Tuff to Beat: Five Woody Be Tuff Offspring Make the 2025 Open Snaffle Bit Futurity Finals
- Melanie Smith
- Oct 15
- 4 min read
Woody Be Tuff is the ultimate outcross.
The first Solo Select-bred crop of Woody Be Tuff offspring is already proving why this legendary stallion remains one of the most influential sires in the reined cow horse industry with five offspring have advanced to the Open Snaffle Bit Futurity Finals.
Purchasing Woody In 2022: A Bold Move That Paid Off
Another gut feeling right there. When Solo Select and Kaleb Terlip purchased Woody Be Tuff in December of 2021, it was more than a business decision: they knew they needed to have him.
“We’d always been big fans of Woody,” said Melanie Smith. “We had personal ties to the Crumpler family [Woody Be Tuff's breeders], and when Kaleb called and said, ‘Either you partner with me or I’m buying him,’ we knew we couldn’t pass it up.”
The stallion market was evolving rapidly, and the $1.2 million price tag made headlines. Some called it gutsy. Others online called it insane. But Solo Select called it the right move.
Melanie, Ty and Kaleb saw what others didn’t: a once-in-a-generation sire who could raise the standard across all industries.
“Buying Woody at twenty years old, that was a little risky” Smith said. “But we felt like he could do it. We bought him, rebranded him, marketed and built a program around him. Kaleb has been an amazing partner. This is a whole new generation of Woody that is entering the show pen.”
Since Solo Select bought him, Woody Be Tuff has been booked full every year.
He crosses effortlessly on High Brow Cat, Metallic Cat, and Peptoboonsmal daughters, producing foals that are well-built, have size with a lot of cow sense.
With over $14.5 million in progeny earnings, his largest foal crop will only be three-year-olds in 2026.
“He books in a second,” said Melanie Smith. “We’ve had to close the books every year. The demand is incredible.”
Finally, Woody Be Tuff represents the perfect blend of athleticism, size, and versatility. His foals are big and strong enough for any discipline for the highest levels of competition.
“They’re just so consistent,” Smith said. “Cutting trainers, cowhorse people, ropers, they all love them. They have the bone, the structure, and the mind to be so incredibly versatile.”
Meet the 2025 Open Snaffle Bit Futurity Finalists
Woody Be Tuff’s influence has already reached the sport’s highest levels. He has previously sired an NRCHA Open Futurity Champion, Zak34, and now, his next wave of contenders has arrived.
Among this year’s five Open Finalists, Tuff Reys has already proven himself by capturing the Open Futurity Championship at the Southern Reined Cowhorse Futurity in Louisiana earlier this year.
Together, these five horses represent the best bloodlines, trainers, and programs in the business in the reined cow horse industry:
TUFF REYS
Woody Be Tuff × Reys Stressin Melody
Owner: Kathy Gentry
Breeder: Wagonhound Land & Livestock LLC
Rider: Cayley R. Wilson
THINK UR TUFF
Woody Be Tuff × Royal Red Brow
Owner: Greg Steckel
Breeder: Center Ranch
Rider: Garrett Cooper
GUNNA B SMART N TUFF
Woody Be Tuff × Gunnie Be A Smartie
Owner: McSpyder Ranch
Breeder: McSpyder Ranch
Rider: Todd A. Bergen
TUFFEST CAT
Woody Be Tuff × Lil Sally Cat
Owner: Jack & Zan Peat
Breeder: Moncrief Quarter Horses LLC
Rider: Clayton M. Edsall
GR A LITTLE BIT MORE
Woody Be Tuff × CSR Lay Down Sally
Owner: Gursky Horse & Cattle Company
Breeder: Meredith Graber
Rider: Sarah L. Dawson
Elite Mares, Exceptional Crosses
It’s not just about Woody Be Tuff, it’s about a breeding program built on precision, vision, and excellence in mare power. This year’s finalists aren’t simply the product of one great stallion; they’re the result of intentional crosses on some of the most elite female bloodlines in the industry.
Fully booked for 2025 and already drawing the attention of top breeders for 2026, Woody’s program continues to focus on producing open-caliber foals with the structure, presence, and talent to succeed at the highest levels.
At Solo Select, it’s never about chance, it’s about strategy. Woody Be Tuff’s success comes from the same commitment to excellence and smart genetic planning: driven by results across the board.
Gunna Be A Smartie, 2021 NRCHA World’s Greatest Horseman Champion.
Lil Sally Cat, producer of over $500,000 and dam of Mr Playin Stylish.
CSR Lay Down Sally, Open Snaffle Bit Futurity finalist with LTE of $239,000+.
Solo Select’s approach in its first year owning Woody was clear: partner with the best mare owners in the business to create the next generation of winners.
The result? Vision meets execution with five Open Finalists.
The Beginning Of A New Tuff Era
Today, Woody Be Tuff doesn’t look his age. At 24, he steps out of his stall like a young horse, thriving in the comfort of his custom air-conditioned barn at Solo Select.
“He’s been so good to us,” said Smith. “He’ll live a happy life here, and he deserves it. We love getting to share him with everyone still, but if it was all over tomorrow - he doesn't owe us a thing. He will live out his life here with everything he could ever want.”
From record-setting sale seasons to futurity finals, Woody’s story and the one of his offspring has entered a new era: one built on belief, partnership, and faith in a horse that just keeps proving everyone right.
The next horse you buy might just need to be a Woody.
Which, by the way, there are a few in NRCHA Western Bloodstock Sale next Friday and Saturday in Fort Worth.
For the 2025 breeding season, Woody will stand with fresh and frozen semen available, along with an exclusive ICSI offer—no payment required until your recipient mare is confirmed in foal.
