NRHA $5M Rider | 2× Futurity Champion | 2× Run For A Million Champion
Jason Vanlandingham of Whitesboro, Texas began his reining career with a $41 check at the 2000 NRHA Derby — a number so modest it might have discouraged a lesser competitor. For Vanlandingham, it was the start of a methodical, relentless climb that would eventually take him past $5 million in NRHA career earnings and into an elite group of only five riders in history to reach that milestone.
He began training horses professionally in 1998, honing his craft in the competitive Texas reining community. His first significant championship breakthrough came at the 2008 NRHA Level 3 Open Derby Co-Championship with Gallos Stylish Star, followed by the 2009 Level 3 Open Derby Championship on Whizin Off Sparks. Those wins caught the attention of the right people.
In 2011, Vanlandingham rode A Smokin Whiz to the NRHA Futurity Level 3 Open title in a thrilling run-off — a win that connected him with owner Vaughn Zimmerman and the partnership that would define his career. The result was Not Ruf At All: a sorrel colt who would become one of reining's most celebrated horses.
Together, Vanlandingham and Not Ruf At All completed one of the most dominant campaigns in recent reining history — winning the NRHA Futurity, the NRHA Derby, and the National Reining Breeders Classic. That Triple Crown validated Vanlandingham as one of the sport's elite, and the momentum never stopped.
He has won the Run For A Million Competition twice — the highest-stakes single event in reining history — establishing himself as someone who performs when the pressure is highest and the money is biggest. His 2023 TRFAM victory aboard Best Shine, posting a 231 score for half a million dollars, was one of the defining moments of his career.
His trajectory through the million-dollar milestones has been extraordinary in its acceleration. It took 15 years to reach $1 million, five more to reach $2 million, and just three more to reach $3 million — reflecting the exponential rise of a career built on increasingly elite horsemanship. In 2025, he crossed $5 million, becoming only the fifth rider in NRHA history to do so.
Vanlandingham operates his training business in Whitesboro, Texas, and continues to be a consistent presence at every major NRHA event. His work ethic, consistency, and the quality of horses he produces have made him one of the most sought-after trainers for serious horse owners in the reining world.
Jason Vanlandingham rides Superior Saddles by Andy Mashke. His saddle in the Superior lineup features the signature glass-encased wood SYMMETREES™ tree with Dropped-D rigging and sterling overlay trim — a competition saddle built for the kind of consistent, elite-level performance that defines Vanlandingham's career.
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