The NRHA Futurity opened up with a big win by Mirjam Stillo on Steppin Little Lena. She was the North American Affiliate Championship Open winner on Thursday. The presentation took place on Friday but came with a special twist.
“I’ve known Mirjam since she was a younger youth. Back in Italy, I had trained all-around horses for about three years,” said Traci Nelson who represented Adequan® during the presentation. “Mirjam was showing all-around horses at the time. I have seen her go from youth to where she has come now, and she’s an amazing rider.”
Mirjam started out riding hunters/jumpers before adding the all-around events—Western pleasure, horsemanship, trail, etc. After graduating high school, Mirjam transitioned to the reining world. And Traci had a front-row seat for the whole thing. “It was pretty cool to have seen her here—she was always an amazing horsewoman, it’s just in her blood. To see her come from her youth to now being a top professional in the United States is pretty special,” Traci added.
