Markus Schopfer, born in 1965, in one of the very first pioneers of the cow horse discipline in Europe. Well known and successful professional trainer of reining, cutting and cow horse, Markus started to act in this discipline since the early beginning in the year 2001, when cow horse was first brought to Italy thanks to the innovating ideas of Maurizio Di Simone. Schopfer was therefore one of the founders of the Europen Reined Cow Horse Association. . As a professional rider, he had achieved all the top titles in all the cow horse event he took part in: Schopfer is multiple ERCHA Futurity Open Champion and Reserve Champion, Multiple Ercha Derby champion and Reserve: he never missed a single Ercha Special Events and Show, all over Europe, collecting all the most prestigious titles and trophies more than once in his career. He has LTE over usd 307.000 in Nrcha, 170.000 in Nrha, and 28.000 in NCHA shows. He is the President of Ercha since 2006, and he has always been part of the association Board of directors, since its foundation.
‘Ercha has grown constantly in the last years, and we are always working on the development of the association and the promotion of this exciting discipline. For the new year 2022, we will work in order to find new, nice locations for the Ercha shows in Europe, in order to organize competitions with high Added money and nice prices.

Augusto De Fazio, better known with his nickname Otto, is a 49 year old sales representative, and he is riding in western disciplines since 1997. In 2005 he started showing in cow horse, under the supervising and training of Markus Schopfer, and since 2010 he became active part in the Ercha Board Of directors. Since the year 2017, he’s also Secretary of the association, and plays a major role in the organisation of all ERCHA shows and activities. Being also Cow Horse Judge, in 2017 he had the great opportunity to see and judge several cow horse competitions, which allowed him to have a clear overall idea of the discipline level, all over Europe. ‘I saw a great increase in interest for cow horse in many countries of the Easter Europe, such as Czech Republic, Poland and especially in France, where the quality of cow horses and riders have growth sensibly. Therefore, personally, I would like to continue to help these countries to develop cow horse, and improve their quality of the discipline, and also to let other countries know and love cow horse as we do, through the work of ERCHA.

Peter Trixner, Born in 1960 Klagenfurt, Austria.
In the first period of my life I was involved in the development of important real estate’s projects, such as residential complexes and hotels, but my secret passion has always been horses and cows.
So I decided to spend the second period of my life as a breeder and started to build the Okami Ranch.
With the establishment of the ranch, the horses, that I dedicated myself to as a teenager, have returned to my life, only this time in connection with the cows. About 9 years ago I ended up in the reined cow horse scene, which has become my greatest passion in the meantime.
The fact that I later ended up at ercha was preprogrammed.
In the meanwhile ERCHA has taken an important place in my life.
Here I have made many friends with whom I can share my passion. As a thank you, OKAMI RANCH started a collaboration with ERCHA three years ago, the content of which is support in the context of sponsorship.
The inclusion on the board of directors is a special honor for me and also a stimulus to continue supporting our small but very exclusive ERCHA family, with the youthful and non-professional scene in particular at the center, because they are undoubtedly the core of a strong ERCHA and also to secure the future of our beloved cow horse sport.

Mauro Taccia was born in Cervignano del Friuli in 1966, and he’s an experienced horses and livestock breeder, in his own facility, and also a professional farrier. He is the perfect ranchman, with a great passion for horses, and cow horses in particular. He started his interest in cow horse in the ‘80s, following the discipline in the States, and he was among the first promoters and founders of the Europen Reined Cow Horse Association, together with Maurizio Di Simone. ‘ I remember when I met with Maurizio during the 1998 OKC Futurity, at the NRCHA stand in OKC, and there we started to think about a project of bringing cow horse in our home country’ told Taccia. In 2001, there was the first cow horse clinic with Grisha Ludwig, sponsored and organized by Arcese QH, and thereafter the very first cow horse Event in Italy was organized, in the old arena of Manerbio. Taccia has been involved in Ercha since then, and he is also Nrcha Judge One A. Taccia is also an experienced rider, who shows the horses he breeds and train, to increase their skills and potential. He is Aqha Congress Futurity Champion and has been showing horses in cow horse, reining and Aqha shows in his whole life. ‘In the last few years the interest in cow horse has grown up quickly, also at a regional level. ERCHA is working to maintain its European and International identity, thus giving space and possibility to learn and show also to riders at a regional level. The final goal for the year 2022 is to spread over France, Spain and other European countries, and at this stage, the idea of the NATION CUP is great: the final aim is to have a show for experienced and finished horses, and this will lead to a better attention to horses, in order to have them fit and sound thru their all life, not only for Special Events, but also afterwards, as elite cow horses, well broken and trained, ridden one hand in bridle.

Maurizio Di Simone, lives in the province of Bergamo, is a professional Media Marketing promoter and Equine Semen Supplier of the best stallions overseas in his business INFOAL PARTNERS. Expert in Marketing, computer graphics (creator of the best and most famous horse and breeder logos in Europe), visual communication and production of corporate VIDEO for the equestrian industry and more, see the MEDIA SCENE website www.mediascene.info. He has been working as a professional in the equine sector since 1990. Maurizio can be considered the “father” of the cow horse in Europe. Driven by his own interest and passion, he began to ask information about the cow horse to the NRCHA, at their stand during the Oklahoma NRHA Futurity in 1998, where he met Mauro Taccia, with whom he discovered that he shared the same interest in this particular discipline. In 1999, I organized the first Cow Horse Futurity in Europe in Germany with the support of Leonardo Arcese and since then, with the collaboration of Leonardo Arcese, Grisha Ludwig,
and other passionate professionals such as Markus Schoepfer, the path of ERCHA has been traced. “Something new was needed in Europe, the Reined Cow Horse fascinated me immediately in 1998, for the spectacular nature of the discipline but above all for the history and tradition, primary foundation linked to the Vaquera tradition and the respect of the training phases that characterize the REINED COW HORSE horse, training phases that lead to the formation of exceptional BRIDLE HORSES. I have always followed ERCHA since the beginning, being one of the founders of the association” says Di Simone. ‘Then, thanks to the action of some great trainers and professional riders, like Markus Schopfer, Ricky Nicolazzi, Mauro Taccia, the energy of the association and the discipline started to attract many more people, and contributed to increasing the number of members and cow horse enthusiasts’, Di Simone said. ‘I also took care of the creation of the exclusive Ercha logo and the development of Ercha merchandising, as a way to spread the cow horse style and a symbol of belonging: ERCHA is a family, something people want to be part of, something that has to do with great horses, great sport, passion and great fun. This is what we will work on: developing throughout Europe the sense of belonging across all riders, breeders and cow horse enthusiasts, being open to less experienced riders at a regional level, without losing the European identity and the high level for experienced riders.