One day last fall, while shopping for farm supplies, Matt and Beth Gouthro, owners of BMG Show Horses in Staunton, Virginia received an unusual phone call. “The caller, Rebecca Rogers Nelson, explained she had found our website while searching the internet and thought I would make a good double for the lead actress in the riding scenes in a movie she was producing.”

Rogers Nelson explained that she had written the screenplay for the movie Texas Rein, a family drama based on the novel of the same name, authored by Becky Rodgers Boyette. The story tells the life of lead character, Cassie Roberts, an ex-rodeo queen turned single mom. Cassie receives an urgent call from her sick father asking her to return to her hometown of Summerville, Texas – the last place on earth she wants to go.

Cassie discovers it is the opportunity to put things right while helping her father pursue his dream of entering prize winning Quarter Horse, Splash, in the upcoming Olympic games, the first to include reining.  With the hope of Olympic Gold, Cassie wants to be the rider and with the help of horse trainer, Chase Eversoll, all their dreams just might come true.

Intrigued by the plot, Beth agreed to read the script and consider a role as stunt double. While reading the screenplay, she couldn’t resist feeling a connection with the young woman, Cassie, an experienced horsewoman.

Like lead character Cassie, Beth was raised in a horse family and competed regularly. While Cassie’s experiences were in the rodeo arena, Beth’s spanned open and 4-H shows, gaited Saddlebreds, Paints and Quarter Horses.

“I had a blast doing every discipline. I was one of those kids happy to be at the barn,” Beth says, “and the whole family trail rode on the weekends.” After high school she spent time working as a wrangler at The Hideout at Flitner Ranch in Shell, Wyoming before heading back east to work as assistant trainer for Steve Meadows.

The more Beth thought about it, the more she knew it was imperative she convince Rogers Nelson the woman cast as Cassie needed to be a horse person. “There are so many scenes when Cassie is working around horses, at shows, at the barn or schooling, that I was thinking, geez they really need a horse person to make it look authentic,” she says.

Surprising even herself, Beth suggested that she be the one to play Cassie.

“I emailed Becky back and said you might think I’m crazy, but I’m Cassie,” Beth explains, “I told her there were so many things that Cassie was dealing with in her life that hit a spot with me.”

Skeptical at first because of Beth’s lack of acting experience, Rogers Nelson was hesitant to consider the idea, but agreed to meet her at the Gouthro’s farm. The meeting would be an opportunity for Rogers Nelson to see the property, which had previously been suggested as a filming location for several scenes in the movie.

Though Rogers Nelson knew what Beth looked like from photos on the website, she was stunned at how much Beth looked like Cassie when she got the opportunity to meet her in person. “God orchestrated this so beautifully,” Rogers Nelson says, “to find a world class rider who could possibly play the lead role and is located within two hours of us is phenomenal.”

While Beth had been the one to suggest being cast as Cassie, she didn’t understand why Rogers Nelson and author Rodgers Boyette were ecstatic. “I didn’t really get it until I saw the cover of the book,” Beth says, “I looked just like Cassie.” Even Cole, the Gouthro’s 3-year-old son understood. “He saw the book sitting in the house and said, ‘that’s my mommy,’” Beth chuckles.

“We worked with Beth quite a bit before offering her the role,” Rogers Nelson says, “we knew she looked the part and had the riding experience, but we had to make sure she could play the role.”

Beth still rehearses weekly and receives acting lessons.

“Becky brings acting exercises for me to rehearse with,” she said, “but I’ve found when I’m just myself and put myself in Cassie’s situation it comes out naturally.”

Despite Beth’s diverse riding experiences, her role in the movie gives her the opportunity to ride top-notch reining horses, a discipline she hasn’t yet ridden.

“I am really excited to work with Mike McEntire and that he will be providing reining horses for the key riding scenes. It will be something different for me and I’ll get to ride some good reiners,” she says.

McEntire’s 2009 AQHA Stallion, Oreo Cookie Whiz, has been cast as Splash, the Olympic hopeful in the movie.

“Everyone at Mike McEntire Reining Horses is thrilled and excited that Oreo Cookie Whiz will be the star of Texas Rein,” McEntire says, “he is a special individual and we feel he will represent reining at the highest level.”

Filming is scheduled to begin this May and last through June, coinciding with a typically a busy point in the show season.

The Gouthro’s family, friends and clients don’t seem to mind, they’re equally excited about Beth’s role in the movie and the potential for witnessing the makings of the movie while scenes are shot on the property. Friends and family may even have the opportunity to serve as extras in larger scenes in the movie.

“I’m trying to convince Matt to be an extra rider, but he doesn’t even like to have his picture taken,” she laughs.

Filming the final scene will be particularly meaningful for Becky as it will include close family friend, Jimmy Fortune, known as the tenor for legendary the Statler Brothers.

“He was a good friend of my step-father and sang around our campfire every weekend,” Beth reminisces. He has even offered to write a song for the movie, which is hoped to be featured in the closing scene.

Balancing a thriving business, motherhood and rehearsals leaves Beth time for little else.

“They (Rogers Nelson and Beautiful Feet Productions) have been really respectful that I have a business and that I have a lot to keep up with and balance between this, my family and the business,” she says.

Beth remains committed to the business she and Matt established in 2000 in Alabama. In a little more than a year, the duo transformed a riding lesson program and a herd of 2-year-olds into a show crew that earned a reserve championship and top ten placings at the All American Quarter Horse Congress. The following year, they had two more Congress champions. From there on BMG continued to turn out competitive horses and riders and continued earning prizes at the top AQHA and PHBA shows.

The couple relocated their business in 2006 to Beth’s hometown in Virginia. They welcomed their son, Cole, to the family in 2010. Today they specialize in coaching youth and amateur riders and training horses for the highest level of competition. BMG Show Horses has trained numerous world champions, congress champions, top ten finishers, futurity winners, circuit champions, superior horses and AQHA honor roll high point horses.

Beth has been blessed with a lifetime of good horses. “I’ve been really lucky to have the privilege to ride a lot of talented horses,” she said. Hesitant to name any in particular, she admits Huntin Buddy, Art I Detailed and BMG Can’t Touch This top the list.

Huntin Buddy and Art I Detailed have always given their all and know when to turn it up a notch. The two have garnered top finishes at the All American Quarter Horse Congress and World Championship Shows. Equally talented and accomplished BMG Can’t Touch This is even more dear to Beth and Matt as the mare faithfully packs Cole around without a misstep.

“I’m really excited and I hope the movie does well,” Beth concluded, “I don’t know where any of this will lead. I’m open to anything. We have our business and that’s where I’m grounded.”

The movie release is planned for Summer 2015. Texas Rein is the first in a trilogy. Based on the success of Texas Rein, Beth is expected to also play Cassie in the movie versions of Tropic Rein and Christmas Rein as well.

For additional information about the production of Texas Rein visit the producer’s website www.beautifulfeetproductions.com or the movie’s Facebook page.

Author of Texas Rein the novel can be found at http://brboyette.com/.

For more information about Beth and Matt Gouthro and BMG Show Horses visit http://bmgshowhorses.com.