The Rice Family Reign

Sitting Atop the Cutting and Reined Cow Horse Realms, Boyd Rice and Sons Tatum and Tarin Prove Hard Work, Talent and Horsemanship Run in Their Genes With Six Family Members in the NCHA Open Riders Hall of Fame

The Rice family has left its mark on the Western performance horse industry. They stand as the embodiment of hard work coupled with natural horse sense and finely-honed skills. They’ve got grit but also a love for the horse that has flowed through multiple generations of riders and left a permanent mark on the show pen. More than the success they’ve achieved, they’re tight knit, loyal, hardworking horsemen and women who place family first and hold deep gratitude for the horses that have taken them to the top.

The horse holds a revered position in the Rice family tree, deeply entrenched in the family’s past, present and future. Boyd Rice — the legendary cutting and reined cow horse trainer — grew up carefully studying his father, Sonny, and uncles Raymond and Ronnie, all raised atop horses on their family’s ranch in Kansas. The three Rice brothers found their way into the cutting pen as professionals, earning a living and building the foundation for the Rice family name. The next generation followed with Sonny’s sons Boyd and Matlock, along with Ronnie’s son, Tag, carving their own paths as cutting horse trainers. Boyd was just 5 when the family moved from Kansas to Brenham, Texas, northwest of Houston. The family legacy blossomed in the Lone Star State where Boyd spent his youth on horseback in the cutting pen and rodeo arena. It was rodeo that would lead him to Douglas, Wyoming, and the National High School Finals where he met Halee Reed, who was there to watch her brother compete. The pair married in 1983, just a week after high school graduation and would build a family together while cementing the Rice family’s fabled story in the horse world. It didn’t take long for the third generation to arrive; Son Tatum was born in 1985, with brother Tarin following in 1989 and sister Trea joining the brood in 1997.

Building a Legacy

Boyd and Halee raised their children in Spearman, Texas, where life revolved around horses and ranching. It would be 30 years before they moved south toward the Fort Worth area and the epicenter of the cutting and reined cow horse worlds. But during their time in the Texas Panhandle, Boyd earned a reputation for breaking and training 2-year-olds, making an ever- growing name for himself as a talented horseman. Together, the couple, along with their young children, worked to ride, train and show the horses of increasingly- notable bloodlines and talent that were entrusted to them. Through the late 1990s and early 2000s Boyd entered the show pen and was catapulted to the pinnacle of his sport, creating cutting superstars out of the horses he had trained. According to EquiStat records, his lifetime earnings now stand at over $4 million.

You can’t talk cutting and reined cow horse greatness without mentioning Rice’s name more than once, along with the lineup of powerful horseflesh he rode to victories in the National Cutting Horse Association (NCHA), National Reined Cow Horse Association (NRCHA) and American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA). The horses that carried him into the limelight include his early mount Nesterote, which he rode to his first major NCHA Open Finals at the 1995 Bonanza Cutting. Following that, Boyd achieved his first major NCHA event championship in 2001 by winning the Memphis Futurity with Can You Handle It, followed the next year by earning a spot in the NCHA Open Futurity Finals atop Meradas Rockalena. That year saw even greater success when Boyd expanded to the reined cow horse realm, riding his own Deltas Color to sixth place in the Open and third in the Limited Open at the 2002 NRCHA Snaffle Bit Futurity. The following year, he was back at the Futurity piloting Mighty Joe Merada to a seventh-place finish in the open finals. Further success followed in 2003 with Boyd throwing his hat in the ring as a contender in the NRCHA World’s Greatest Horseman competition. In 2005, Boyd earned the MillionHeir Cutting Open Championship on MH Bodees Starlena, the NCHA Open World Championship with Bobs Hickory Rio and the NRCHA Snaffle Bit Futurity Open Reserve and Intermediate Open Championships with Playin Attraction. Boyd captured the 2007 NRCHA Snaffle Bit Futurity Open Champion with Oh Cay N Short, and a year later clinched the NCHA Summer Spectacular Championship aboard Peptos Stylish Sue. Boyd was back in 2009 to claim the NRCHA Snaffle Bit Futurity Open Reserve Championship, piloting Picka Patcha Pepto through an outstanding finish. It was then that Third Cutting entered the scene; a horse that would become widely revered within the cutting world. The show-stopping stallion and Boyd set out on a storybook path of championships together by claiming the 2009 and 2010 NCHA Derby and NCHA Super Stakes Championships, as well as the 2011 Bonanza Open Classic Championship and becoming the Reserve Champions at the Arbuckle Mountain Futurity. The duo went on to earn their spot as finalists in the Open Classic at the NCHA Summer Spectacular and the Abilene Spectacular. Third Cutting retired in 2011 with a long list of accolades and Boyd’s immense gratitude and respect.

On the heels of Third Cutting’s retirement, Boyd earned three spots in the 2011 NRCHA Snaffle Bit Futurity Open Finals with Moonstruck Pepto, Mammas Money Talks and Sixes First Cat. Together, Boyd and Moonstruck Pepto earned the reserve title. Ten months later, Boyd rode CR Sun Reys and CR Smart Brow to the 50th NCHA Open Futurity semifinals.

The NCHA Futurity in 2012 made unforgettable memories for the Rice family, but not with Boyd as the star. That year, the couple’s youngest son, Tarin, clinched the title of co-champion, sharing the honor with Ronnie Rice, Boyd’s uncle. It was truly a family celebration as Tarin and his great uncle made history together — despite a 37-year age difference. That year also marked another memory-maker for Boyd, as the owners of his beloved ride Oh Cay N Short — known in the barn as “Coyote” — gave the horse to Boyd as a Christmas present. Not only had he won the 2007 NCHA Snaffle Bit Futurity on Coyote, but he then piloted him to become the 2014 NRCHA World’s Greatest Horseman — the first rider in the association’s history to win both titles on the same horse. In December of that year, Boyd rode CR Sun Reys for the win in the Mercuria NCHA World Finals with an all-time record composite score of 924 points — winning each of the four rounds in the Open (scoring 231, 229 and 231 in the first three rounds and 233 in the final.) In the fall of 2015, Boyd clinched the title of Open Two Rein Champion at the coveted NRCHA Snaffle Bit Futurity riding Royal Smart Fletch. Two months later, he was back to again claim the top spot at NCHA World Finals aboard CR Sun Reys. The next standout in Boyd’s career came in August 2018 as he showed Royal Smart Fletch in the AQHA Open Bridle and Senior Working Cow Horse events and earned the Reserve World Championship title in both. Those accolades accompanied a win in the Novice Open Championship at the 2018 Breeder’s Invitational Derby on Smart Cat Melody by WR This Cats Smart.

Boyd and the stunning red roan stallion Quahadi came together for yet another winning streak to add to Rice’s long list of career highlights. The duo claimed the Derby Open and Intermediate Open Championships at the 2018 Southwest Reined Cow Horse Association (SRCHA) Pre-Futurity, then in 2019, the pair earned further top finishes with April’s NRCHA Open Two-Rein Spectacular Reserve Championship and in November the 2019 AQHA World Show Reserve Championship in the Senior Working Cow Horse (Level 2). They went on to establish their place as Open Finalists, placing in the top 11 of the record-breaking 69 entries, in the prestigious 2020 NRCHA World’s Greatest Horseman competition.

Boyd’s latest wins include the Open Bridle Championship at the 2021 NRCHA Snaffle Bit Futurity aboard Quahadi and a fifth-place finish at the 2023 NRCHA World’s Greatest Horseman competition aboard Quahadi, which included a 228 score to win the Cow Work finals as well. Just this past February 2024, Boyd again topped the list of exceptional horsemen and women vying for the coveted title of World’s Greatest Horseman. Boyd and Saddling At Sunrise (owned by Burnett Ranches) earned a Reserve Championship, riding against many of the toughest competitors and highest-caliber horses in the western world. While his list of accomplishments is as wide as the Texas sky and he continues to chase championships, Boyd and Halee will tell you that watching their children and grandchildren thrive on horseback is their greatest joy. “I’m so proud of them all,” he says from the barn aisle, looking on at his family. While “World’s Greatest Horseman” is a title he’ll forever cherish for what it took to get there, it’s not hard to see that “Dad” and “BR” (the grandkids’ term of endearment for Boyd in place of “Grandpa”) are his most coveted roles.

The Next Generation

Just as Boyd palmed the baton toss from his father and uncles, he and Halee’s sons followed their famous family’s hoofprints into the show pen and further into the record books. Tatum Rice and wife, Kylie Knight Rice, along with young daughter Kennedy, operate T/K Cutting Horses in Weatherford, Texas, known as the Cutting Horse Capital of the World, a place his parents call home too. Tatum — an NCHA Open Riders Hall of Famer, Open World Champion (riding famous mount “Hashtags”), Open Futurity Champion (riding 2019 Open Horse of the Year “Crey Zee”), with lifetime earnings of nearly $3 million — has amassed a continually lengthening list of accolades, winning major titles in the cutting pen aboard outstanding bloodstock since 1998, when he was just a teen. “We learned how to work and about the responsibility that comes with these animals. It was a lot of family time that we were lucky to have because of our lifestyle,” says Tatum of the family’s unique bond and shared passion that spurred his move to become a professional trainer and open rider.

Younger brother Tarin — also an NCHA Hall of Fame rider, Open Champion and Open Futurity Champion with $3.4 million in lifetime earnings — has earned his place among the cutting world’s greats as well. He and wife, Katie Rice, nee Adcock, started Tarin Rice Performance Horses in 2009 — after being married for just two months and only 19 years old — and have risen to the highest ranks of the sport in the ensuing years. It goes without saying that good horses and competition are two things that fuel the Rice family, with Tarin being no exception. “The cutting keeps you driving, it’s what grabs me competitively. If you get lax in this sport and you quit trying to get better, then you get beat. I wake up every morning and try to get better, because if I don’t, then there’s somebody out there who is,” he says. Joining them at their facility in Poolville, about 20 minutes north of Weatherford, are the next generation of Texas horsemen and women in the family, 9-year-old daughter, Charly, and 5-year-old son, Tell. Both are already taking their first turns inside the show pen on the family’s most trusted mounts. “I don’t like being away from Katie and the kids; we like being together,” says Tarin of the pros and cons of the required miles on the road. “It kills us when we’re at shows for weeks at a time and don’t get to see them, but it helps that so many members of the whole Rice family are doing this. Even when I’m away at the shows, there are always Rices there.”

As for Boyd, watching his sons carry on the family business at the highest level remains a pleasure to watch. “It’s exciting to see them grow up and have success at it; it’s pretty impressive,” Boyd says proudly. “And now to watch the grandbabies, that’s the best part.”

Secret Sauce

For the Rices, success is a product of sheer determination, next-level skill and extreme commitment. Their secret ingredient, however, is the family’s tight bond with the horse and with each other. “Pretty much everything I’ve learned showing cutting horses has come from Dad, Tag and Ronnie,” says Tatum of the family tutelage. The sentiment is echoed by Tarin: “Growing up we watched our dad train horses. We were there every day at the barn. It became our path from early on; we were going to train horses just like him. To us, it’s a lifestyle … a hard lifestyle. It’s long hours, hot days, cold days, sick horses in the middle of the night; it’s a lot of work. With all that, it’s something that we love.”

Walking through the barn aisles and simply watching the family interact with one another and their horses in their element is a beautiful thing. Each couple is a team, and each team is part of the family. The kids, although young, are comfortable around the horses, but they are also under the ever-watchful eye of everyone in the family.

The horses are under the spell of the Rices’ kind approach as well. These animals aren’t just a means to an end; they’re not a tool that carries their trainers to the win. They’re so much more, handled with a truly-thoughtful touch and cared for to the highest level. “We go overboard in taking care of these horses,” says Boyd. “When horses are feeling good on the inside, it shows. Nutrition is a huge part of that, it gives us that bloom on the horses that the judge wants to see and that we want to see. That’s why we feed Platinum CJ and also the Platinum GI, because their stomach health is a huge part of it.”

Coupled with their commitment to provide exceptional care is the Rice family’s longstanding relationships with top-tier veterinarians. “It’s a team effort, no doubt, and our vets have been right there with us keeping our horses in the best shape,” Boyd says. “They have a whole different level of communication with the horse,” agrees Tatum. “They have to be able to read these animals and earn their trust just like we do.” The Rices confirm that the best horseflesh doesn’t just fall from the sky on a prayer. The crafting of a champion takes a discerning eye and mind to choose mounts with the highest potential, then condition and train them into superior competitors. “These horses have got to show up in the show pen with good conformation and with big, pretty muscles, hair coat, mane and tail,” says Boyd of how health and physicality help the cream rise to the top. “It’s the overall picture that the judge first sees when you ride in. You have to start with a healthy horse, and that makes all the difference in the world.”

Riding On

“If you are in the performance horse world at all, you know the Rice name,” Converse Cowboy podcaster, Mike Roberts, said in a 2022 interview with Tatum, “and if you don’t, you’ve been living under a rock.” It’s unique to say the least as six members of the Rice family are members of the NCHA Open Riders Hall of Fame. Ronnie was inducted in 1992 and Tag in 2003. Boyd was honored in 2005, his father, Sonny, followed a decade later, and both sons, Tarin and Tatum, in 2016. Kylie Knight Rice was also inducted as a non- Pro in 2017.

While the trio of Boyd, Tatum and Tarin may be out front, the Rice family operates more as a unit, providing support and collectively selecting, training and showing some of the greatest horses the cutting and reined cow horse worlds have seen. Halee (known affectionately as “Honey” to their four grandkids) stands as the backbone of Boyd’s operation, while Kylie and Katie — each accomplished riders in their own right — play vital roles in Tatum’s and Tarin’s programs respectively. Even Trea’s husband, Daniel Sanchez now rides side-by-side with Boyd. Trea and Daniel also recently welcomed baby girl Rosie into the Rice family as the fourth grandchild and third little cowgirl to join the pack.

“Horses have given us pretty much everything,” Boyd says reflecting. “Everybody I know, everyone I’m around, all of our closest friends and our family, that’s all because of the horse.” There’s a gratefulness that’s easy to sense as the family truly values the horses that have become the pillars of their life’s work. “All I’ve ever done is train horses,” says Boyd. “I grew up doing it as a kid and now Charly, Tell and Kennedy are growing up in it. That’s just what we do. We go to shows, and we’re together, then we get home and we work together.” While it may sound simple, the Rices have painted a beautiful portrait of the meaning of family, hard work, commitment and loyalty. … They are loyal to each other and to the horse and deeply appreciative of a life in the saddle. Says Boyd: “I just love training good horses, no matter if it’s a cutting horse or a cow horse. Riding good horses is what it’s all about for me anymore.”