McKenzie Dunning / Short Willy score big with 227 in Western Non-Pro finals

Canadian Carl Gerwein rides Play Mia CD for 224

(Fort Worth, TX) — McKenzie Dunning won the Chevy Trucks / National Cutting Horse Association Western National Championships Non-Pro finals with the largest score of the entire show.

Dunning, of Scottsdale, Arizona, rode Short Willy for 227 points in the Non-Pro finals on the final day of the nine-day event. The class began with 61 entries, and was narrowed to 25 for the finals, which paid a total of $22,984. Dunning also represented the San Diego CHA in the AQHA/NCHA Affiliate Challenge.

Carl Gerwein and Play Mia CD, the team who won the $10,000 Novice Non-Pro earlier in the week, retuned in the Non-Pro finals with a score of 224 points. That work from the Nanton, Alberta, Canada, cutter, was good for a reserve championship and points for the Alberta 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.