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The Challenger Series: Wendy McLaughlin

Mar 29, 2017, 15:57 PM by Elaina Ross

STORY 2
The place: Southern Arizona Cutting Horse Association
The date: Saturday, February 11, 2017
The people: Wendy McLaughlin

Wendy McLaughlin likes to say that she is kind of new to the sport of cutting and participates on a tight budget. This is something that many cutters, whether they are new to the sport or not, can relate to. Cutters know that this is not an inexpensive sport in which to participate. However, it becomes a passion and cutters like Wendy are willing to make sacrifices in other areas of their life in order to cut.

Wendy McLaughlin

Wendy just got a new horse herself and has fallen completely in love with the sport. She says that competing in Southern Arizona is such a pleasure because everyone there is so welcoming and supportive of newcomers to the sport. Like the Blair family, money is not an incentive for Wendy’s participation in the sport. Rather, she likes the opportunity to get an achievement award through gaining points. But even that isn’t the ultimate objective for her: it is to just have fun. Even if she isn’t having a good run, Wendy is always smiling as she rides out simply because it was FUN.

Wendy now plans her life around these cutting events. She recently stepped it up to the 15K Amateur class so that she could cut with better cows. And she loves the name of her horse – Spoon in a Dirty Glass.

Wendy and Friend

She credits Steve Terrell with first introducing her to cutting. “At first I thought, I’ll never be able to do this. But here I am!” Canadian trainer Lee Poncelet helps her improve on her technique.

We can be sure to see Wendy and Spoon in a Dirty Glass at many future Challenger Events.