Janice Eaton / Pinch Of Doc mark 219 to win Western $2,000 Limit Rider finals

Kim Buckmaster and Laura Fenimore tie for class Reserve

(Fort Worth, TX) — The 2002 Chevy Trucks / National Cutting Horse Association Western National Championships’ $2,000 Limit Rider Champion is Janice Eaton of Merritt, British Columbia, Canada.

Eaton rode Pinch Of Doc, a horse owned by she and her husband, Dan. In the finals, Janice and Pinch Of Doc outscored 26 other riders with 219 points to win the largest check of the classes’ $26,602 purse. Their win also bolstered the team score of the Canadian CHA in the AQHA/NCHA Affiliate Challenge. The class began with 78 entries.

Two other female cutters shared the title of Reserve Champion in the $2,000 Limit Rider class. Kim Buckmaster and Laura Fenimore each rode for 216 points in the finals. Buckmaster, of Snoqualmie, Washington, rode Freckle Get Your Gun and represented the Cascade Cow Cutters in the Affiliate Challenge. Freckle Get Your Gun is owned by R. Lee and Jan Fischer of Whitefish, Montana. Fenimore, of Bend, Oregon, rode Rena Dry and represented the Oregon CHA. Rena Dry is owned by Laura’s father, Randy Fenimore.

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.