Bob
Loomis

A Career Built in the Formative Years of the NRHA

Bob Loomis is an American horse trainer, breeder, author, and clinician best known for his accomplishments in the sport of reining and his long association with the National Reining Horse Association (NRHA). Over the course of a career spanning more than five decades, Loomis became one of the most successful and influential figures in NRHA history through futurity championships, horse development, breeding accomplishments, and educational contributions to the reining industry.

Loomis began training reining horses professionally in 1966, in the formative years of the NRHA. He earned early recognition in 1972 when he became Co-Reserve Champion at the NRHA Futurity riding Britton Princess. That performance helped establish him as an emerging competitor within the rapidly growing reining industry.

Six NRHA Open Futurity Championships — More Than Any Rider in History

Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, Loomis became one of the dominant riders in NRHA futurity competition. Over time, he won six NRHA Open Futurity Championships — on Benito Paprika (1976), Lady El Dorado (1978), Cassandra Cody (1979), Topsail Cody (1980), Miss Della Doc (1984), and Sophie Oak (1986) — more than any other rider in the history of the association. These victories established him as one of the defining competitors of modern reining. The NRHA Futurity is considered one of the premier events in the sport and showcases elite three-year-old reining horses competing at the highest level of professional competition.

In addition to his accomplishments as a rider, Loomis became highly respected as a horse breeder and developer of influential bloodlines. He began his breeding program in the early 1970s with the goal of producing horses capable of winning at the highest levels of NRHA competition.

• 6 NRHA Open Futurity Championships (1976, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1984, 1986) — most in NRHA history
• 1972 Co-Reserve Champion, NRHA Futurity — Britton Princess
• 1991 NRHA Hall of Fame inductee
• 1982 NRHA President
• AQHA Hall of Fame inductee — 2012
• Only breeder to breed, train, and stand three generations of NRHA Million Dollar Sires

Topsail Whiz and Three Generations of Million Dollar Sires

Among the horses most closely associated with Loomis' career was Topsail Whiz, one of the most influential reining stallions in NRHA history. Topsail Whiz was inducted into the NRHA Hall of Fame in 2003 and became NRHA's all-time leading sire — in 2018 the first NRHA $12 Million Sire.

Loomis became the only breeder to breed, train, and stand three generations of NRHA Million Dollar Sires: Topsail Cody, Topsail Whiz, and West Coast Whiz. This distinction reflects a breeding program of unusual depth and consistency in producing elite-level reining horses across multiple generations.

Author, Clinician, and Shaper of Modern Reining

In addition to competition and breeding, Loomis became known as an educator and clinician. He authored instructional materials on reining horsemanship, including the book Reining: The Art of Performance in Horses, which became widely recognized within the western performance horse industry. Through clinics, demonstrations, and educational programs, Loomis helped introduce reining principles to riders ranging from beginners to advanced competitors.

Interviews and industry profiles frequently described his horsemanship approach as emphasizing consistency, softness, and maintaining horses mentally and physically over long competitive careers. His methods influenced numerous trainers and riders who later became successful competitors within NRHA competition.

Throughout his career, Loomis operated Loomis Quarter Horses alongside his wife Pam Loomis. Their program became widely recognized in the reining industry for breeding, training, and standing elite reining horses. Beyond competitive success, Loomis helped shape the modern direction of reining through his accomplishments as a rider, breeder, teacher, and horseman.