CO-OWNER

The breeding program is headquartered at Redbud Ranch in Cleveland, Oklahoma. The ranch, originally a registered cattle operation owned by Debbie’s father, was founded in 1948 and has remained within the family since then. No longer a cattle operation, Debbie now utilizes the ranch for the horse breeding operation, raising foals until they reach late yearling age, at which time they are placed in early training. Being raised on a cattle ranch provided Debbie with the opportunity to appreciate the mindset and capabilities of a working cow horse from an early age. She essentially grew up on horseback and her love and appreciation for the talents of a good cow horse has stayed with her throughout her life. Those sentiments are what drew her to cow horse competition. Her personal focus has always been the NRCHA events because, in her opinion, those events make honest use of a cow horse, allowing the horse to showcase its natural abilities while also providing the platform for a horse to fully develop its skills through utilization of vaquero methods. Once its show career ends, the horse is typically well-trained and capable of being used in a multitude of different ways which is a satisfying outcome in Debbie’s view.

CO-OWNER

A native Californian, Lori was born in Santa Barbara. She grew up learning horsemanship from her father and was exposed to the California bridle horse and vaquero training traditions from the beginning of her life. Later, the family would move to northern California where Lori began to compete in local shows. Utilizing the working ranch horses trained by her father, she was soon competing in nearly every event available at the AQHA shows in the Pacific Northwest.  Her personal and professional life would take her away from the ranch world for many years, but in 2020, Lori decided to make a shift from showing cats and rekindle her love for cow horses, this time associating herself with BJ Avila, a professional horse trainer and NRCHA competitor, who is also the son of her childhood horse friends. Together they took Metallics Little Lena, to the finals of the Snaffle Bit Futurity in 2021, and they have actively competed in NRCHA events since then. It was through BJ that Lori became acquainted with Debbie, who also utilized BJ has a horse trainer. The association of these three people and their shared involvement in NRCHA competition have led them to jointly own many of the show horses and has provided the impetus for the creation of Redbud Performance Horses. 

TRAINER

BJ Avila’s training operation is based in Scottsdale, Arizona. As the son of the legendary Bob Avila, BJ was provided exceptional insight and exposure to performance horses at an early age. Fueled by the experience gained from that opportunity, BJ carved his own career path in the performance horse industry, having worked with numerous leading cow horse trainers, past and present. Today, he is an accomplished trainer in his own right. His primary focus is training the reined cow horse, where he prepares horses for competition in NRCHA events.  He also works with non-pro riders, helping them to refine their riding and competitive skills. Although he does not train exclusively for Redbud, he is considered an integral part of the operation, helping select, develop and train the horses which Redbud either acquires or breeds, all with his input and direction. He also has partial ownership in several of the Redbud training prospects. 

HORSE THERAPIST AND MEDIA COORDINATOR

Christi is BJ’s fiancé and soon-to-be wife. She is an accomplished horse person in her own right, competing in NRCHA classes with her own horses.  She is also a well-known and active presence at major NRCHA events with her cryotherapy business, providing therapeutic services to horses in competition. When she is not personally competing or performing therapy services on horses, Christi is busy helping BJ prepare horses for the show arena. And if that isn’t enough, Christi also handles all of the social media postings for BJ and Redbud.  Needless to say she is a much-appreciated resource making vital contributions to the entire team.

RANCH MANAGER

Morgynn McCurry has worked at the ranch and for Debbie since 2017. While her initial tasks were basic upkeep and care for the horses, those responsibilities have expanded as the horse operation has grown and the breeding program has taken on more definition and purpose. Raising the foals, teaching them basic skills, and preparing them for transition to training is now her primary focus. When not working at the ranch, Morgynn also owns and operates a petting zoo, comprised of a menagerie of animals which she takes to local functions in the area.

V.P. OF TRANSPORTATION, IT, VET ASSISTANT, CHIEF MECHANIC and EMERGENCY RESPONDER (of sorts)

Masen McCurry, Morgynn’s brother, has worked at the ranch for six years while completing his studies in Animal Science at Oklahoma State University. He is currently making application for Veterinary Medicine at Oklahoma State where he hopes to begin studies in the fall of 2026. In the meantime, Masen works at the local vet clinic as well as at the ranch where he performs many tasks (as evidenced by his title). Talented and skilled in many disciplines, Masen performs many tasks that are necessary to keep a horse operation functioning properly.