Kelle Smith - Sam Smith Reining Horses

Spotlight
Kelle Smith came to the 2003
Futurity & Championship
Show in Oklahoma City to compete
in the Cinch NRHA Non Pro
Futurity and win a prize. And as each
Kelle Smith
...the 2003 Cinch NRHA Non Pro Futurity Champion
BY PAT FEUERSTEIN
daily edition of The Score... was published,
it seemed that she would. The
Score... listed the go round and class
leaders. Kelle was at the top of the
Cinch NRHA Non Pro Futurity leader
Kelle qualified two horses for the NRHA Cinch Non Pro
Futurity and won the class on See Ya At Seven – a home
grown gelding by Hollywood Eighty Six.
board from the first go round, first section,
until the last Non Pro rider ran in
the second go round. She was number
one on Chexanicki, a lovely bay filly by
Bueno Chexinic and out of Fancy
Footwork. This would be a wonderful
win for Kelle. Chexanicki was her project.
She had a special “connection” with
this three-year-old. But Kelle had two
entries slated to run in the Non Pro
Futurity Finals.
Kelle’s second entry, See Ya At Seven
(Hollywood Eighty Six x Pure Lil
Peppy) was ridden and trained exclusively
by Kelle’s husband, NRHA professional,
Sam Smith. After the gelding
sustained an injury, the Smith’s decided
that this talented home grown threeyear-old
would be better suited to the
less stressful demands of the Non Pro
Futurity. So Kelle started riding him
about six weeks before OKC. They
drew third on Final’s night, scored a
221, and after the last horse ran, were
declared the 2003 Cinch NRHA Non
Pro Futurity Champions. That tells us
three things: This is a very talented
three-year-old; Sam Smith had him
trained and ready to go; And, Kelle
Smith can show – really show – a
young horse. She’s been doing that her
whole life.
From There To Here
Kelle Smith, nee Chamberlain, grew
up in Ohio. She’s the daughter of Joyce
and the late Ed Chamberlain. Both
were avid horse show folk. “My parents
actually met because of horses,” says
Kelle. “My mother’s first horse was
purchased from my father’s parents.”

Kelle Smith can show – really show – a young horse. She’s
been doing that her whole life, yet Kelle didn’t show a reining
horse until 1999.
Kelle’s father ran barrel horses and her
mother rode pleasure horses, despite
the fact they lived in an area where
there were some very serious reiners.
“My mother and father both went to
school with Bill and Paul Horn,” says
Kelle. “We lived about three miles from
Paul and my parents were very good
friends of his. We spent a lot of time at
Paul’s and we bought some of his reining
rejects, but I had no interest in reining
and I don’t believe we ever went to
any reining shows.” But that would
change – it would take a while – but
that would definitely change.
“When I was four-years-old I had a
half Arabian/half Quarter Horse pony.
My first trophy came showing her in
Halter,” remembers Kelle. Until she
was about nine, Kelle showed primarily
with the Central States Horse Show
Association, then she began showing in
AQHA hunt seat competition, then
western pleasure classes as well as
NSBA events, where she earned a
reserve world championship title.
Kelle was the youngest rider to qualify
for the very first AQHA World
Championship Show in 1974 where
she competed in the hunter under saddle
class on Pat’s Destra who she also
qualified for and showed in the AQHA
Youth World Show in Barrel Racing.
“Through my twenties and thirties I
showed the pleasure horses and that’s
how I came to meet Sam,” says Kelle.
When Kelle Met Sam
“I was showing a two-year-old in
the Non Pro NSBA Pleasure Futurity at
Congress when I met Sam,” says Kelle.
That was in 1996. The Smiths were
married in 1998. And in 1999, Kelle
went to compete in her first NRHA
show. The show was Gordyville.
According to Kelle, “We bought Rat L
Trap Jac in February from Tim Katona.
I had him for a month before that first
show. I wanted to show just in the
Limited Non Pro, but Sam made me
cross enter in the Non Pro and
Intermediate Non Pro.” There were 77
entries in the class and Kelle won all
three divisions. So on her first trip to
the NRHA show pen, Kelle won a
bronze, a pewter, a plaque and $948!
She admits that when they were back
at the motel, she told Sam “I can do
this. This is simple.” The euphoria
didn’t last.
“After Gordyville we went to the
Carolina Classic,” says Kelle. “I entered
the horse in the Derby and I bombed in
the biggest way. I had minus one and a
half turn arounds. It was horrible - the
agony of defeat. I was depressed, but
I’m a competitor. I couldn’t wait to get
in the pen again.” Kelle had her chance
in the NRHA Derby. “This horse was
perfect leaded – but I missed a lead and
didn’t make the Finals, so I entered my
horse in the Limited Non Pro class. I
drew early and tied with a person who
drew late. Since my horse was already
put up, I didn’t want to run off, so I
ended up second.” After the Derby,
Kelle only showed her horse in Category
1 classes and ended the year as the Non
Pro Reserve World Champion – her first
year in the NRHA show pen!
“We went to the NRHA Futurity &
Championship Show $100 short of the
reserve world title,” says Kelle. “I had to
win $100 more than the person who
was second. That’s a lot of pressure for a
beginner reiner.” But a seasoned, successful
Non Pro competitor like Kelle
does have the advantage. “I was always
very comfortable showing,” she says. “It
doesn’t upset me too much. I usually
have confidence in what I can or can’t
do. And Sam’s horses are very reliable.”
Kelle ended up third in the Non Pro
class and won the reserve world title.
According to Kelle, Rat L Trap Jac “was a
special horse – a palomino by Chrome
Plated Jac. He was unbelievable – way –
way more horse than most people have
for their first reining horse.” Kelle and
Rat L Trap Jac earned over $21,000 in
1999 – which put her out of the Limited
Non Pro and Intermediate Non Pro divisions.
But that was fine with Kelle. “Rat
L Trap Jac was the only horse I’ve ever
shown in Category 1 classes,” says Kelle
who went back to her first love – the
young horse.
At Home In Aged Events
“All I’ve ever really shown were
young horses,” says Kelle. “I’ve never

had a weekend horse besides my first
reiner. I’ve always liked the younger
horses. I like to ride them. I like to see
the changes. It tests your ability more
than just riding an older horse that’s the
same every day. It’s really challenging
and something I really enjoy.” And riding
three- and four-year-olds is something
Kelle Smith is really good at.
Starting in the year 2000, Kelle has
earned Category #2 aged event money
on Dun Kiddin Melody, Dun Kissed The
Sky (2000), Crome Kist Dun It (2001),
Miss Smokin Boggie, Slip Me A
Hundred, Time To Shine Honey (2002),
and in 2003 Chexanicki and her Cinch
NRHA Non Pro Futurity Champion, See
Ya At Seven. Kelle went to OKC with
$25,836.71 earned in Category 1 events
and almost $35,000 earned in NRHA
Category 2 – a figure that will more than
double after her OKC Non Pro Futurity
winnings are tallied.
Let’s Do It Again, Sam
The Smiths live in Belle Center,
Ohio – about an hour west of
Columbus. They have 112 acres -
home to three broodmares, babies and
young horses in training with Sam.
“Sam’s main focus is the Futurity,” says
Kelle. “He loves to ride two-year-olds,
which gives him more opportunity to
have nice three-year-olds to show in
the Futurity.”
While Sam’s program is geared to
the young horse, he does have a few
Non Pro clients, and their priority is
The 2003 Cinch NRHA Non Pro Champion, See Ya At Seven,
was a team effort between Kelle and her husband, NRHA
professional Sam Smith.
showing in aged events. “We don’t go
to a lot of weekend shows,” says Kelle.
“We go to the futurities, so Sam has
clients who want to go to the shows
that we go to.”
The Smith’s dream is to build a
band of broodmares and raise quality
foals to train for the NRHA Futurity.
“We’d like to keep the fillies – put a
record on them and then send them
out to pasture,” says Kelle. Chexanicki
will be joining the Smith’s broodmare
band. Kelle has a special
connection with this mare
and, “Obviously we want to
raise another one like See Ya At Seven,”
says Kelle. “He’s a wonderful horse.
He was very easy for me to show. He
had to be super broke or I would not
have been able to have the success I
had in OKC. And he just got better the
more I got acquainted with him and the
more seasoned he became.” A true
team effort for the Smiths: Sam had See
Ya At Seven ready to go – and Kelle
Smith can show a horse – really show a
young horse!
REPRINTED WITH PERMISSION OF THE
NATIONAL REINING HORSE ASSOCIATION
AND NRHA REINER Volume 24, Issue 10