Cottonwood Equestrian Center

06/01/2026

Official NBHA, I hope you are holding a special meeting to ban Emily Grace from all of your events for life. I hope AQHA, APHA, USEF, FEI and any other equine organization for shows or registries ban her for life as well. I make it a point to not speak for anybody but myself, but I think I am safe in saying that on behalf of hopefully all horsemen, we would all feel better knowing that this clearly imbalanced and disturbed individual wasn’t anywhere near our horses… EVER.

Emily Grace, a 17-year-old barrel racing competitor, was arrested in Las Vegas on May 30, 2026, after allegedly stabbing multiple horses inside their stalls. The incident occurred around 2:00 AM at the barns of the South Point Hotel, Casino & Spa during the National Barrel Horse Association (NBHA) Professional's Choice Vegas Super Show.
Because she was a registered competitor, she had authorized access to the barn area. Security cameras and eyewitness accounts reported that she entered the stalls of at least three horses and repeatedly slashed or stabbed them with a sharp object, believed to be a knife. According to horse owners and social media reports, she allegedly lingered around the barn afterward, watching bystanders tend to the bleeding animals and even pretending to help as a concerned participant.
Three equine athletes were injured, including "Sully," a champion gelding belonging to rider Hailey Krahenbuhl. While the injuries required emergency surgeries and deep stitches, none of them were deemed life-threatening. However, the injuries immediately knocked the horses out of the competition.

Arrest and Criminal Charges:
The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD) located and detained her shortly after the attack. She was booked into Clark County Juvenile Hall and faces numerous felony counts:

12 counts of willful/malicious killing, maiming, or torturing of an animal.
3 counts of felony malicious destruction of private property exceeding $5,000.

She is currently being held without bond, and her initial arraignment hearing is scheduled for early June 2026.

05/25/2026

What a great time we had at Grand Oaks this past weekend! Many thanks to Carlie Evans who always creates a smoothly run show and to SunSpree Mobile Tack for making sure all of us have everything we need to either prepare for or make it down center line! I’m so proud of Choo-Choo on his solidly improving third level scores and winning both of his classes plus the bonus of earning third level high score award for the weekend! I also want to give a huge shout out to Haley Roberts for doing such a great job with her first licensed Dressage show and only her second Dressage show ever! She rode Timmy to a class win plus other respectable placing with scores ranging from 63% to 65% in her intro classes. I just can’t say enough about her dedication and talent! I love to see how my students learn to be soft, confident and caring without taking any shenanigans from their dance partner during a ride! As always, thank you to my supportive sponsors who contribute to our success one stride at a time!
SunSpree Mobile
Cox Veterinary
Nutrena
Esprit Equestrian Wear
JustStrong.com

05/21/2026

Haley and Timmy just finished up their last lesson before their licensed Dressage show debut this weekend at Grand Oaks and it turns out Timmy definitely likes a good scratch on a job. Well done! He’s such a ham! Make sure you visit SunSpree Mobile if you’re going to Grand Oaks in Weirsdale this weekend!
Cox Veterinary Lab
SunSpree Mobile
Nutrena Feed
Esprit Equestrian Wear discount code ChooChooWear for 5% off
JustStrong.com Discount code JoOl59987 for 10% off

05/15/2026

Gorgeous new duds!

05/12/2026

VERY interesting!🧐

05/07/2026

This mare was indeed legendary but I’m so impressed at the inspirational message that is on this post. Oh, so true!

She didn't just walk to the gate. She *danced*.

Before 80,000 screaming fans, she would pause — bowing her head, pawing the ground in a slow, hypnotic rhythm — as if the world owed her a moment of silence before she destroyed it. Zenyatta wasn't just a racehorse. She was a 1,200-pound storm wearing the costume of a ballerina.

But here's what nobody tells you about greatness: it almost always *looks* like failure first.

The gates crashed open — and she didn't move with them.

While the field exploded forward in a chaos of thunder and dirt, Zenyatta drifted to the back. Dead last. Ten lengths behind. Twenty lengths. A canyon of earth and distance swallowed her whole, and the announcers lost their minds: *"She's too far back! There is NO way — not this time!"*

Her jockey, Mike Smith, didn't flinch. He sat still as a statue on a volcano. He could feel it — the slow, building hum of something extraordinary coiling beneath him. He'd felt it before. He knew what was coming.

At the far turn, the dance became a hurricane.

Zenyatta lowered her massive frame and unleashed a stride that measured nearly 26 feet — a ground-eating, physics-defying surge that made every horse ahead of her look suddenly, impossibly *slow*. One by one, champions disappeared behind her. The greatest horses alive were reduced to scenery.

In the 2009 Breeders' Cup Classic, she faced the finest males on the planet. The crowd erupted as she swung to the far outside, a dark comet pulling free from gravity. *"UN-BELIEVABLE!"* the announcer screamed — because there are moments so rare that language simply isn't ready for them.

19 times she entered the gate.
19 times she fell to the back of the pack.
19 times she crossed the wire first.

Zenyatta never won from the front. She never needed to. She built her legend from the back, race after race, erasing what seemed impossible with one breathtaking burst that no one — not the handicappers, not the announcers, not the doubters — ever fully saw coming.

She is the greatest reminder that where you *start* has nothing to do with where you *finish*.

The next time life drops you to the back of the pack — remember her. Remember that the view from dead last is just the setup for the greatest comeback story ever told.

The Queen. The Legend. The Heart of America.

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*What comeback story has inspired you? Share it below — someone out there needs to hear it today.* ⬇️

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05/01/2026

Good morning everybody! Whether you are on the trail, training at home or at a show this weekend, make it a great day and great rides to you! If you are going to the May Day Dressage show in Canterbury, FL on May 9 and 10th, make sure you stop off and see SunSpree Mobile and if you are going to the H/J show for HSITP at Grand Oaks on the same weekend they will have a mobile unit there also! Super people, awesome service, and amazing merchandise!

04/28/2026

Sound on! I’m glad I’m not the only one who sounds this way!🤣 Thank you Nikole, for letting me share this!

04/25/2026

Here it is, folks; three years of hard work, full commitment and probably a few salty words here and there! My bronze freestyle bar. Thank you, Choo-Choo for being the great horse you are and helping me earn this!🫶
Cox Veterinary Lab
SunSpree Mobile
Nutrena Feed
Esprit Equestrian Wear
JustStrong.com

04/21/2026

❤️Fabulous thoroughbred alert!❤️ Elliot has done a fantastic job in my lesson program but wants to be more of a Hunter than a Dressage horse. I have enough lesson horses that do the Hunter thing so I just cannot keep Elliot since I don’t have time to enjoy him for myself. He comes from a low level eventing background and absolutely loves trails. This nine-year-old who is 16.1 or 16.2, have to put a stick on him, is sensible, not spooky and has no vices. Asking higher 4s but will only sell to a home that deserves him and will take care of him. 334-648-1103 call or text.