Two events. One season. Nearly two and a half million paid out. The 2025 Gold Buckle Futurities year came full circle from the Spring Showdown in Ardmore to the World Finals in Abilene with performances that raised the bar in every division. The Rider of the Year Award, presented by Stephenville Trailers, highlight the riders who powered the results sheet all year long.
The Rider of the Year race stayed tight from Ardmore to Abilene. Rhen Richard pushed the standings with $98,735 earned across the season, nearly $44,000 of it coming from one explosive run through the Futurity Heading at the World Finals. Haven Meged was right there with $89,136, powered by more than $57,000 earned in the fall Tie Down classes alone. Jeremy Buhler put up over $66,000 at the Fall event alone. The pressure was on until the very last runs of the year, turning the 2025 title into a true chase.
But when the final totals settled, it was Trevor Brazile who edged them out with $102,562.50 to claim the Rider of the Year title and the brand new 6H Smarttack Hart Trailer. The award totals full round wins, full average wins and the rider’s halves of the stallion and breeder incentives. Trevor built his lead across both events with depth, consistency and a barn full of horses that stayed in the money.
He built his foundation at the Spring Showdown in Ardmore with a total of $61,323.50. His opening push came in the Futurity Heading aboard A Relentless Buzz, the One Time Honor gelding bred by Flag Ranch and owned by Reliance Ranches. A second-place finish in the average combined with second in both the stallion incentive and breeders incentive added $10,852 to his season total.
The Maturity Heading at the spring event added another $20,721 after strong efforts from RR Buckles Clubhouse, RR Gunners Affair and Vintage New York. Each horse contributed through round placings, average finishes and stallion incentive payouts, keeping Trevor’s spring total moving upward.
His biggest swing in Ardmore came from the Maturity Heeling, where four horses combined for $27,991.50. Not White At All delivered a Round Three win and solid average money. Pride And Joyy, by Stevie Rey Von and bred by Ty Smith, delivered earnings from the aggregate, stallion incentive and breeders incentive. Time To Glo, a son of enrolled stallion Hickory Holly Time, added average and incentive money. Gunna Wanna rounded out the roster with additional average and stallion incentive earnings. By the time the Spring Showdown closed, Trevor held a firm but not yet unbeatable lead.
He strengthened that lead at the World Finals in Abilene. Trevor earned $14,945 in the Futurity Heading on A Relentless Buzz and RR ILikeBigBuckles after picking up round money, average checks and incentive payouts. He added another check in the Futurity Heeling aboard Infernos Cowgirl LE after finishing eighth in the average.
The Maturity Heading produced his biggest fall result. RR Buckles Clubhouse swept all three rounds going into the short go and sealed the average with a 918.77 on four. Counting the round wins, the average and Trevor’s half of the stallion incentive payout, this class alone added $20,400 to his Rider of the Year total. Pride And Joyy contributed another $4,583 in the Maturity Heeling after a seventh-place average finish and a second-place spot in the breeder race.
Even with Trevor’s momentum, the standings stayed tight. Rhen sat less than $4,000 behind, and Haven remained within striking distance until the last runs of the weekend. In the end, Trevor’s season-long consistency and his ability to place across multiple horses in both heading and heeling carried him just far enough ahead.
When the season closed, the margin was narrow but the résumé was clear. Trevor Brazile’s ability to stay in the money across both events, on both ends of the arena, and on a deep lineup of horses proved to be the difference. In a year defined by pressure and parity, his consistency held when it mattered most, sealing the 2025 Gold Buckle Futurities Rider of the Year title. We see the competition only getting tighter in 2026, so stay tuned for what’s next.
