About Clay Volmer

Clay Volmer’s beginning with competing on horses was riding bareback horses throughout high school and college. He won the Bareback Riding title at the South Dakota State High School Finals in 1999. While completing his college degree and competing for National American University, Clay and his uncle also led horsemanship clinics across the U.S. with several top clinicians, including Buck Brannaman, Ray Hunt and Curt Pate. When an injury forced him to step away from competing in bareback riding for a year, Clay decided to move to Texas to start training young horses. It was a move that shifted Clay’s career path from professional rodeo athlete to elite cutting and reined cow horse trainer. In 2013, Clay and Smart Lookin Mate were AQHA World Champions in Junior Cutting. In 2016, Clay made a very successful cross-over into reined cow horse competition, winning the NRCHA Limited Open Snaffle Bit Futurity with Hesa Royalena. He again made a splash in 2017 by winning all three divisions the SRCHA Pre-Futurity (Open, Int Open, and Ltd Open). With a 226 in the cow work finals, Clay and SDP Hy Rey Bound secured the 2018 NRCHA Snaffle Bit Futurity Intermediate Open Championship. With Ricato Suave, Clay was the 2020 NRCHA Snaffle But Futurity Open Co-Reserve Champion and 2021 NRCHA Eastern Derby Champion. Clay continues to train both cutting and reined cow horses from his facility in Millsap, Texas, and he successfully competes in both arenas.