May 23, 2011 — Mr Bay Jewel, a 6-year-old solid Paint-bred gelding, helped a trainer and celebrity team win the 2011 Reining with the Stars competition. The Reining with the Stars competition promotes the Midwest Horse Fair, but also raises money for the Madison, Wis., affiliate of the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure.
In the competition, held in Madison on April 17, trainer Cal Middleton coached the gelding’s rider Ernie Rodina, a Purina Mills sales manager and Better Horses Radio host, to the win. Middleton selected the Paint Horse because of their past successes as a team in National Reining Horse Association events. Rodina was able to ride the horse only a few times before entering the ring for the competition. For the event, he was required to perform a reining pattern aboard Mr Bay Jewel, then Middleton had to ride the same horse in a trainer freestyle pattern.
Mr Bay Jewel, also known as Barney, was bred by reining competitor Scott McCutcheon of Whitesboro, Tex., and is owned by G.C. Powell of Smithville, Mo. In addition to his success in Reining with the Stars, Barney also won a Reserve World Championship in Solid Paint-Bred Reining at the 2009 APHA World Show.
