Play Mia CD / Carl Gerwein a hit in Western $10,000 Novice Non-Pro finals

Jazzy Chance /Kim Chamberlain next in line for Reserve

(Fort Worth, TX) — There was sweet music in the air when Carl Gerwein rode Play Mia CD to the herd in the finals of the $10,000 Novice Non-Pro division at the 2002 Chevy Trucks / National Cutting Horse Association Western National Championships in Ogden, Utah.

Gerwein, of Nanton, Alberta, Canada, rode Play Mia CD for 225 points and the championship win at the year-end weekend show. His was the largest check in the class, which paid a total of $25,751 and began with 74 entries. Gerwein represented the Alberta CHA in the AQHA/NCHA Affiliate Challenge program.

The Reserve Champion in the class was the pair of Jazzy Chance and Kimberly Chamberlain. Chamberlain, of Skull Valley, Arizona, rode Jazzy Chance for 223 points in the finals, for a hefty lead over the remainder of the field. She rode for the Las Vegas 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.