Sandy Brannon / Montanas Mark leave their mark in Western $10,000 Amateur finals

Ty Cunningham / Playboys Powder Puff finish second in class

(Fort Worth, TX) — Sandy Brannon was the best of 81 entrants in the finals of the $10,000 Amateur class today at the 2002 Chevy Trucks / National Cutting Horse Association Western National Championships in Ogden, Utah.

Brannon, of San Antonio, Texas, rode her horse, Montanas Mark, for the high score of 220.5 points in the money round of the $10,000 Amateur. The horse-rider team also represented the Central Texas CHA in the $27,000 AQHA/NCHA Affiliate Challenge. Brannon’s check was the largest of the $27,241 total payout.

The Reserve title went home with Tulsa, Oklahoma, cutter Ty Cunningham. Cunningham rode Playboys Powder Puff to mark 219.5 points under the NCHA’s five-judge system at the Chevy Trucks Western Nationals. He qualified showing in the Oklahoma CHA.

The Chevy Trucks / NCHA Western National Championships are also home to the AQHA Affiliate Challenge. The Affiliate Challenge format encourages affiliates to send as many entries as they can to the Ogden cutting. In addition to the individual competition, all entrants in the show will also compete on behalf of their local NCHA Affiliate. This program, sponsored by the American Quarter Horse Association, allows NCHA affiliate organizations to earn points for their participation and success in the Chevy Trucks / NCHA Western National Championships. The AQHA provides $27,000 in prize money to the 10 affiliates that accumulate the most points during the show. Participants in the 2002 Chevy Trucks Western Nationals represent 56 NCHA affiliate clubs.

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 14,000 people and oversees more than 1,400 NCHA-approved shows with more than $26 million in total prize money awarded annually.

For more information about the NCHA, the 2002 Chevy Trucks / NCHA Western National Championships, or the sport of cutting, please call 817-244-6188 or visit www.nchacutting.com.