a better person.

And that's what I would tell other people.

Going through hard things is it helps you realize what really is valuable in your everyday, you know, oh, you're, you know, stressed because my house is dirty, or I'm stressed because I have a busy day or whatever, you know, that those things don't seem as big of a deal anymore.

And I think as a whole, it makes, it's made all of us happier people, stronger people.

And as cliche as it sounds, there's always good things that come after that.

It's hard to see that in the moment or for months and months after, but there always are good things.

You know, the people that we have met or the people we have known and become closer with through all this is the biggest positive by far.

Like, I have new friends.

I have old friends that have become closer friends.

I have people that I didn't know in the industry that I now talk to at every horse show because they are such incredible people and had reached out during that time to all of us, had helped us, had donated, had called.

You know, the list goes on and on.

But for anyone in the industry that is going through a hard time, you're no one's ever alone in it because the industry steps up and continues to show that not just with us, but with anyone going through a hard time.

The industry's never going to leave you down there on your own.

It's everyone will pick you up, keep you going, get you back on your feet.

And I think we're kind of, you know, a living story to show for that, that we wouldn't be here if it weren't for everything the industry did for us through all that.

Julie, I agree with you wholeheartedly, the horse industry as a whole.

But then the reigning community is another little special piece of that that's even one step further on really reaching out and helping each others 100%.

Absolutely.

And we wouldn't have gotten through that without the donations and the friends and the generosity from everyone in the reigning industry.

Well, we so appreciate you and all of your accomplishments and we're so excited about your future.

But in the meantime, I am sure some of our listeners want to find out more about you and your program.

What is the best way for them to do that?

Yeah, absolutely.

So I work for Brandon at Brand Performance Horses.

We're pretty active on our Facebook page.

I would say that's the biggest place.

And then I have my own personal Facebook page as well, just under my name, Julia Rochelle.

But if you go anyone goes on the Brand Performance Horses page Facebook page, our contact information is on there.

We do updates as far as horses at home, results from horse shows.

You know what we're working on right now with our rebuild of the new barn.

We try to keep updated on that as far as, as far as how the rebuild's going.

So that would be the best place, would be our Facebook page.

Awesome.

Well, Julia, thank you so, so much for joining us today.

It has been such a pleasure to learn more about you and hear from you and we just so appreciate you joining us this morning.

Thank you both for having me.

It was really enjoyable talking to you guys and being able to share a little bit about this and honor Becky while we did that.

First of all, I'm so impressed with Julia.

I mean, that interview just gave me goosebumps the whole time.

And we kind of came out of that chat, and Christy and I were just discussing with Julia how that award came to be named after Becky Hansen, because it used to just be the NRH Professional Horsewoman of the Year award.

For those of you listening who hadn't gotten a chance to meet Becky, she was truly the kindest soul, the hardest working, nicest person you'll ever meet.

When I came into nrha, I did not know a thing about raining.

And she was always so warm to me and gave me some of her artwork, which, if you knew her, one of her signature pieces was photos of this beautiful oak tree.

And she was always so warm to me.

And she had a long battle with cancer.

And while I was the liaison to the professionals committee, there was a group of us from that committee standing around at the fraternity, and her health was really declining.

And those NRHA professionals said, you know what?

We as humans tend to honor people when they're gone, and we should really do a better job at honoring people when they're here.

So that group of professionals got together, got with the executive committee, got with the board, and we went through and changed the name of the award and put out a press release and announced it and celebrated it all within a horse show, which is the super bowl of NRHA for these NRHA professionals.

So just picture in the middle of the Super Bowl, a bunch of NFL players making big change to honor a really important, beautiful person.

And that's what happened, and that's how this award got its name.

And hearing Julia talk so highly of Becky and honoring her, it just brought back all those memories of that group of individuals who made it happen.

Some of those.

And I. I am hesitant to announce names in case I forget, but I do want to share.

Kerry Klingenberg and Shane Brown and Patrick Faherty and Billy Williams.

And I'm sure there were more, but I just remember being in a barn aisle with them and them really spurring it, especially Kerry.

So what a pleasure today to get to relive those memories and to have Julia really do such a wonderful job honoring Becky.

I completely agree.

And I wish I had known Becky.

And wow, what a memory to be able to go back and see that that happened during futurity, that the pros just said, we're doing this, and we're doing this right now.

This is what we need to do.

What a good story.

Julia was fantastic.

Jonathan as well.

It just makes me so happy.

The pros that we have in our industry are not only competitors with each other, but supporters of one another and supporters of the horse and the sport.

So for everyone listening, you can find our podcast on nrha.com podcast and now each and every one of you go out and have the slide of your life.