Guillermo Armendariz and his son, Guillermo Armendariz Jr., of Chihuahua, Mexico, can be easily spotted at NRHA events—not only by their similar features but mostly due to their matching clothes. A trend they started years ago and have carried into their reining careers. We sat down with the pair to learn a little more about their relationship with reining and with one another.
*Answers given by Armendariz Sr. were translated by Armendariz Jr.
NRHA Media: How did you get involved in reining?
Armendariz Sr: I have a lot of years on horses in Mexico. My first contact in reining was [NRHA $3 Million Rider] Brian Bell. The relationship between horse and rider is a family. I got involved in horses a long time ago in Mexico.
Armendariz Jr: I started showing because of the pandemic. I was playing soccer and now I’m in horses. I’ve been riding for four years now. It’s really awesome to be here. There’s a lot over the past four years that have helped me not only as a rider but also as a person. Lessons that horses and this type of environment teach you.
Armendariz Jr: Now, I’m an National Reining Horse Youth Association Delegate for Mexico. In ANCR Mexico, I am the Youth Treasurer. Next year I will be the Vice President and then the President in 2026. I like doing this because I want to try to do all I can to implement what I see at shows like this [the NRHA Futurity] in Mexico to make us better. As a representative of my country, my job is to make the road easier for the ones that come after me. I like coming here to open doors for reining in Mexico.
NRHA Media: What is it like to have your dad as your trainer?
Armendariz Sr: (With a laugh.) I’m his police, coach, trainer, sponsor.
Armendariz Jr: He’s a father when he needs to be a father and a coach when he needs to be a coach. He can be both at the same time and also separate them. I think it’s a good relationship. He can be my friend, with respect, because he’s my dad.
NRHA Media: You two are known as a dynamic duo because of your matching outfits. How did that start?
Armendariz Jr: Whenever I was a kid, I liked to wear my dad’s clothes because he was a cowboy and I wanted to be a cowboy. One day I asked him if we could buy the same clothes. It started out on normal [non reining] days; whenever we started coming to the shows, we said, “Let’s buy the same clothes. It will be cool.” We are seen as a team—we are a team.
NRHA Media: Do you wear the same clothes when you show?
Armendariz Jr: It depends on the show. There is actually a tradition in Mexico: at every futurity, we show in green.
NRHA Media: Are there any other traditions or differences for reining in Mexico?
Armendariz Jr: There are a lot of differences. First of all and most obvious is the size. Reining is a lot bigger in the U.S. than in Mexico. Another difference I like is that competition is more relaxed in Mexico than it is here [in the U.S.]—not less professional, just more relaxed, and we are all friends when we have to compete. It’s a different atmosphere. There are also things that are really similar. We ride the same and [emulate] the U.S. so we can grow.
NRHA Media: What does it feel like to have your son showing at his first NRHA Futurity?
Armendariz Sr: The road of reining is really great whenever you have your friends with you. But when you have your family—your son—it is something special. There is something important in having the same hobby between father and son, but something more important is seeing your son grow up as rider as well as a person. My son doesn’t have too much age, but he has a lot of experience in life and has been a good son and person. We try to do whatever we can so he can be here [reining] and happy.
NRHA Media: Reining is a particularly precise sport. What drives you to stay involved?
Armendariz Sr: Reining is a lifestyle that will remain. We like the bad moments and the good moments and the road between them. Reining is discipline and sacrifice. You have to accept whenever you lose so you can be ready whenever you win. It’s also fun because horses don’t lie; whenever you are doing bad or good at your work, you see it in your horses. In the past, people have said, “We live off horses.” I changed the phrase to say, “We live for horses.”
NRHA Media: What does the future look like for you both in reining and in life?
Armendariz Sr: What is next is up to God, but it’s time to work and concentrate on college for my son. Outside of reining we like Formula 1 and soccer, but our lifestyle on the ranch is that we are always with horse. Here, we are both showing our mare that we share in the ancillary classes.