'It's in Our DNA': The McCutcheon is America’s Reining Royal Family

Inside horse reining, made famous on ‘Yellowstone,’ and the Texas family that’s so good at it

Inside the horse industry, the McCutcheon family that’s so good at it

Tom McCutcheon Reining Horses in Aubrey, Texas

On the 170-acre farm in Aubrey, Texas, Tom and Mandy McCutcheon run and operate Tom McCutcheon Reining Horses where they train, breed, and run a rehabilitation facility. Though there was no pressure from their parents to take up the horse business, it was only natural for their two kids, Cade and Carlee, to follow suit and follow the love of horses.

“I had no interest in keeping the legacy going with my kids. My kids never had any pressure whatsoever to do this. They just happen to love it,” explains Tom. “For me, it was never about a legacy, it was about having a reason to get out of bed in the morning – doing something that fulfills you and makes you want to get up and go to work.”

Reining, as a competition, is judged on each competitor and their horse doing a routine of spins, circles, stops, and slides. The spins are marked by the crispness in the turns and the sharpness in the stops. The slides are a wonder of speed and precision: A horse will run at full tilt, then suddenly drop into a slide, kicking up a cloud of dirt. Part of these horses’ training includes running toward an arena wall and stopping just in time, with only a few inches to spare.

“You just want to be able to do as much as possible without anybody knowing you’re doing anything to them,” Cade said. “That’s kind of my goal — to make it look easy.” The less noticeable a rider’s cues to their horse, the better the score.

They’ve mastered the skill — the art — of training their horses to do exactly what they need them to do, exactly when they need them to do it. And where they are — where they’ve been — is at the top of their sport.

On one side sits an office and lobby, where the walls are decorated with dozens of ribbons and trophies, as well as framed pictures from championship celebrations.

“I mean, I’d much rather be an NBA player,” Cade joked. “[But] this is what God gave us. Here we are.”

For Tom and Mandy, horses aren’t just a business – it’s in their blood. Growing up on the reining circuit, the couple met through their love of horses and involvement in the sport. The equestrian world is small, and the Reining world is even smaller, so it was only a matter of time until Tom and Mandy crossed paths.

Not only do they share a love of horses, but they also share many of the same accolades, including World Equestrian Game gold medals, National Reining Horse Association Million Dollar Rider status, and are the industry’s leading riders – just to name a few.

“We feel very fortunate, very blessed, that both of the kids have the same passion for the horse business that we do,” Tom said.

So, what’s it like when the horse does exactly as it’s trained? Tom compared it to striping a golf ball 300 yards down the center of the fairway.

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After all is said and done, the McCutcheon’s number one priority is family. When asked how he balances family and business while still being on top, his answer was simple: the McCutcheon’s are competitive.

“Competition is our business. Unfortunately, it’s hard to make a large impact in the business if you’re not competitive. To get to where we have, competitiveness is kind of ingrained in all of us, whether it’s showing reining horses, playing ping-pong, playing poker, or playing basketball – it just doesn’t matter.

We are all competitive all the time. It’s just in our DNA,” explains Tom. “So, I think what is kind of the glue that holds us together is the competitive spirit and nature, and what makes it so much fun for all of us. It really makes us support each other so much – the fact that you want to be competitive, and not be the least competitive one in the family.”

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