$11 Million Man: Austin Shepard Crosses Milestone with Reyzin Jewels

It’s fitting that Austin Shepard was at the Augusta Futurity when he passed a major career milestone.

Shepard, who won this year’s 5/6-Year-Old Open with Reyzin Jewels, has a long history with the show. Her win Sunday, Jan. 12, at the show in Perry, Georgia, helped him unofficially hit the $11 million mark in National Cutting Horse Association (NCHA) earnings.

Many years ago, he hit a much smaller but still very important milestone at the Augusta show.

“I showed in Augusta 25 years ago, and made my first 5/6-Year-Old Open finals,” he said. “[It was] my first Open finals anywhere.”

That year, he drove home to Alabama and moved his horses from his old facility to his new place in Summerdale. He’s been there ever since. Currently, he trains at the facility about 40 miles southeast of Mobile with his son, Cade, and assistant trainer, Todd Stringer.

More than $11 million in earnings and two NCHA Futurity Open championships later, could he ever have predicted the success?

Absolutely not, he said. 

“I did terrible for longer than people realize. I didn’t do very good for a few years,” said Shepard, who was born and raised in Mobile, Alabama. “I just worked my way out of it and got some good horses to show and some good owners, and just kept working at it until it started to fit…and just haven’t looked back.”

Picking Up Steam in the Cutting Horse Industry

He said part of the slow start was that he and his dad didn’t have a barn stacked with really, really good horses when he first started showing professionally.

“He had a few, but not a lot. And, I was just green,” he said. “I knew I loved to do it, and I knew I was pretty good at it, but I didn’t know what I was doing, pretty much. I just went through the learning process, and then after a couple years, we moved to where we are, and had an opportunity with Rockin 5 Ranch.”

Rockin 5, whose horses included outstanding cutting horse and broodmare Desire Some Freckles, supplied him with some quality horses — which proved to be the opportunity that propelled his career onto the next level. Other people followed suit, allowing Shepard to buy and show horses for them.

“Next thing you know, it kind of snowballed into years of effort and years of learning — and struggles too — but some good horses and a lot of good people that taught us how to do this,” he said. “It’s just one of those things that if you work really hard at it, and try really hard and do the right thing, and the right horse comes along, it’ll fit eventually. Then, you just kind of got to build on what you got.”

In addition to crossing the $11 million mark in the NCHA, Shepard also is an EquiStat Elite $11 Million Rider. He has more than $11.6 million in EquiStat, which records earnings from multiple disciplines and associations. The EquiStat total would include any cutting earnings Shepard amassed that aren’t recognized by the NCHA or were earned at non-NCHA events.

Austin Shepard’s top five money-earning horses in the EquiStat database:

• 2023 NCHA Open Horse of the Year Kittennish ($684,287)
• 2007 NCHA Futurity Open Champion High Brow CD ($543,161)
• 2017 NCHA Futurity Open Champion Dual Reyish ($456,016)
• 2017 NCHA Summer Spectacular Derby Open Champion Sir Long Legs ($406,105)
• Two-time Augusta Futurity champion and multiple aged event finalist Wood She B Magic ($371,210).

Austin Shepard and Kittennish winning the NCHA Summer Cutting Spectacular. * Photo by Amy Olson

Just a few of the other notable horses include 2011 NCHA Open World Champion Bet Hesa Cat ($271,549) and 2017 NCHA Open World Champion Deluxe Checks ($224,334).

2025 Augusta Futurity Win with Reyzin Jewels

Unlike 25 years ago, when Austin Shepard left Augusta to go move his horses, this year he’s looking to the future with his newest Augusta winner, Reyzin Jewels. They earned the win by marking a 221.5, which was enough to hold off 5/6-Year-Old Open Reserve Champion Nice Work Babe and trainer James Payne’s 219.

Owned by Billy Wolf, of Whitesboro, Texas, Reyzin Jewels is by EquiStat Elite $8 Million Sire Reyzin The Cash has earned more than $177,640. She collected $20,082 of that on Sunday by winning the 5/6-Year-Old Open title at the Augusta Futurity.

“She’s a really good mare. She just gives you everything she’s got every time,” he said. “She’s so gritty and tries so hard. She wants to win as bad as we do, so that comes in handy.”

Last year, Reyzin Jewels and Shepard won the Cotton Stakes 4-Year-Old Open title. They tied to win the Southern Cutting Futurity 4-Year-Old Open win and also shared the top spot of the Reyzin The Cash Incentive at last year’s Pacific Coast Cutting Horse Association Derby in Las Vegas, Nevada.

“She’s just a really nice horse to have around. She’s solid, big and strong,” he said of the mare, who is out of My Jewels Missing (by Lenas Jewel Bars). “She’s one of those horses you can’t help but love, because she tries so hard.”

Reyzin Jewels and Austin Shepard won the Augusta Futurity 5/6 Open Championship. * Photo by Lauren Middleton Buitron (PHC)