Tyler Merrill Guides Life By The Drop to the Top at the 2026 NRCHA Hackamore Classic

Weatherford, Texas, horseman Tyler Merrill and Holy Cow Performance Horses’ Life By The Drop (Stevie Rey Von x Sheza Dancing Diamond) captured the 2026 NRCHA Open Hackamore Classic championship July 18 at the 2026 NRCHA Hackamore Classic in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The pair earned the prestigious title after a dramatic tiebreaker and added more than $48,000 in class earnings to the mare’s résumé, pushing her lifetime earnings beyond $327,000.

“This win feels amazing,” Merrill said. “That mare has been lights out this year for us. I’m just along for the ride.”

A Championship Decided Down the Fence

Merrill and Life By The Drop finished the event tied atop the leaderboard with Jordan Williams aboard Tazzy Es Savvy (CR Gotcha Covered x Mizz Savannah Taz), each posting a cumulative score of 880.5 after the preliminaries and fence finals. Under NRCHA rules, the higher fence finals score breaks a tie, and Merrill’s 225 earned him the Open Hackamore Classic championship.

“The cows were good and we just had to do our job,” he said, also noting that Tulsa’s larger arena gives more room for maneuvering and really working the cow. “That cow came out and had a lot of feel, we put her in the right spot and made sure I got around the corner clean and went long down the arena. I love this big arena. If you use it right, it’s to your advantage.”

The 2021 mare’s championship came on the strength of consistent performances throughout the week, including scores of 213 in the rein work, 220 in the herd work and 222.5 in the preliminary fence work before her winning 225 in the fence finals.

Owned by Holy Cow Performance Horses, Life By The Drop earned $35,000 for the Open championship, $11,000 for winning the Intermediate Open and $2,500 in the Open Mare Incentive, along with additional preliminary-round earnings.

Results from the 2026 NRCHA Hackamore Classic

A New Chapter After a Futurity Title

Life By The Drop entered Merrill’s program after an already stellar start to her career. With Chris Dawson aboard, the mare won the 2024 NRCHA Snaffle Bit Futurity before being turned out to mature.

“Nancy [Crawford, owner of Holy Cow Performance Horses] called me and asked if I’d just take her and ride her and bring calves or rope on her and whatever,” Merrill said. “We just kind of started working her and worked with Chris and Sarah [Dawson] and Chris was like, ‘Man, it’s kind of meshing so why don’t you try it out?'”

The partnership quickly proved successful. Merrill and the mare returned to competition late in 2025 before winning the Intermediate Open championship at the 2026 NRCHA Derby in Scottsdale, Arizona, worth $17,000.

“We’re not putting a whole lot of pressure on her,” he said. “She won the Futurity, there’s really nothing else she needs to prove. I’m just very blessed that Chris and Nancy gave me the opportunity to ride her. It’s just been amazing.”

>>> Watch Tyler Merrill’s training program on Roping.com <<<

Grateful for the Opportunity

Despite adding another major championship to the mare’s résumé, Merrill is quick to credit the people who made the opportunity possible.

“I just told Chris, I said, ‘You ready for her back?'” Merrill said with a laugh. “That’s his horse first. It’s just been a blessing that he’s such a great guy and gave me the opportunity to go on and show her and it’s been a blessing for our family.”