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 Brian Bell
with his stepmother Carol at the recent reining
clinic held here.
When it comes to breeding and training horses, the Bell family "has put Smithfield on the map" Story & photos by SUSAN LASSITER
Both
Bell and Fappani were riding three-year-old quarter
horses. Bell was on Crystalized Whizkey;
Fappani rode Inferno Thirty Five. YouTube TV
said they were “masterful showmen.” They tied and
could have been co-champions. But since Brian Bell’s
goal was to win, he called for a run-off between the
two. He won in what was described as an “historic
championship.” It earned him $350,000 and the title.
The clinic at Old Bell Ranch took place January 14. The draw, of course, was Brian Bell, who was already well known nationally as a trainer before he became the Level 4 Open Futurity Champion. Because of COVID, he hadn’t conducted a clinic here in three years. Eighteen riders and their horses attended. The two youngest riders were in their teens and the oldest was 69, from Southern Pines. They came from many states, including Virginia, Florida, South Carolina, Missouri, Ohio, and North Carolina. Several participants were repeaters. Some trainers came just to watch, including one from Michigan. A family with two small children came from Fayetteville's Fort Liberty to watch. The soldier will be discharged in three months and will return to Missouri to train horses. The purpose of the clinic was to evaluate the skills of both the quarter horses and their riders for competition. Reining is Western-style riding where riders guide their horses through precise patterns of circles, spins, and stops, mimicking the skills of horses on a cattle ranch. Competition is held at indoor arenas and judging is based on a score. Each horse is judged individually. According to the Extension Service, maneuvers may include sliding stops, spins, circles, rollbacks, lead changes, run downs, and backup. A rider’s job is to communicate with his horse through posture, leg squeezes, spur nudges, and reins. The rider can only use one hand on the reins. Some riders hum, click, or whisper “whoa.” It’s supposed to look effortless by the rider – to let the well-trained athletic horse do the work. The horse should show “little or no resistance to the rider and dictated to completely.” Brian lives in Valley View, Texas where he and his father own a ranch that offers training, boarding, and horse shows. The barn there has 96 stalls. That Bell Ranch is located in Cooke County, which borders Oklahoma. His company is Brian Bell Performance Horses, specializing in open and non-pro training and sale of horses. Brian has held clinics as far away as Norway, France, and Germany. His dad, George, is a horse breeder who has sold quarter horses in the U.S., Norway, Germany, Italy, and Poland. George reached a designation of “NRHA Million Dollar Owner” in 2022. Son Brian reached that in 2013 and became a “NRHA Two Million Dollar Rider” in 2021.
George and Carol
purchased their Brogden Road acreage in 2012. George
said his friend, Ruffin Johnson, was an
influence in their choosing to come here from Wake
County. For more than 25 years, George has owned
several rural parcels in Smithfield and Pine Level
townships. (He's shown inside the spacious arena at
Old Bell Ranch as he observed the recent clinic.) Smithfield’s Ruffin Johnson was known widely for his horsemanship – and cowboy hats. He passed away in December at the age of 89. George said they’d known each other for 45 years, having met long ago at horse shows.
George (74) and Carol (72) both compete in reining. Last year, they won 15 trophies, eight trophy buckles, two saddles, and $45,000. (George started reining in 1979; Carol began competing at the age of 56.) Prior to getting into the full-time horse business – something he’s done the past 20 years – George owned car and truck dealerships around the region.  Following the
recent clinic here, Brian flew back to Texas. His son,
Cody, and his trainer, Eduardo Giannasi (pictured
here with Brian), drove home with 15 yearlings
born at Old Bell Ranch – to begin their training.Exclaimed one who attended the clinic: "Brian Bell has put Smithfield on the map!” |
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After they bought the Brogden Road
property – almost six acres – the Bells built a large
climate-controlled indoor arena and a horse barn (shown
here) that holds 40 stalls. At one time they
boarded others’ horses, but now they only breed and
train their own. They reside on-site.