Jim Reno (1929–2008) was a bronze sculptor who focused his artistic abilities on western themes and famous horses, such as

Secretariat Secretariat may refer to: * Secretariat (administrative office) * Secretariat (horse) Secretariat (March 30, 1970 – October 4, 1989), also known as Big Red, was a champion American thoroughbred horse racing, racehorse who is the ninth winne ...

. Reno's most notable sculpture is titled ''Secretariat—31 Lengths'' which is on display at the National Museum of Racing at

Saratoga Springs, New York Saratoga Springs is a city in Saratoga County, New York, United States. The population was 28,491 at the 2020 census. The name reflects the presence of mineral springs in the area, which has made Saratoga a popular resort destination for over 2 ...

. He was also commissioned in 1973 by Secretariat's owner Penny Chenery (Tweedy) to sculpt a life-size bronze of the horse for the

Kentucky Horse Park Kentucky Horse Park is a working horse farm, international equestrian competition venue, and an educational theme park opened in 1978 in Lexington, Kentucky. It is located off Kentucky State Highway 1973 (Iron Works Pike) and Interstate 75, at Exi ...

Lexington, Kentucky Lexington is a city in Kentucky, United States that is the county seat of Fayette County, Kentucky, Fayette County. By population, it is the List of cities in Kentucky, second-largest city in Kentucky and List of United States cities by popul ...

. Reno also sculpted

Dash For Cash Dash For Cash (April 17, 1973May 20, 1996) was an American Quarter Horse racehorse and an influential sire in the Quarter Horse breed. Racing career Dash For Cash won $507,688 during his career and was the Racing World Champion in 1976 and 1 ...

, cattleman Charles Goodnight, Comanche Indian Chief Quannah Parker, and many other depictions of legendary people and horses. Reno raised and trained cutting horses, and competed in NCHA cutting horse events. He served two terms as president of the NCHA, served twenty-one years on the NCHA executive committee, and was inducted into the

NCHA Members Hall of Fame NCHA Members Hall of Fame was established in 1977 by the National Cutting Horse Association (NCHA) to honor those members who have demonstrated "through their own efforts and those of the horses they raise" over a period time, their dedication to ...

Early life

Reno grew up in

New Castle, Indiana New Castle is a city in Henry County, Indiana, east-northeast of Indianapolis, on the Big Blue River. The city is the county seat of Henry County. New Castle is home to New Castle Fieldhouse, the largest high school gymnasium in the world. Th ...

in a single parent home. When Jim was only five, his father deserted the family, forcing his mother to work in an auto factory to support her two boys. At age 7, Reno got a job mucking stalls at the county fairgrounds, which is when he first developed an affinity for horses. As a teenager, Reno's life was already taking shape with the support of school teachers who took an interest in him, including one teacher who recognized his artistic talent as a sculptor. Reno took a woodcarving class in high school, and carved a Hereford cow that he contributed to his agriculture class so his classmates could use it as a model to learn how to judge beef cattle. That woodcarving inspired his teacher to enter it in the state competition, which Jim ended up winning. That same teacher helped him get a scholarship to the

Herron School of Art and Design Herron School of Art and Design, officially IU Herron School of Art and Design, is a public art school at Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) in Indianapolis, Indiana. It is a professional art school and has been accredited ...

in Indianapolis. After graduating from high school, he attended Herron School of Art on a six-week trial scholarship which developed into a full scholarship. He received his degree in 1952, and headed west for a job interview with

The Walt Disney Company The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...

in California, but because of his strong desire to be in Texas, he ended-up in Houston instead. Sculpting opportunities were few, so he started training horses, and did some sculpting on the side.

Cutting horses

Reno was an owner, trainer and breeder of

cutting horse A cutting horse is a stock horse, typically an American Quarter Horse, bred and trained for cutting, a modern equestrian competition requiring a horse and rider to separate a single cow from a herd of cattle and prevent it from getting back to th ...

s for about 30 years; he retired in 1995. He and his wife, Mary Jo, owned the cutting horse stallion Shorty Lena by Doc O'Lena and out of Moira Girl. The first winning cutting horse Reno trained was an Arabian mare named "Madida". She earned the title Horse of the Year for the Gulf Coast Cutting Horse Association. Reno earned a total of $94,037.34 in lifetime earnings in the NCHA. In 1975, he was elected to serve on the Executive Committee of the

National Cutting Horse Association The National Cutting Horse Association (or NCHA) is a non-profit equestrian organization headquartered in the US. Their primary purpose is to promote and sponsor cutting events. He was inducted into the

in 1990.

Sculptures

His work as a sculptor is wide-ranging, and can be seen in collections of individuals, businesses, the

White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in 1800. ...

permanent collection, and museums around the world. Among his most notable sculptures is the life-size statue of

, the Triple Crown winner affectionately known as "Big Red". The statue is located at the Maker’s Mark Secretariat Center in the

in Lexington. Reno also sculptured the life-size bronze statue of the race horse

, an

American Quarter Horse The American Quarter Horse, or Quarter Horse, is an American breed of horse that excels at sprinting short distances. Its name is derived from its ability to outrun other horse breeds in races of a quarter mile or less; some have been clocked at s ...

trained by

Bubba Cascio Charles William Cascio (August 7, 1932 – November 2, 2022), better known as Bubba Cascio or C. W. Cascio, was an American race horse trainer, and two-time winner of the All American Futurity, having won in 1968 with Three Oh's, and again in 19 ...

, and ridden by jockey Jerry Nicodemus. The memorial was inspired by a photograph of Nicodemus astride the horse after winning the 1976 Champion of Champions race at

Los Alamitos Race Course Los Alamitos Race Course is a horse racing track in Cypress, California. The track hosts both thoroughbred and quarter horse racing. The track has the distinction of holding four quarter horse stakes races with purses over $1 million, more than a ...

. The AQHA considers it "the sport's richest and most prestigious race for older horses." The statue is located in front of the

American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame & Museum The American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame and Museum was created by the American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA), based in Amarillo, Texas. Ground breaking construction of the Hall of Fame Museum began in 1989. The distinction is earned by people and ...

. The ashes of Dash for Cash are buried at the foot of the statue. Among his many accolades, Reno was named Texas Artist of the Year (1997–1998) by the Texas State Art Commission.

Senate Resolution 737

SENATE RESOLUTION 737 - April 26, 1999 Senator Lindsay offered the following resolution: WHEREAS, The Senate of the State of Texas takes pleasure in congratulating Jim Reno of Kerrville on the honor of his being named the Texas State Artist for 1997-1998 in three-dimensional media; and WHEREAS, Mr. Reno is renowned for his expertise as a cutting horse trainer and competitor and world renowned for his bronze statues of horses and historic Texans; he lives his art, and as a result, his art is imbued with a unique spark of life and authenticity; and WHEREAS, During his 50 years of sculpting, Jim Reno has created 15 monumental statues, which include figures of Charles Goodnight, Robert Justus Kleberg, Jr., and

Quanah Parker Quanah Parker (Comanche ''kwana'', "smell, odor") ( – February 23, 1911) was a war leader of the Kwahadi ("Antelope") band of the Comanche Nation. He was likely born into the Nokoni ("Wanderers") band of Tabby-nocca and grew up among the Kwah ...

; and WHEREAS, He has, in addition, created numerous smaller limited edition pieces, which include bronzes of Indians, cowboys, longhorns, horses, and rodeo and ranch depictions; and WHEREAS, Jim Reno's passion for Texas history and the western culture as it is reflected in his art has brought joy to a generation of Texans; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas, 76th Legislature, hereby extend congratulations to Jim Reno for being named the Texas State Artist for 1997-1998 in three-dimensional media; and, be it further RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution be prepared for Mr. Reno as an expression of the gratitude and high regard of the Texas Senate. The resolution was read. On motion of Senator Wentworth and by unanimous consent, the names of the Lieutenant Governor and Senators were added to the resolution as signers thereof. On motion of Senator Lindsay, the resolution was adopted by a viva voce vote.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Reno, Jim 1929 births 2008 deaths American horse trainers Equine artists 20th-century American sculptors NCHA Hall of Fame (members) 21st-century American sculptors People from Wheeling, West Virginia