Article by Lindsay Humphrey in the March 2025 NRHA Reiner
As a 2-year-old at the Deary Ranch, Magnums Little Dream (Magnum Chic Dream x Dainty Little Step) wasn’t quite ready to advance to competition.
He made his way to Heritage Ranch, where NRHA Professional Preston Kent was training at the time.
The colt was a year behind in training by the time Kent got him, so he brought the colt along a bit slower than most.
That slow, steady progress built a horse many competitors in the Northwest region describe as a show pen soldier.
“Rodney’s been a great horse for me. At this point in my career, he’s the best horse I’ve had so far really,” Kent said of the 2018 stallion now owned by Silver Summit Horses of Bountiful, Utah. “He’s a special horse and I’m thankful for whatever it was that kept him from training as a 2-year-old because it got him to me.” Rodney first started showing as a 4-year-old, but it wasn’t until the next year that he really came into himself.
The foundation Kent laid makes Rodney an easy mount to maintain for the show pen.
Even in schooling Rodney can lay down patterns that could easily score a 73, Kent said.
It’s a testament to his talent that comes partially from his pedigree but also from his trainer and pilot.
“He’s very strong in every maneuver,” Kent said. “If we get penalties, it’s always my fault and usually because I don’t get him shut off in the turn on time. His 6-year-old year was his best year so far. He seemed to get better and better with every show.
“Winning a world title wasn’t necessarily easy, but Rodney made it about as easy as it can be because he’s so dependable.”
Rodney and Kent added to the stallion’s NRHA lifetime earnings (LTE) through the Novice Horse Open Level 2 with $5,493.
The pair won the Level 2 by a comfortable margin, almost $2,000 above the reserve champion. Opportunities for ancillary classes in the region helped the pair achieve the feat.
“George King and his crew put on a good show – the TKO [World Premier Reining] – which has only ancillary classes, no aged events, and have a lot of good added money for that,” Kent said. “Not a lot of shows focus on those classes, and we did well there, which gave us a good boost.”
Through January 2025, Rodney has $44,805 to his name, with the best possibly yet to come.
