GENERAL MANAGER, HEAD TRAINER
THIAGO BOECHAT
“From the time I was 3 or 4 years old, my dad always had Quarter Horses,” Boechat said. “I began competing in barrel racing and then moved on to roping calves and team roping. While I was doing all this, all I wanted to do was reining.”
A new professional way of training quarter horses with the best trainers in Purcell, Oklahoma
At 11 years old, Boechat had his first reining horse and began showing in the sport. He wisely attended a clinic taught by Jango Salgado, one of the top reining trainers in Brazil. The clinic fueled the young rider’s passion, providing invaluable reining training tips and most importantly, the idea he could make training and riding his profession.
In 1993, Boechat came to the United States to work for NRHA trainer and judge Joe Hayes in Gainesville, Texas. After about a year in Texas, he returned to Brazil to attend veterinary school at Universidade Do Oeste Paulista, outside of Sao Paulo. “I spent five years going to vet school,” Boechat said. “But when I had time off from school, I was training horses, trying to make enough money to pay for my school.”
During his off time, Boechat won a number of high profile Brazilian events. After graduating, he opened a stallion station and a training operation. Shortly after, he married his college sweetheart, Izabel. She graduated from Unoeste with a law degree. The couple have 2 children together, Ty and Sofia.
In 2001, Boechat coached the Brazilian Reining Team at the CRIO in Regio Emilia, Italy, and in 2002, he coached the Brazilian Reining Team at the World Equestrian Games in Spain.
“Everything that I try to do, I want to do the best that I can. The NRHA Futurity is the largest reining horse show in the world and I had a dream that one day I could be a part of the Futurity finals in Oklahoma City. I didn’t know how long it would take, but I knew if I had a horse good enough I could do it,” says Thiago.
Among the horses in his barn, there was one he had particularly high hopes for, a pretty bay stallion named Roosters Tru Luck. When his horse showed well at the Brazilian Futurity, Thiago decided to turn his dreams into reality and shipped the stallion to Doug Milholland’s facility in Purcell, Oklahoma, in September of 2003.
With the crowd behind him, this Brazilian reiner rode Roosters Tru Luck through a dynamic pattern, marking a 222 to capture 7th place out of 434 entries. Boechat and the fluid moving stallion also finished 3rd in the Intermediate and Limited Open divisions, bringing their total earnings for the 2003 NRHA Futurity to over $50,000.
With his success at the NRHA Futurity came a job offer from his host and mentor, Doug Milholland. “I felt that if you wanted to be the best in the Reining business, you needed to be in Oklahoma. Izabel and I discussed it and made the move to the US in February 2004.”
After working for Milholland for two years, Boechat went to work managing a breeding and training ranch in Purcell. He remained there for a couple of years before deciding to go out on his own. He bought a hundred acres in Purcell and began building his own facilities for training and breeding.
A mutual friend who had horses in training at Boechat’s facility introduced the Brazilian to a businessman, Lorenzo Vargas, who was interested in purchasing reining horses for his Charro team. Vargas bought two colts from the trainer and sent them back to Mexico. Over time, the two men developed a friendship, based on mutual respect and trust. The more Vargas learned about American reining, the more his passion grew for the sport.
“Mr. Vargas wanted a facility that would support the breeding, raising and training of his reining horse operation,” Boechat explained. “Because I was doing the vet work and embryo transfers, along with the training, he wanted to buy a place close to my home. When this really nice place in Purcell came up for sale, we went out to look at it. He liked it and bought it.”
THIAGO BOECHAT AND WIMPYNEEDSACOCKTAIL, NRBC L4 OPEN CHAMPIONS
THIAGO AND RUF LIL MAGNUM- 2018 AQHA WORLD CHAMPIONS
ACHIEVEMENTS
NRHA PROFESSIONAL LTE $638,000+
2018 AQHA WORLD CHAMPION- Senior Reining on Ruf Lil Magnum
2018 Reining By The Bay Open Derby Top 5- Ruf Lil Magnum- Score 228
2018 OKRHA Ride & Slide Open Derby Reserve Champion- Ruf Lil Magnum
2017 AQHA World Show World Champion Senior Reining- Wimpys Little Nite
2017 NRHA Derby Open L3 Co-Champion- Ruf Lil Magnum
2016 NRBC Open Developing Horse Division Champion- Xtra Voodoo Doc
2016 NRHA Derby L4 Open finalist on Xtra Voodoo Doc
2016 OKRHA Ride & Slide L3 Derby Reserve Champion on Xtra Taris Voodoo
2016 NRBC L4 Open Finalist on Xtra Taris Voodoo and Xtra Voodoo Doc, L3 Open Finalist on Xtra Taris Voodoo and Xtra Voodoo Doc
2016 NRBC Developing Horse Open Champion on Xtra Voodoo Doc
2015 NRBC L4 Open Finalist on Walla Whiz Affair
2015 NRHA Derby Finalist on Walla Whiz Affair
2015 Darling 888 Developing Horse Futurity Champion on Xtra Taris Voodoo
2015 AQHA World Show Junior Reining Finalist on Wimpys Little Nite and Walla Whiz Affair
2015 NRHA L4 Open Futurity Finalist on Xtra Taris Voodoo
2014 NRBC L4 Open Finalist on Cromed Out Chic
2014 NRHA Derby Open L4 Finalist 5th on Cromed Out Chic
2014 Hollywoodstinseltown Open Futurity Reserve Champion on Xtra Vintage Step
2014 All American Quarter Horse Congress Reining Futurity Open Finalist with Xtra Vintage Step
2014 ARIAT REINING TULSA CLASSIC RESERVE CHAMPION with Xtra Vintage Step
2013 AQHA SR. REINING RESERVE CHAMPION
2013 HIGH ROLLER REINING CLASSIC OPEN L4 3rd with Wimpyneedsacocktail, OPEN L3 Reserve Champion with Wimpyneedsacocktail
2013 NRHA DERBY Open L3 RESERVE CHAMPION with Wimpyneedsacocktail, Open L4 - 8th with Wimpyneedsacocktail
2013 NRBC OPEN L4 and L3 Champion with Wimpyneedsacocktail
2013 NRBC OPEN L4 and L3 Finalist with Commanders Lil Step
2013 WIMPYS LITTLE STEP DERBY/GORDYVILLE Open L3 RESERVE CHAMPION with Wimpyneedsacocktail,
Open L4 Finalist with Wimpyneedsacocktail
2012 AQHA JR. REINING RESERVE CHAMPION Wimpyneedsacocktail
2012 NRHA FUTURITY Open L4 Finalist with Whizzer Whiz
2012 SWRHA FUTURITY Open L4 – 3rd with Cromed Out Chic
2012 NRHA DERBY Open L4 Finalist - 5th with Wimpyneedsacocktail
2012 NRBC Open L4 Finalist with Wimpyneedsacocktail
2012 WIMPYS LITTLE STEP DERBY/GORDYVILLE Open L4 RESERVE CHAMPION with Wimpyneedsacocktail
2011 NRHA DERBY Open L4 Finalist with Wimpyneedsacocktail
2011 WIMPYS LITTLE STEP DERBY/GORDYVILLE Open L4 - 3rd with Wimpyneedsacocktail
2010 NRHA FUTURITY OPEN L2 CHAMMPION with Wimpyneedsacocktail
OPEN L4, L3 Finalist with Wimpyneedsacocktail
OPEN L4, L3, L2 Finalist with Shiners Voodoo Dr
2010 SWRHA Open L3 CHAMPION with Shiners Voodoo Dr
2010 ATRC Open L3, L2 CHAMPION with Shiners Voodoo Dr, Open L4 Finalist with Shiners Voodoo Dr
2010 NRBC Open L2 RESERVE CHAMPION with Steppin Off Sparks
2008 OKRHA DERBY Int. RESERVE CHAMPION
2008 WTRHA FUTURITY Open RESERVE CHAMPION
2006 NRCHA FUTURITY RESERVE CHAMPION
2006 NERHA FUTURITY 3rd
2006 WTRHA FUTURITY Int. Open Champion, Open RESERVE CHAMPION
2005 FEI CRIO in OKC Silver Medalist
2003 NRHA Intermediate and Ltd Open Futurity 3rd with Roosters Tru Luck
2003 NRHA Open Futurity 7th with Roosters Tru Luck
2003 Santa Helena Haras Dan Working Cowhorse Show CHAMPION
2002 World Equestrian Games in Spain Brazilian Team Chef d'Equipe
2001 Brazilian Reining Horse Association Reserve Futurity CHAMPION
2001 CRIO in Regio Emilia, Italy Brazilian Reining Team Chef d'Equipe
2000 AQHA Show Brazilian Congress Championship Reining RESERVE CHAMPION
1999 Brazilian Reining Breeders Cup CHAMPION
1999 Brazilian Quarter Horse Association Reining Futurity RESERVE CHAMPION
1998 Brazilian Reining Horse Association Futurity CHAMPION
1998 Sacramento Classic Reining RESERVE CHAMPION
