Celebrity Slide

For 65 years the Scottsdale Arabian Horse Show has showcased the Arabian horse breed. The largest international Arabian show, this event attracts hundreds of competitors, thousands of horses and countless visitors to the WestWorld show grounds every February. 

Arabians, famous for their elegance, high spirits and distinctive looks, are incredibly versatile and the Scottsdale show provides a show ring for every type of Arabian. From halter to driving, jumping and reining, these horses can truly do it all with style. 

To show off the versatility of the breed, and the trainers who love them, the Scottsdale Arabian Horse Show hosts a calcutta-style “Celebrity Slide” during the show to benefit the Arabian Reining Horse Association. Seven well known Arabian celebrity trainers from near every discipline ride finished reining horses through a full judged pattern, and man, did they kill it! 

The seven riders divided into 3 teams, plus a wild card. Each team is coached by a professional reining trainer and the collective scores of each team, plus the wild card’s score, are totaled to determine which team brought home the buckles and the bragging rights. 

Team 1

Coached by Gordon Potts, The Brass Ring

Julie Daniel riding Phantom Smoke

Andy Sellman riding TA Mozart 

Team 2

Coached by Russ Brown, Diamond B Training Stables

Jim Lowe riding JSN Perfect Storm

Liz Bentley riding Good Time To Take

Team 3

Coached by Crystal McNutt, McNutt Performance Horses

Rob Bick riding Dun With Style RA

Leah Beth Golloday riding Every Chics Dream

Wild Card

Gil Valdez riding Chic Magnet

To start the “Celebrity Slide”, each team is auctioned off calcutta-style and all the proceeds are donated to the Arabian Reining Horse Association.

Then comes the reining action… 

Leah Beth Golloday and Every Chics Dream know how to throw it down. Golloday, of Stachowski Farms, is a phenomenal English rider, and her talents showed through the entire pattern, resulting in her final score of 139.0. This score propelled her to a lead that would last until the final rider. 

Julie Daniel on Phantom Smoke scored a 135.5, followed by Jim Lowe riding JSN Perfect Storm. Unfortunately, Lowe was off pattern, adding a phenomenal extra spin resulting in a no score.

Rob Bick rode Dun With Style RA to a promising 137.0. Gil Valdez (the wild card) riding Chic Magnet followed Lowe’s lead and added a chaotic extra spin, resulting in a no score. A halter trainer, Valdez looked no more comfortable on top the horse than if he was riding a cactus. All in good fun, Valdez brought laughs and chuckles to the crowd, and thankful comments that Chic Magnet was so forgiving. 

Andy Sellman riding TA Mozart scored a 130.0 on their pattern. And finally, Liz Bentley rode Good Time To Take to an individual high score win with a whooping 141.5.

When all the trainers had ridden and the beautiful Scottsdale sunset had sunk, there could only be one winning team. Team 3, coached by Crystal McNutt of McNutt Performance Horses, consisting of Rob Bick and Leah Beth Golloday, took home the team prize and bragging rights until next year’s Celebrity Slide.

The 65th annual Scottsdale Arabian Horse Show is held at WestWorld in north Scottsdale February 13-23. scottsdaleshow.com.