Massimo Bonini takes on the Halter Million with his Italian stallion
With history steeped in Western culture, the worldwide appeal of Paint Horses is undeniable. While it’s not uncommon for international fans to attend or even compete in APHA’s world championship shows with U.S.-based horses, Massimo Bonini took his Paint Horse passion one step farther. The horseman flew his stallion, BM Dakota, from Italy to Texas to compete in the 2025 APHA/WCHA Halter Million and realize a long-held dream.
Massimo grew up around horses, thanks to his father. He purchased BM Dakota as a weanling in 2021. “Dakota” is by ID Triple Kids and out of Conclusive Lucky Lady.
“I bought Dakota when he was 6 months old. I bought him because his father was a sweet, good soul—a perfect horse,” Massimo said. “So I said, ‘I’m going to buy his son.’ After he grew up, I saw that he was particularly beautiful, and I started doing shows.”
Dakota turned heads at shows across Europe, capturing gold medals in Open and Amateur halter at the 2024 APHA European Paint Horse Championship. Soon, Massimo’s dreams grew even bigger, and he set his sights on Texas.
“Everyone told me I’m a little crazy,” he laughed.
But big dreams are worth believing in. It became a pact between Massimo and Dakota: to get the stallion to Texas for the Halter Million championship and see how the stallion stacked up on American soil. Massimo spent 15 days in Texas this summer for the 2025 APHA World Championship Show. During that time, he found his way to the doorstep of Katie Forest-Schroeder, owner of Equiflight. Her company, based in nearby Collinsville, Texas, specializes in international equine transport.
“Massimo called me out of the blue one day and said, basically, ‘I’m at your gate and I want to talk to you,’ ” Katie said. “He came by and explained that he really wanted to bring a horse over to show at the Halter Million.”
World Traveler
The pair kept in touch and started putting a plan together to get Dakota to Fort Worth. Pre-flight tests were sent to a German genetics lab, flights and transports were booked, and Airbnbs were reserved. The stallion was hauled to Belgium, transported to Amsterdam and flown to Chicago, quarantined and then hauled to Fort Worth. Katie helped coordinate every step of the way.
“We can do as little or as much as people want,” Katie said. “I booked Airbnbs, we booked flights, we booked cars—basically where he can hop off the plane and everything is planned.”
Without going through a full 30-day quarantine—Dakota’s was only 48 hours in Chicago—he had to remain isolated from all other horses during his time in the U.S., except for controlled scenarios like showing. That meant secluded stalling arrangements with strict visitor control at the Halter Million, private workout times and monitoring by a USDA-accredited veterinarian. The Italian stallion’s feed couldn’t be transported into the U.S., so he had to acclimate to the closest-available local substitutes. Aside from a little bit of weight loss and reduced appetite—normal side-effects from travel—Dakota weathered the trip well, Katie says.
Finally in Fort Worth, Massimo pulled on his boots, ready to live out his “cowboy dream” with his favorite horse by his side. They showed four times during the show, which took place September 20–28, earning two WCHA championships, a reserve world championship in Amateur 3-Year-Old & Older Stallions and sixth in Open class. Massimo’s smile said it all.
“Dreams in life are everything. If one manages to put them into practice, doing them is the most beautiful thing. Life is fulfilled. Without realizing some dream, it’s not living,” he said. “Small or big, the dream must be realized, you have to try to make it happen.”
Top photo by Ruehle Photographix; candid by Jessica Hein
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About APHA
The American Paint Horse Association is the world’s second-largest international equine breed association. Since it was founded in 1962, APHA has registered more than a million horses in 59 nations and territories. APHA promotes, preserves and provides meaningful experiences with Paint Horses. Learn more at apha.com.