The NCHA Eastern National Championships wrapped up in Jackson, Mississippi on March 17, 2006.
(Fort Worth, TX)—At the conclusion of the 2006 NCHA Eastern National Championship Finals, eleven new champions were crowned.
Austin Shepard, riding Widows Intentions, owned by Jim Langdale of Quitman, GA, claimed the Open championship title with a score of 225 points. The six year-old gelding’s sire, Widows Freckles, also won the Eastern National Open championship in 2002 under Shepard.
This is the third time in the past four years that Shepard, who also won in 2003 on Uno Dos Seventyseven, has earned the title.
“I could have cut the same three cows on a lot of horses and marked a good score,” said Shepard, after the run on Widows Intention. “But not a score like that. He made something out of the situation. He’s exceptional. He broke his pelvis this time last year, and we had to lay him up for six months.” Jim Langdale also shows Widows Intentions in limited age event competition.
“I’ve had him since he was two and he’s my favorite horse that I’ve ever had, and probably always will be,” said Shepard.
Lori Rogers, riding All Night Bingo, a fourteen year-old gelding out of Bingo Hickory, claimed the Non-Pro championship title with a score of 219 points.
This was her second time to win the title. In 2003, as Lori Amaden, she and All Night Bingo won with a score of 228 points. Rogers, who qualified in this year’s finals with 214 points, drew sixth to ride in the first bunch. “I really didn’t think I was going to win it. The last time I won it, I was the last to ride. So I know it isn’t over until it’s over,” said Rogers.
All Night Bingo is the only horse Rogers has shown. Her Non-Pro title win on him in 2003 was her first major event championship. “He’s a great one,” said Rogers of her horse. “I had nice cows this time, but they weren’t exceptional. And I was tense this morning because I was the first to go. I didn’t show to the best of my ability, but it wasn’t his fault.”
$20,000 Non-Professional
Barbara Himsel, of Danville, Indiana, claimed the $20,000 Non-Pro championship title with a score of 220, riding Dellers Rey Jay.
“The first cow was a little rough,” said Himsel. “But there were still a lot of fresh cattle. My last one was definitely the moneymaker. It was fast and hard. I had 20 seconds left, but they told me to stay hooked.”
Barbara Himsel is the daughter of trainer Jim Mitchell, and sister of trainer Brad Mitchell. Himsel has shown Dellers Rey Jay, a six year-old gelding, since he was four, and won the Non-Pro Derby at the Quarter Horse Congress on him. “He’s a hard stopper and he stays down low and swoops,” she said. “And he’s cow smart and gritty. He really showed his smarts tonight.”
“It’s a challenge every day,” said Himsel, who got back into cutting three years ago. She and her husband, also a cutter, raise corn, soybeans, hogs, and cattle on their Danville farm.
$50,000 Amateur division
Blain Peerson of Live Oak, Florida, claimed the $50,000 Amateur championship title with a score of 219.5, riding Ladys Dual Peppy.
“They had three cows picked for me before we ever went down there,” said Peerson. “It seemed like every time I turned around, they were in the right position for me to be able to go in and cut them clean. That was my goal going in. I knew if I could go in and get my horse in the right position, that he would take care of me like he has all week.”
Peerson placed third in the go-round with 216.5 points, and also qualified for the $10,000 Amateur finals. “You don’t get many opportunities to draw up third in the second bunch of the Finals,” said Peerson. “It was an opportunity that I wanted to take advantage of and I just got very fortunate. On my third cow, I could feel my horse getting a little bit tired. Ben (Roberson, Peerson’s trainer) was in the corner and he kept telling me to keep riding and not let up. Fortunately, my horse kept giving me everything he had.”
The $50,000 Amateur win was the first for Peerson at a major event. He purchased five year-old Ladys Dual Peppy through trainer Sam Shepard. “He just gets better every time we ride him,” said Peerson. “He’s turned out to be everything we were looking for.”
Blain Peerson operates a large feed mill for dairy farms in the Live Oak area, and has shown pleasure horses on the Quarter horse circuit with his wife, Cindi, and daughter, Tyler, 13, who also showed at Jackson. “I sold our last pleasure horse last fall, and we’re having a blast,” said Peerson.
$10,000 Amateur
Kelly Eastburn, 19, of New Smyrna Beach, Florida, claimed the $10,000 Amateur championship title with a score of 219, riding Little Bingo Hickory.
“It was a lot of fun,” said Eastburn. “My horse was right where he needed to be. He’s been good all week. We just needed to step it up a notch and we did.” Little Bingo Hickory is an eleven year-old gelding out of Bingo Hickory, and Kelly and her stepfather, Michael Hickox, share the horse. “He gives me a lot of confidence,” Kelly said of Little Bingo Hickory. “When the cows run, he gets better and better.”
Kelly is a student at Daytona Beach Community College, and has been a youth finalist at the NCHA Summer Spectacular. She works with trainer Ted Sokol. “I think Ted has been in the corner for every single run that I’ve ever had,” said Kelly, whose mother, Erin Hickox also cuts.
$2,000 Limited Rider
Zoe Woodland of Orient, Ohio, claimed the $2,000 Limited Rider championship title with a score of 220.5. Zoe tied with Joey King for the Wayne Hodges and Outlaw Conversions trailer, but the winner must be 18 years or older, and Zoe is only 12. She has only been cutting for one year, and placed second with 216 points in the go-round.
“I was surprised that he got a better score today than he did yesterday, because I didn’t know how much better he could do,” said Zoe of eight-year old Quixote Soxs, who is her first cutting horse. Zoe has been showing horses from barrel racing to jumping since she was six years old. “Cutting is the most fun thing I’ve ever done,” she admitted. Zoe also showed the horse in Junior Youth competition.
$10,000 Novice Horse/Non-Professional
At the NCHA Eastern National Championships, WR Stuffin, owned by Brad Rogers, and shown by his son, Hardy, tied with MK Kittylena to claim the $10,000 Novice Horse/Non-Professional co-championship title. The five-year-old stallion is sired by Cattin. Hardy Rogers came to Jackson as catch-rider for his father, Brad, who had qualified WR Stuffin for the event.
“I kind of had a miss on my second cow, but I got him over there and I cut the three cows that I wanted,” said Hardy, who won the first go-round with 219 points. Brad Rogers purchased WR Stuffin at the NCHA Futurity Sales as a yearling from breeder Betsy Mecom. He trained the horse with the help of Jody Galyean, Andy Sherrerd, and Wayne Czisny, and placed fourth with him in The Non-Pro Cutting last year.
Hardy Rogers is currently in a tight race for the lead in Senior Youth World standings. He rode WR Stuffin in the $20,000 Non-Pro division at the 2005 World Championships at Amarillo, where he went from tenth to fourth in the final standings.
***
MK Kittylena, owned and shown by Jessica Fields, 21, tied with WR Stuffin for this title. The eight-year-old mare is sired by CD Olena, and Fields’ first cutting horse. Her father, David Fields, purchased the mare two years ago.
“I kind of knew I needed to ride her a little harder and spur her a little more,” said Fields. “So I just gritted my teeth a little bit and spurred, and she felt really good.” “She was trained by Winston Hansma for the NCHA Futurity and got hurt before she could be shown. She had never been shown and she had no money earnings at all. I had done reining and working cow horses and had started riding some cutting horses. But once we found her, I was pretty much hooked. She kind of got me addicted to it. We’ve been learning together and she’s taught me how to ride to suit her. She’s the good one. I am just the jockey,” said Fields.
Fields attends massage therapy school in her hometown of Bowling Green, Kentucky, and keeps MK Kittylena at home, working the mare herself. “I don’t have a trainer,” she said. “I get help from a lot of different trainers. They give me lots of advice on what to do, then I go home and do it myself. Nothing’s broke, so I’m not going to pay to fix it, yet.”
$3,000 Novice Horse
Pepto Mania, ridden Joey King and owned by Gary Hinshaw of Estill Fork, Alabama, was the winner of the $3,000 Novice Horse championship title. The six-year-old stallion is sired by Peptoboonsmal.
“I knew my first cow was pretty tough and my horse was going to have to really bear down and hold it,” said King, who also tied for third place on Jos Smart Alazan. Gary Hinshaw purchased Pepto Mania as a two-year old, and King has had the horse for the last two years. “He hadn’t done much before I got him,” said King. “But we’ve shown him at a good many weekend shows and I guess our time finally came.”
“He’s the best one we’ve had so far,” said Hinshaw, who has been cutting for about five years. “We’ve had some hard luck at aged events, but we’ve been really close. His first baby was born last Sunday, so everything seems to be coming together.”
$10,000 Novice Horse
Smart Lil Jewel, ridden by Zeke Entz and owned by Brad Spence of Collierville, Tennessee, won the $10,000 Novice Horse championship title. Smart Lil Jewel showed Wednesday with a 221-point win. The six-year-old gelding is sired by Lenas Jewel Bars.
“My first cow was really controllable, but the second cow was wild and going a lot of places,” said Entz, who drew to ride in the middle of the first bunch. “I couldn’t quite get a good feel on that cow, but as it kept going it got better and better. We actually had it broke down a little bit by the end. The third cow I really liked,” Entz added. “I think it was the cow that made it a winning run with a good strong finish.”
Entz purchased Smart Lil Jewel as a yearling from the horse’s breeders, Rees and Nicole Freeman, at the NCHA Futurity Sales. Later, Entz sold the gelding to Spence, who owns the facility where Entz trains.
“This horse was really wild when he was young,” noted Entz. “It just took him a while to get smart about a cow and consistent. Away from home, he’d stop so big, the next thing I’d know, he’d be sitting on his butt and would have to jump up out of the ground to try and catch the cow. I didn’t get a lot done with him at four, but last year he came on good and he’s turned out to be a really neat pony.”
Entz, who was co-champion in the 2002 Eastern Nationals $3,000 Novice division on Hannahs Gold Lena, tied for second on Smart Lil Jewel in the first go-round with 220 points. The pair also tied for fifth in the $3,000 Novice.
Lauren Minshall,15, of Ontario, Canada, claimed the Senior Youth championship title with a score of 220, riding Suggies Travlin.
Lauren scored 208 points to qualify for the finals of the Senior Youth class. “I was surprised that 208 made it,” she said. “But Zeke (Entz) told me there was a reason, and that I had a chance to redeem myself.”
Riding Suggies Travlin, Lauren cut three cows, but earned her title with the last two, which were reruns that she cut for shape. “My first cow was one that we picked and it was fresh, but it wasn’t one that really showed my horse,” she admitted. “My mare loves to go and stop really hard and come back. My second cow really made her try hard and it showed her off the best.”
Lauren started cutting with Zeke Entz and daughter, Katlyn, seven years ago. Zeke trained Suggies Travlin, and Lauren stays with the Entz’s in Collierville,Tennessee every summer, traveling to cutting events with them. Cutting is a family tradition for Lauren, whose grandfather, Aubrey, was the first Minshall to cut, followed by her father, Shawn, and mother, Lisa.
Katlyn Entz, 14, of Collierville, Tennessee, claimed the Junior Youth championship title with a score of 224, riding Smart Lil Jewel, owned by Brad Spence, also of Collierville.
Smart Lil Jewel, a six year-old gelding sired by Lenas Jewels Bars, also won the $10,000 Novice class under Zeke Entz, Katlyn’s father, and tied for fifth in the $3,000 Novice class. Katlyn loped the horse before Zeke’s performances.
“My dad told me to relax and breathe,” said Katlyn, who has been a finalist at the Championships several times, but has never won a buckle. “We had every cow that I worked picked out, and they were good. The adrenaline starts pumping. I felt like I wanted to smile so big, but I needed to concentrate. My horse and I just got more together with the cow and with each other towards the end of the run. He’s awesome,” she said.
Katlyn had scored 215 points to advance to the finals. She finished third last year in the event, riding Young Guns Classic.
The sport of cutting has roots in Western ranching traditions, where good horses were a necessity for everyday ranch work and cattle handling. The National Cutting Horse Association was formed in 1946 by a group of cowboys and ranchers, who wanted to promote cutting competition, standardize rules and preserve the cutting horses' Western heritage. Today, the Fort Worth-based NCHA represents over 16,000 people and oversees more than 2,200 NCHA-approved shows with more than $35 million in total prize money awarded annually. For more information about the NCHA or the sport of cutting, please call 817-244-6188 or visit www.nchacutting.com.