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Interesting In depth articles

WHY WAS THE PAYOUT AT THE NCHA SUMMER SPECTACULAR LESS THAN 2008?

THE NCHA RESPONDS

By Glory Ann Kurtz
Oct. 3, 2009
Over the past few weeks, I’ve had several people call and e-mail me, asking why the payout from the 2009 NCHA Summer Spectacular was so much less than it was in 2008. After I had been asked several times, and didn’t know the answer, I thought I would check into it.

I took the complete results published by Quarter Horse News and compared each division and each payee with what that division and payee received in 2008. When I was done, I was rather amazed at the difference: I found that both events had the same amount of added money ($400,000); my figures showed there were only 31 fewer entries, the rules and regulations for both events said both events had 36 percent deducted by the NCHA for office and cattle charges. Yet, my records showed that the total payout in 2009 was $223,702 less than what was paid out in 2008.

So I got on the phone and called NCHA Treasurer and Comptroller Rick Ivey. I was surprised when he said that the difference was actually $225,931, but he said there were 39 fewer entries. His written response that came with an explanatory chart, was as follows:

“As the attached schedule shows, a portion of the $225,931 purse decline came from the 39 lost entries (a total of $56,340 in jackpot money). Added money was exactly the same and other miscellaneous charges were an additional $2,806 reduction in the purse (or 0.137% of the total 2009 purse).

“The big hit came in the reduction of penalty money paid on the entries. The penalty money in past years has been remarkably high ($352,688 in 2008). It would appear that entrants managed payments much better during 2009, paying only $185,993 in penalty money. That penalty money is added to the purse, rather than retained by the NCHA. If the penalty money drops significantly, as it did for 2009, it will impact the purse.”

Following are links to the "Overall chart" that I created, followed by the NCHA chart sent by Ivey. I am also including links to the payout I created in each division, listing each place and the money earned by the entry for 2008 and 2009 - and how much more or less it was. This is pretty interesting reading. You can see which divisions and which places lost money. We both agreed that most of the money was lost in the Non-Pro Classic. With 49 fewer entries, the class paid out $87,840 less than it did in 2008

Some of these charts take several pages and will have to be pasted together. But if you’re truly interested, it’s interesting reading.

I also had several other phone calls saying that the payout that was published for the Classic/Challenge Limited Non-Pro on the back of the draw sheet – which was also announced during the awards ceremony – was only half of what the winners actually received. After calling the NCHA, they were told the figures published were not official and a mistake had been made.

Click here for Overall Chart>>
Click for NCHA chart>>
Click for Open & Ltd Open Derby>>
Click for NP & Ltd NP Derby charts>>
Click for Open & Ltd Open Classic charts>>
Click for NP & Ltd NP Classic charts>>

IS THERE A MORE FAIR WAY TO BREAK DOWN THE CUTTING CLASSES?

BOB NELSON GIVES A THOUGHT-PROVOKING INTERVIEW

By Glory Ann Kurtz
May 31, 2009
I received a very thought-provoking article which came from an interview with the Bob Nelson, who along with his wife, Jolene, train out of the Arrowhead Ranch in Medford, Ore., where they have been for about 12 years.

Bob has a resume that gives him the right to give an educated opinion or suggestion, as he trained for the legendary Oxbow Ranch, Prairie City, Ore., owned by Dan Lufkin, who was one of the industry’s best breeders and owners of winning horses. He rode two Reserve NCHA World Champions (Doc N Missy in 1981 and Bearly Doc in 1983), three NCHA Futurity finalists, PCCHA Champions during two different years, and was Champion in the Northwest Open Division.

Even though there wasn’t an Amateur Division in the NCHA when he started training, today a lot of his customers are Amateurs, as well as Non-Pros – and he spends a lot of his time giving cutting lessons. Most of the shows he goes to now days are weekend shows, which Bob says are “the foundation of everything we have in this sport.”

Bob is making a suggestion that the cutting classes be divided up like the team ropers divide up their highly successful sport which numbers both the header and the heeler, with the total number being used to determine which class they rope in. Bob tells about going to a recent team roping in Reno that had 800 teams. “The cutters need to wake up and take a look at that,” said Bob. But he continued to say that the NCHA isn’t going to do that, but it could be started at a club level. According to Bob, he’s been thinking about this new format for 12 years.
Click here to read to Bob Nelson article>>

I also think there is merit in this new idea. And like Bob, I don’t think the NCHA will ever change to a new format – but it could be done at a local level in a club cutting or within an NCHA-approved show, even if it is not NCHA approved. Or if a new association wants to start up, this new format could be a refreshing change.

I am information and the rule book for the United States Team Roping Association (USTRC), which is the granddaddy of the team roping associations. Their divisions are determined by numbers.

A number from 1-10 is given to a header or heeler depending on his level of competence by a classification committee, made up of state and regional appointed members, who vote on the classifications of ropers across the United States. The number of the header and heeler are added together to determine which class they are eligible to enter in – and they can buddy up with a roper of another number and rope in another class or classes. There are approximately 16 divisions they can rope in. (i.e.) A No. 7 header must team up with a heeler who is not rated over a No. 3 to enter in a No. 10 division.

Click here for a copy of the USTRC Rule Book>>
Click here to learn more about the USTRC>>

This could easily be changed from a team of header and heeler, to a team of horse and rider. The eligibility divisions could be determined by money won by horse – as well as rider – combined. These figures are readily available from several sources. (i.e.) horses or riders that have won up to $2,000, could be designated as No. 1. Horses or riders that have won $100,000 or more, could be designated as No. 9. A No. 1 rider and a No. 9 horse would be eligible for a No. 10 division – as would a No. 1 horse and a No. 9 rider. The total number determines what class the team of horse and rider are eligible to ride in. The USTRC also has separate classes for youth and seniors – with a numbering system within.

This system would eliminate the need for Open, Non-Pro and Amateur classifications, which have caused headache and lawsuits for the NCHA.

I feel the two fastest-growing sports in the performance horse industry are the team ropers and the barrel racers, who have a very different handicap system which was put into place by the National Barrel Horse Association (NBHA) several years ago. The system lets all barrel racers run together, with the divisions (1D to 4D) being decided by their time for that particular race. Both of these sports’ handicap systems have make their weekend events host 700 to 800 and more entries.

There is no reason why cutting can’t take a page from the rule books of two major events that are highly successful.

HOW TO KEEP YOUR STALLION IN THE PUBLIC EYE FOLLOWING THE HIGH-PROFILE AGED EVENTS – AND PRIOR TO HIS COLTS HITTING THE CUTTING ARENA

NEAT LITTLE CAT, WHO IS CURRENTLY LEADING FOR THE NCHA OPEN WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP, IS PROFILED

By Glory Ann Kurtz
May 6, 2009
Your stallion has just graduated from the aged events and after having constant exposure to the industry – you find yourself without an avenue to get your stallion’s name out in the public’s eye – especially in front of the illusive broodmare owner.

It’s well known that following a stallion’s win of the NCHA Futurity, top-bred mare’s line up for a chance to get a head start at breeding to the stallion while his name is still on the lips of the industry. With the most prestigious win being the Futurity, over the past 20 years, only eight stallions have won the NCHA Futurity. Two of those eight are too young to have offspring registered with the AQHA (Metallic Cat, and High Brow CD) and one stallion (One Smart Lookin Cat) is sterile. Following is a chart of the eight stallions, along with the number of offspring they had registered with the AQHA, the years following their win.

All but one of the remaining six stallions started out with a modest number of mares bred the year following their win (the foals were born when the stallions were 5-year-olds) – and the next year (when the stallion was a 5-year-old year – and the foals were born when they were 6-year-olds) that number increased on all but one of the stallions. However, once the stallions were out of the aged events – memories of their championships were history – and the number of mares bred and foals born started down.

Click here for stallions who won NCHA Futurity>>

So how does a stallion owner keep his or her stallion in the public’s eye during those years between when they were racking dollars in during the aged events, and when their first foals are making a name for themselves – and their sires.

I interviewed several stallion owners to see what they were doing to keep their stallions in the public’s mind and got various answers – varying from an ambitious advertising campaign down to showing the stallion in weekend shows. Following this week’s article on Neat Little Cat, look for upcoming articles on Sophisticated Catt, Fantastic Cat, Tomcat Chex and Whittle Wed Boon. Also, if you have a stallion that just got out of the limited aged events and don’t have any offspring yet showing in the cutting arena, give me a call or e-mail me. I will call you to find out about the stallion and what you are doing to promote him.

NEAT LITTLE CAT -
LEADING THE NCHA OPEN WORLD CHAMPION STANDINGS

Neat Little Cat,owned by Jim and Judy Spaulding, is currently in the lead for the NCHA Open World Championship standings

He’s is the highest-earning son of High Brow Cat with the smallest stud fee and Neat Little Cat is living up to his name. The 2001 stallion sired by High Brow Cat out of Neat Little May by Smart Little Lena , is a “neat” horse to watch in the cutting arena. Even the industry’s leading judges must agree as he is currently in the lead for the NCHA Open World Championship, with Scott McClurg in the saddle. Standing the 2009 breeding season at Alpha Equine Breeding Center in Granbury, Texas, for a $1,500 breeding fee, Neat Little Cat is owned by Jim and Judy Spaulding, Millsap, Texas..

Neat Little Cat competed successfully in limited aged events through 2007, earning over $156,000. Since the beginning of his 7-year-old year, the talented stallion has won enough money to give him lifetime earnings of $225,000 – but the Spauldings were selective where they won that money. Most of their additional money was won at the NCHA Open Finals in 2008 and 2009, where he finished fourth both years. However, to qualify for those finals, Neat Little Cat and his rider Scott McClurg had to go to NCHA weekend shows to qualify for the World Show – but luckily he is in the heart of the cutting horse industry, with a good selection of shows every weekend.

Neat Little Cat, shown being ridden by Scott McClurg. The son of High Brow Cat currently has over $225,000 in lifetime earnings.

Jim Spaulding agrees that it’s a real problem to promote a stallion during the years following the Limited Aged events. “I think the only thing that made people not forget about him was that we went to the Open World Finals and made a good showing,” said Spaulding. “I think they would have darn sure forgotten about him if he wasn’t out there showing.

Unlike most leading stallion owners, the Spauldings are not an independently wealthy couple and have had an exceptional number of doctor and hospital bills over the past few years. Asked if they made up a budget, Jim Spaulding said, “We just kind of decide as we go along, but then we look at it on a yearly basis to see what it costs.”

They use Big Country Communications, an ad agency to make up their brochures and ads. They advertise in the Cutting Horse Chatter and the Quarter Horse News (they didn’t advertise in the Stallion Directory put out by Quarter Horse News, because they felt they did a poor job of communicating the year before when they were not satisfied with their ad) and their web site. They had Neat Little Cat in a stall at Stallion Alley during the NCHA Futurity and sales and passed out some slick, colored brochures, which they also sent to previous customers or customers expressing interest in the stallion.

Even though they don’t have their own web site, they advertise the stallion on www.allaboutcutting.com, which has a full-page ad on Neat Little Cat, as well as a video of him working. They also put an ad on the NCHA web cast site, which has live coverage of the various limited aged events and advertise in the Western Horse Review, a stud book listing all the stallions whose offspring are eligible for the Canadian Supreme. Asked where most of his response came from, Spaulding said, “I think we get more kick from the Quarter Horse News than anything else.”

They also subscribe Neat Little Cat to the incentive programs such as the Breeders Invitational, Augusta Stakes, Abilene Spectacular and the Canadian Supreme. “He’ll also be put in other major incentive programs as his colts become eligible,” said Spaulding.

Asked who most of his customers are – big or small breeders, Spaulding said, “Definitely small breeders. There are a lot of people who want to breed to the big-time horses but we’re not courting those kinds of people. We’ve got him priced where he is attractive to the little person. “He’s the highest-earning son of High Brow Cat, with the cheapest stud fee,” said Spaulding. “We’re trying to hit the little people because I know that there are certain people in this business that only want to breed to the name-brand horses.”

However, the Spauldings did get their share of name-brand mares, including Bob Corn that Dan Hansen rode to his World Champion. They own an NCHA Futurity finalist mare by Smart Little Rondee out of a Dual Pep mare that they purchased from Sandy Bonelli and got two embryos out of her. They also own a CD Olena mare out of Sandra McBride’s good mare Dances With Trouble by Smart And Trouble.

According to Spaulding, his first full crop of colts will be this year for mares he bred in 2008. “We bred 72 mares last year,” said Spaulding; however, the two years before that we only had a couple of foals and one of them died on me.” The Spauldings purchased the stallion as a 4-year-old in 2005 from Robert Parsons, Congerville, Ill. He was bred and raised by Jack and Linda Kenney, Millsap, Texas.

Spaulding says he didn’t advertise Neat Little Cat until 2008 because they had him on the road and didn’t want to make customers mad. “We decided not to breed him those years and just bred a couple of our own mares,” said Spaulding.

Although the Spauldings are proud of their stallion’s aged-event earnings, when asked if they would do it again, Jim said, “No, I don’t think so. It probably cost me twice that to win that amount of money. When you’re paying the trainers, all the vet bills and travel expenses, it’s not a very whipped-cream deal.”

Even though Neat Little Cat is currently leading in the 2009 NCHA Open standings, Spaulding doesn’t know if they will be able to maintain that place since they are also in the middle of breeding season. “When it gets real hot in May and June we’ll probably just have to breed mares,” said Spaulding.

“I’ve had people tell me that they wouldn’t breed to a horse that hasn’t gone up and down the road on the weekends and show under those real bad weekend cattle. In the aged-event shows, you have the best of conditions, the best herd help and supposedly the best cattle – and it isn’t always that way at the weekend shows.

Sean Flynn rode the stallion in the aged events, however, Scott McClurg, who Spaulding has known for 20 years, is hauling him to weekend shows and, according to Spaulding, “He and his wife are such good people and their training charges are very fair. He was originally from California and worked as the head trainer at the Wiens Ranch in Colorado when we lived there. He’s doing a heck of a job for us.”

Advertorial
THE PURCHASE OF A BREEDING STALLION BY NEIGHBORS SHOW THEY CAN ALSO BE PARTNERS

PASTELS SMART LENA TO STAND 2009 SEASON AT CSU

By Glory Ann Kurtz
March 26, 2009
Phil Rapp rode Pastels Smart Lena to $237,137 in earnings before he was retired to stud.

Pastels Smart Lena, a 1993 stallion by Smart Little Lena out of Pastel Playgirl by Freckles Playboy, with $237,137 in lifetime earnings, has new owners and a new place to stand at stud for the 2009 breeding season. The new owners are Taft and Jill Love and Dave and Pam Coates of Cheyenne, Wyo. With his offspring earning close to $400,000, the stallion will be standing the 2009 breeding season at Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colo., for a $1,000 breeding fee, with no chute fee.

Pastels Smart Lena was bred to be a champion, as Smart Little Lena is currently the leading cutting horse sire of all time, the leading sire of sires and the No. 1 sire of producing daughters. Pastel Playgirl, a 1983
daughter of Freckles Playboy out of Bunch Of Doc by Nu Bar was shown in a time when the purses were nothing like they are today, yet she earned $18,895 in lifetime earnings. She has produced four offspring that earned over a quarter of a million dollars.

He was bred by Jahabow Industries, Inc., Owensville, Mo., and lived up to his royal pedigree, earning over $237,137 before he was retired to stud – including being the champion of the 1999 Augusta 5/6-Year-Old Non-Pro Futurity with the cutting industry’s leading rider Phil Rapp in the saddle, as well as the championship of the NCHA Classic/Challenge Non-Pro and the championship of the 1998 Steamboat Springs 5/6-Year-Old Non-Pro. He was a finalist in numerous aged events throughout the years he was eligible for aged events.

THE NEW OWNERS:
Taft and Jill Love of the Milliron T.J. Ranch in Cheyenne, Wyo., had been raised with horses. Their entire family had gone from 4-H, Little Britches and high school rodeo and through college on equine scholarships – or like Taft says, “they had been propelled through life on horse power!”

In 2004, the Loves had purchased Mr San Pep, a 25-year-old stallion that was an own son of Mr San Peppy from Kris Rushing from Grapeland, Texas. The Loves, who were trying to increase the foundation part of their breeding program, managed to get nine foals by Mr San Pep before he died two years later. It was the winter of 2006 and they were left without a breeding stallion.

The Loves had met Dave and Pam Coates, also of Cheyenne, through Taft and Dave’s mutual love of hunting and horses. The Coates had also wanted to buy a solid-minded, strong-boned stallion to raise good-minded and strong offspring for their ranch. Dave was raised on a ranch in Eastern Colorado, breaking colts, and working the ranch from horseback his entire life. Pam was born with a love for horses, and raised on a ranch / farm operation, also in Eastern Colorado, having a horse under her from age 2, competed in local horse shows, and local horse racing. Pam says, “Our goal was to build a program of performance horses that reflected our mutual concern for the horse first, then the show performance side second.”

As a result, both couples decided to go to the Triangle Sale in Shawnee, Okla., to try to find a new stallion prospect. Both couples also wanted a few young colts to start and train as the beginning to their performance horse business.

The Loves and Coates’ purchased a pretty, red-roan stallion, hoping he would fit the bill as a performer and a sire; however, before they left the sale with their new purchase, they noticed their new stallion prospect had a runny nose and a temperature. They had a vet check him out and took him home, thinking it was just from the stress on a young horse. But it wasn’t long before they had a veterinarian from Colorado State University scope the colt, discovering the colt had a severe birth defect. They contacted the sale company, who assisted them in returning the horse.

Meanwhile at the sale, Dave Coates had found Lots Of Acres, a 1999 son of Bob Acre Doc out of a daughter of Doc’s Hickory that had been consigned by David Plummer’s Buffalo Ranch of Utah. However, the Plummers didn’t sell the young stallion when the stallion didn’t bring what they felt he was worth and
the couples went home from the sale without the stallion. But Dave Coates couldn’t get the stallion out of his mind and he mentioned to Taft they should try to purchase the stallion by private treaty. By mutual agreement the two couples decided it may be better to purchase a stallion that had already been proven in the show pen, and partner on him.

THE PURCHASE OF PASTEL:
The Loves called Shane Plummer of the Buffalo Ranch to see if they would sell the stallion privately. In the meantime, the Plummers had decided to not sell the stallion – but they said they had another stallion that they would consider selling. The horse was Pastels Smart Lena.

Following many phone calls, the Loves, the Coates and the Plummers came to a mutual agreement for their purchase of Pastels Smart Lena and the two couples flew to Utah to meet with the Plummers, finalizing the deal in March 2006.

After discussing their new purchase with Shane, they learned that probably their biggest obstacle was going to be getting Pastel back out in front of the industry, since he had been held back to show from his breeding career to continue a rigorous show schedule. “With a very limited number of foals, he was siring with the best of them,” said Taft, “and that’s what we needed to keep moving forward. So they agreed to leave him to stand at the Buffalo Ranch in 2006 – and enjoyed great success breeding their own mares with shipped and frozen semen. In the meantime, they acquired a few more well-bred and/or money-earning mares, including a daughter of Son O Sugar, Justa Swinging Peppy and Mr San Pep.

“In Pastel’s first five foal crops from 2001 through 2005, he averaged 11 foals per year and has been rewarded with a futurity championship and a futurity finalist from every foal crop, and though limited in number those first five foal crops are going to jump him into the Top 100 five-year sires list after their 2008 performance,” said a proud Taft. “Since Pastels biggest breeding season to that point, he has maintained a bigger book of mares and we are very anxious to see those foals to the 2009 Futurity.”

According to AQHA records, Pastels Smart Lena, has close to 100 registered offspring, with 60 old enough to perform. Robin Glenn Pedigrees shows that close to one-third, or 19, have earned close to $396,000, averaging close to $21,000 for each performer. His highest money-earning offspring is Pastels Pretty Peppy, an 8-year-old mare out of Pretty Bo Badger by Peppy San Badger, with over $102,500 in lifetime earnings, including the championship of the Music City Open Futurity.

Missin Starlena, a 5-year-old mare out of Missin Bunny by Miss N Cash, has won $67,192, including the championship of the 2007 South Point, $25,000 Open and $50,000 Open cutting futurities – and 12th in the Non-Pro Futurity – taking home $38,750 from that show alone. Special Pastime, an 8-year-old stallion out of Hoochie Coochie Bob by Bob Acre Doc, has also won close to $60,000 and Pastels Gina, a 4-year-old mare out of Gina Badger by Peppy San Badger, has also won $46,400.

PASTEL AT CSU:
Today, Pastels Smart Lena stands at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colo., under the direction of Jason E Bruemmer, Ph.D and Patrick M. McCue, DVM, Ph.D., who have been working with the stallion’s breeding program since 2006. “During the past several years we have collected and frozen high-quality semen and successfully bred mares with both cooled transported shipments and fresh on-farm doses,” said Bruemmer.

“As a matter of fact, our records indicate an 88.8 percent pregnancy rate for the 2008 season. Impressively, these include 17 mares bred with shipped semen, several of which were older mares and participants in an embryo-transfer program. More telling is that approximately 60 percent of the mares conceived on their first cycle including those receiving cooled shipped semen. We have been pleased with his fertility and truly enjoy working with the stallion.”

The partners have reduced the Pastels Smart Lena’s breeding fee from $2,000 plus chute fees, collections and shipping fees, to $1,000 for the breeding fee and no chute fee, with shipping and collection fees paid to CSU.

“The economy and the need to get Pastel back into the industry spotlight are the reasons for this reduction,” said Pam Coates. It looks like the Loves and Coates, who are not only neighbors and friends, but now partners, and will continue to be “propelled through life on horse power” with the help of Pastels Smart Lena.
Click here for more information>>

WHO’S MR PEPPYS FRECKLES AND SMART LENA BOON?
A STATISTICAL LOOK AT THE 2008 NCHA OPEN AND NON-PRO FUTURITY

By Glory Ann Kurtz
Jan. 28, 2009
Several unknown sires topped the lists of average money earned by their offspring in the 2008 NCHA Futurity – including Mr Peppys Freckles, Mr Jay Bar Cat (deceased), Smart Lena Boon and Smart Mouth. If you’re still uncommitted on breeding your mare, a look at the attached statistical charts may help you choose a sire. It’s rather ironic that three of these leading horses have stud fees of $1,000 or less and one is deceased.

Both lists include the highly popular stallions such as High Brow Cat, who led the Open sires with $733,116 in total money won by 16 of his 81 entries and the Non-Pro list with $129,596 won by two of his 38 entries. Dual Rey saw 12 of his 65 entries win $467,148 in the Open and five of his 29 entries win $83,521 in the Non-Pro. Boonlight Dancer saw two of his seven entries earn $168,328 in the Open. Others included on the list whose larger colt crops and number of entries dropped them down further on the list include CD Olena, Dual Pep, Hes A Peptospoonful, Smart Little Lena, Smart Lil Scoot, Zack T Wood, Smooth As A Cat, Peptoboonsmal, Nitas Wood, Mecom Blue, Smart Mate and Sweet Lil Pepto.

Stallions are ranked by the total money won divided by their total number of entries. If a horse is entered in two divisions, that is considered two entries.

OPEN SIRES:
Six of the stallions on the Open list were experiencing their first foal crop and it’s not surprising that they are all sired by major stallions on the Open list, with four being sired by High Brow Cat, one by Peptoboonsmal and one by Dual Rey. Their stud fees range from $1,000 up to $5,000.

Mr Peppys Freckles leads the Open ranking of sires.

Mr Peppys Freckles, a 1995 son of Freckles Playboy out of Peppys From Heaven by Peppy San Badger, tops the Open list with a single entry from his 61 1985 AQHA-registered foals) that went on to win $157,719. To top it off, the stallion, which originally was DNA-registered as Peppys Freckle, was listed high on the sire of Non-Pro money earners, with two of his four entries taking home $93,601 – for a total of $251,320.

The two entries were Quite The Fat Cat, out of Quite The Cat by High Brow Cat, who earned $188,158 - $154,259 for third in the Open and $3,460 for 17th in the Limited Open, with Australian Ryon Emerton in the saddle, and $30,439 for a tie for 16th in the Non-Pro with owner Mike Rutherford Jr., Buda, Texas, in the saddle. Lannies Freckles, a mare out of Doc Doc Doc by Son Of A Doc earned $63,162 for the Reserve title in the Non-Pro Futurity, ridden by Hope Mitchell, wife of trainer John Mitchell, Weatherford, Texas. Mr Peppys Freckles has 220 AQHA-registered foals, with seven money earners which have won $275,846, averaging $39,406 per performer. The year 2005 represented his fourth foal crop and his largest.

Bred by the Larry Hall Estate, Mr Peppys Freckles is owned by Lannie Mecom’s Wichita Ranch, Brenham, Texas. He was purchased from the Hall Estate in December 1996 by Lannie’s son, Bobby Moses, and transferred to Wichita Ranch in November 2002. He is standing the 2009 season at Equine Sports Medicine in Weatherford, Texas, for only $1,000 – which includes the $750 chute fee for the first 20 mares booked. Shipped semen will be available.

The second leading Open sire is Mr Jay Bar Cat, a deceased 1999 son of High Brow Cat out of Ms Jay Bar Fletch by Jae Bar Fletch, and the earner of $186,085.53. With a crop of 21 foals in 1985, he had three entries and one money earner. Hay Maker, a stallion out of Calie Del Rey by Dual Rey, finished fourth in the Open Futurity, earning $132,519 and won the Limited Open for an additional $24,062. Ridden by Randall Chartier II, his earnings totaled $156,581. With 2005 being his last foal crop, the stallion has sired 28 AQHA-registered foals, with four of them winning $206,119.34, averaging $51,529 per money earner. Mr Jay Bar Cat was bred by L. C. Harrison, Wichita Falls, Texas and sold to Eddie Longley’s Crystal Creek Ranch, aledo, Texas, in June of 2002. S. David Plummer, Fort Worth, Texas, purchased the stallion on Dec. 31, 2003.

Third was Pretty Boy Cat, ($47,510) a 1997 son of High Brow Cat out of out of Pretty Lean Chic by Doc O’Lena, with Pretty Katz and Itty Bitty Cat winning $136,541 in the Open, averaging $45,513.67 for his three Open entries. He also had money earners in the Non-Pro. With over $511,452 won by his offspring, Pretty Boy Cat is owned by Jack and Susan Waggoner, Bridgeport, Texas, and stands at the DLR Ranch, Weatherford, Texas, for a $3,500 stud fee.

Boonlight Dancer, a 1998 son of Peptoboonsmal out of Little Dancer Lena by Smart Little Lena, has $136,253 in lifetime earnings. He sired 84 offspring that have won $637,070. At the NCHA Open Futurity, he sired seven entries with two money earners collecting $168,328 – an average of $24,046.86 per entry. They included Third Cutting, out of Crab Grass by Smart Little Lena, tied for eighth, earning $79,286 and Stray Katz out of Katz by High Brow Cat, earning $89,042 for sixth place. Owned and standing at stud by the Susie Reed’s Polo Ranch, Marietta, Okla., he has a $3,500 stud fee.

CJ Sugar Lena ($183,768.36), a 1993 son of CJ Sugar out of Little Sugar Lena by Peppy San Badger, sired Peptolena Grace out of Peptollena by Peptoboonsmal, that won $16,228 in the Open and Limited Open divisions, with owner Amy Welch-King, Baird, Texas. With 17 offspring earning over $153,632, the stallion’s stud fee had previously been $1,500; however, according to Amy, he will be selling in the Billings Livestock February Sale, scheduled for Feb. 27-28 in Billings, Mont.
Click here for a ranking of Open sires>>

FIRST FOAL CROP SIRES:
Athena Puddy Cat was the leading sire with his first colt crop showing.

The stallion with his first colt crop ranking the highest was Athena Puddy Cat, earning $228,636, with two entries averaging $29,914.50. The 2000 son of High Brow Cat out of Athena Accent by Doc Athena, is owned by Jim and Laura Bilbrey, Conyers, Ga., and stands at EE Ranches for a $1,000 stud fee. Second was Peeka Pep, a 2001 son of Peptoboonsmal out of Peek A Boon by Smart Little Lena, who was injured and not shown. He had two entries, with one money earner, for an average of $22,569.50. Peeka Pep, a red roan colt, is owned by Michael Townsend and Tommy Marvin, Edmond, Okla., and is standing at Joe Landers, Weatherford, Texas, for a $1,500 fee.

Others include That Sly Cat ($104,793), a 1997 son of High Brow Cat out of That Smarts by Smart Little Lena, owned and standing at the Slate River Ranch, Weatherford, Texas, for a $3,000 fee; TR Dual Rey ($353,174), a 1999 son of Dual Rey out of Peppys Misty Oaks by Candy Bar Peppy, standing at the Buffalo Ranch, Fort Worth, Texas, for a $5,000 fee; WR This Cats Smart ($236,514), a 1999 son of High Brow Cat out of the great mareThe Smart Look by Smart Little Lena, owned by Wagonhound Land & Livestock, Douglas, Wyo., and standing at the Valley Oak Ranch, Oakdale, Calif., for a $3,500 fee, and Cats Merada, a 1999 son of High Brow Cat out of Merada Lena by Freckles Merada, owned by the Furst Ranch, Bartonville, Texas, standing at Alpha Equine, Granbury, Texas, for a $3,600 breeding fee.

NON-PRO SIRES:
Sires included in this section had offspring who earned money in the Non-Pro, Limited Non-Pro, Sr. Non-Pro and the EE Ranches Gelding Incentive program. Many well-known and top stallions in the industry are included on this list, with High Brow Cat topping the list at $129,596 won by two of his 38 entries and followed by followed by Peptoboonsmal, with three of his 11 entries earning a total of $97,156. Dual Rey had five of his 29 entries earn $83,521.

Smart Lena Boon leads the list of Non-Pro sires

However, leading the pack by average (determined by number of entries divided into total earnings of offspring) is Smart Lena Boon, a stallion with his first foal crop hitting the arena. Smart Lena Boon is a 2002 son of Smart Little Lena out of Bet Yer Boons by Peptoboonsmal owned by Kip and Bruce DeFoor, Ruidoso, N.M. He is standing at Equine Reproductive Services, Wills Point, Texas, for a $950 stud fee – the lowest advertised fee of all the stallions in either division who had offspring take home paychecks from the 2008 NCHA Futurity.

Smart Lena Boon has a stellar pedigree as he was bred by Lindy Burch’s Oxbow Ranch, Weatherford, Texas, out of her great mare. She sold him to DeFoor in March 2004, after his friend, Jamie Dosher, Canyon, Texas, told him about the colt which had been injured as a 2-year-old and was never shown. With only five mares bred the first year, Dosher bred his mare Hickorys Short Cut by Shorty Lena to Smart Lena Boon, with the resulting foal being My Other Toys A Car. Dosher raised and trained the mare and two months prior to the NCHA Futurity, sold her to Phil and Mary Ann Rapp, Weatherford, Texas. Mary Ann rode the mare in the Non-Pro Futurity, winning the second go, placing second in the semifinals and finishing ninth in the finals for $47,365.

According to Kip, three of the first crop of colts had something happen and never made it to a trainer. “Fifty percent of his available colt crop made it to the Futurity,” said Kip, who is a teacher in New Mexico and has had horses most of his life. Altogether the young stallion has 85 AQHA-registered foals, with his largest crop being 31 foaled in 2007.

The second leading sire on the Non-Pro list is another relatively unknown stallion - Smart Mouth, a 1995 son of Eatin Out out of Smart Moria by Smart Little Lena, owned by Jack and Pam Shields, Rio Vista, Texas. The earner of $44,649, won mostly in non-pro competition by Tommy and Kyle Manion, was bred by Lynn Leedy, Oklahoma City, Okla., and transferred to Tommy Manion Inc. in May 196. The Shields purchased Smart Mouth in March 2004. With 96 foals registered with the AQHA, his 2005 crop consisted of 21 foals, with seven earning $105,860, an average of $15,122. The stallion stands at the Shields facility in Rio Vista for a $1,500 stud fee.

Pepper Mouth, a gelding out of April Peppy by Aggressive Pep, owned and shown by Joanne Bimat, Millsap, Texas, tied for 18th in the Non-Pro Futurity and eighth in the Limited Non Pro, for a total of $39,991. The gelding was trained by John Paxton.

According to Pam Shields, there were three foals scheduled to show in the NCHA Futurity; however, one got hurt two weeks before the Futurity and for some reason the other one didn’t come, even though she was paid up. There are several of Smart Mouth’s offspring with trainers, including four or five with Eddie Howard, some with Randy Cherry and several others with a trainer in Oklahoma. “They all like those colts,” said Pam Shields. “He’s going to be known.”

One even sold to Italian owners and finished third in the Italian Open Futurity this year. The Shields are well-known in the industry as they owned the now-deceased stallion Playin Safari.

CD Lights, a 1999 stallion by CD Olena out of Delight Of My Life by Grays Starlight, finished fifth and can be considered second in the “first crop” list. Although the stallion, owned by Winston Hansma and Danny Motes, Weatherford, Texas, had one foal in 1984, his first real crop came in 1985 with 35 being registered by the AQHA. The young stallion had three head entered, with two money earners (Two Times A Star was entered in two divisions - the Non-Pro and Limited Non-Pro). Danny’s daughter, Mica, rode the stallion and earned a total of $70,344 in the two divisions for a $23,448 average. The pair finished 12th in the Non-Pro and tied for fifth in the Limited Non-Pro.) With only four full colt crops, CD Lights currently has eight foals which have earned $140,417 and is standing for $3,500 at the Alpha Equine Breeding Center in Weatherford, Texas.
Click here for ranked Non-Pro sires>>

THINKING OF BREEDING YOUR MARE?
I tried to get the most current stud fee for each stallion, as many stallions have dropped their stud fees in the past few weeks due to the sluggish economy. Large stallion stations, such as EE Ranches, have lowered the stud fee of a majority of their stallions to $1,000. Incidentally, the Ranch’s Gelding Incentive purse of $62,949.50 is included in the Non-pro charts. They also added $31,474.70 to the Amateur purse. That chart will be included in an all-inclusive chart published in an upcoming article.

Stud fees on the Open stallions ranged from $1,000 charged by three of the stallions up to High Brow Cat’s $22,500. Stud fees on the Non-Pro list ranged from $950 for Smart Lena Boon, the leading horse, up to the $22,500 for High Brow Cat.

However, my advice is, “Don’t miss breeding to one of the stallions you love if you feel you can’t afford it.” In today’s economy, bargaining is “in.” Offer the stallion owner what you feel you can afford. I feel that only a few of the most popular stallions probably won’t deal and if you have a well-bred mare that has a record or is a producer, you’ll probably get the breeding at a price you can afford. Then we’ll see you in the 2013 NCHA Futurity!

PRCA MEMBERSHIP “VOTE FOR RIGHTS” COMING UP

NCHA AND NRHA MEMBERS ALSO STRUGGLING TO MAKE CHANGES

By Glory Ann Kurtz
Aug. 25, 2008
Three major equine associations – the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA), the National Cutting Horse Association (NCHA), and the National Reining Horse Association (NRHA) have had their problems in recent years – with membership groups attempting to make changes in the leadership and direction of the associations. Two have gone the legal route, while the other took the political route.

The association with the longest history of membership discontent is the PRCA, headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colo. Their latest upheaval will be coming to a head Sept. 29 when there will be a court-approved membership meeting and a vote for new amendments that would affect member rights, including the right to vote.

The other two associations: the NCHA, headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, has had their problems with membership lawsuits, including a current one by a couple of members who have requested financial records and contracts of the association. Also, the NRHA, headquartered in Oklahoma City, Okla., which just had elections for Board members, saw a membership group’s-nominated members elected to the Board and the group’s new by-laws approved.

The single thread within the membership of all three of these groups is the lack of membership input into the governance of their association.

NCHA MEMBERS TAKE LEGAL ROUTE:
Although no organized group of NCHA members have taken any kind of action against the leadership of the NCHA, two long-time NCHA members Paula Gaughan, Las Vegas, Nev., and Dean Sanders, Anderson, Texas, filed a lawsuit against the NCHA on May 20, 2008, requesting the right to inspect six categories of documents, including the NCHA’s financial records and other requested documents to confirm that the NCHA was not guilty of waste or mismanagement in its financial affairs and in the administration of the NCHA’s business. The review would include all payments made and all compensation paid and expenses incurred by NCHA management over the past three fiscal years. That suit is still ongoing.

The major complaint made by members of the NCHA is with an Executive Committee, which makes all the major final decisions for the association, and consists of 14 members: three executive officers – President, President-Elect and Vice President, elected by the membership; three at-large members, and eight regional directors nominated and elected by the Board of Directors at a closed meeting during the annual Convention. Discontent comes from the fact that the current Executive Committee consists of eight trainers, including the most powerful: the President, President-Elect and Vice President. The members also feel the Executive Committee has a history of passing new rules and bylaw changes without discussing the changes with the membership beforehand and regardless of what a majority of the membership wants.

Another problem for a lot of members is that during membership votes, the ballots are sent to the NCHA office, rather than to an auditing firm, to be counted.

NRHA MEMBERSHIP GROUP TAKES POLITICAL ROUTE:
NRHA members have not taken legal action; however, last year, an independent group of NRHA members, led by Gary Pipkin, decided to do something about their desire to change the direction and leadership of the association. In 2007, during an election for vice president and three directors for the NRHA Executive Board, the write-in vice president won, as well as the three write-in directors.
The next step was taken Aug. 9 of this year when two of the three members nominated for the Executive Board were write-in candidates from the group. Also, all the bylaws submitted in 2007 and 2008 by Pipkin and his independent membership based bylaw committee passed and Pipkin claims they will drastically change the NRHA bylaws for the future.

The most likely reason that no organized group within the National Cutting Horse Association has taken steps to politically change things like the NRHA members have is that in Article II of the Constitution and Bylaws, it says, “Membership, or application therefore, may be terminated or rejected by the Executive Committee or the Board of Directors for cause detrimental to the interest of the Association, or to its programs, policies, objectives or the “harmonious relationship” of its members, as determined by the Executive Committee or the board of Directors.” Most members of the NCHA love the sport of cutting as well as competing; therefore, they are hesitant to put their membership in the National association in jeopardy by raising questions or demanding change. (In one recent lawsuit that is also still ongoing, the membership of a husband of a member suing the association was suspended.)

THE PRCA MEMBERSHIP LAWSUIT:
In October 2006, James Warren, 65, a calf roper from California, filed a lawsuit, claiming to represent almost 800 PRCA members seeking to fire the organization’s board of directors, including Troy Ellerman, a former cowboy and California lawyer, who had been hired in January 2005 as the PRCA Commissioner. Warren expressed concern over how Ellerman and the Board had handled financial matters, claiming they had failed to properly represent the association’s members. The group has even created an informative web site www.cowboysinc.org, where members or rodeo lovers can read about the history of the legal actions as well as a detailed explanation of the proposed changes.

Warren claims that during Ellerman’s tenure, he ousted board members who requested to see financial contracts. He also angered local officials in Colorado Springs when he tried, unsuccessfully, to move the headquarters to Albuquerque, N.M. Then, following a highly publicized disagreement with the Women’s Professional Rodeo Association (WPRA), he cut them out of the right for their members to run barrels at PRCA rodeos and thereby qualify for the lucrative Nationals Finals rodeo. The WPRA countered with a lawsuit and on Dec. 6, 2007, was awarded a $6.875 million judgment from the PRCA – after asking for a minimum of $5.5 million. (In January 2008, after Ellerman was no longer Commissioner, a settlement agreement was negotiated, resolving all outstanding litigation and the WPRA again became the sanctioning entity for barrel racing at the NFR through 2019.)

Warren didn’t have to wait for the political or legal system to remove Ellerman. On July 5, 2007, Ellerman was sent to prison for two years and nine months and fined $60,000, although it had nothing to do with his service while employed by the PRCA. Prior to becoming the PRCA Commissioner, he was the lawyer who leaked grand jury testimony of Barry Bonds and other athletes for steroid use to two reporters working for a San Francisco newspaper. However, Warren still had the Board of Directors to deal with.

On April 10, 2008, the El Paso County District Court in Colorado Springs issued a ruling in the matter of James Warren v. PRCA, stating that a special PRCA membership meeting requested by Warren will occur. The Court held that Warren must develop a specific agenda for the special meeting, including any and all proposed bylaw changes and he must provide that agenda to members prior to obtaining their proxy. (All past and present proxies held by Warren were found to be invalid)

However, the Court did agree with Warren’s request to exclude the voting rights of more than 800 members who joined after Aug. 7, 2006, and granted his further request that more than 1,600 Life (Gold Card) members will not be entitled to vote at this Court-appointed meeting. The Court did, however, deny Warren’s request to prevent PRCA rodeo committees from voting at this meeting.

Warren has the backing of a group of PRCA members called “PRCA Members for Leadership Accountability.” The group claims that this court-approved vote could give the member voting rights, and the power to hold their leaders accountable. The group also says that it could be the members’ last chance to guarantee that the members have the rights and the methods to make the changes they feel are necessary to grow and manage the association.

Protecting the member’s right to vote is just one of the core issues to be outlined in a list of proposed resolutions. “Really, it’s about accountability,” said Jimmie Cooper, one of the forces behind the movement. “We feel the PRCA Board of Directors must be held accountable for:

* Not developing long-range goals and a business plan to support them.
* Addressing our Association’s minimal economic growth
* Addressing the decline in our membership and rodeo entries.
* Addressing the loss of numerous national sponsors.
* Engaging in, and losing, numerous legal battles which have cost the members millions of dollars.
* Making reactionary, long-term decisions to solve short-term problems.
* Not developing an aggressive, pro-active plan to address animal welfare issues.
* Negotiating short sighted, long-term agreements in order to quickly address the huge financial liability created through fiscal irresponsibility.
* Creating a more expedient process to address rules of competition.
* Securing and retaining new national sponsors, particularly “non-traditional” ones.
* Helping the majority of our rodeos sell more tickets.

According to Cooper, the members currently don’t have the right or a process in which they can directly hold their leaders accountable or addressing and resolving these issues.

“The Board has 100 percent control over every penny and every decision,” said Cooper. “They do not have to seek any approval from the membership for anything. If the members don’t like a decision the Board makes, there’s nothing we can do about it. These proposed amendments create a system of accountability for our leadership. They ensure we have a structure that has checks and balances where the Board of Directors can no longer make changes or industry-effecting decisions without the approval or audit by the members.”

The proposed resolutions include a new voting procedure that's utilized by large corporations and labor unions, many of which have hundreds of thousands of members. It's modern, efficient, non-biased and completely anonymous. Eligible members can use a standard mail-in ballot or vote immediately online. The system facilitates gathering member feedback and approval throughout the year as opposed to just one annual vote. In addition, members have an avenue to make timely changes if they feel new
programs or structures need adjustment.

PRCA voting members that have previously signed or submitted proxies still have the ability to change their mind prior to the September vote.

“The Colorado courts ruled that the proxy submitted with the latest date is the one that will be counted. If someone signed something before they knew the whole story, they can easily change their position,” said Warren.

Warren acknowledges that the proposed resolutions are not meant to be a final solution for all of the association's needs.

"We've spent thousands of hours researching and thinking about the challenges facing our association, and we came to the conclusion that the first and most important thing that needed to be done was to guarantee that the members have the right to make changes to their association and a process for doing it,” said Warren. “Currently they have neither.

“This includes establishing a Members' Advocacy Council of five individuals elected by the members. Their primary responsibility is to make sure that the leaders of the PRCA establish, maintain, and implement a business plan. The proposed Council would also be responsible for obtaining and reporting unbiased, factual information, and disseminating it to the members and the Board of Directors. They act as a steering committee to advance the members' objectives in addressing the much needed changes of the association.

“These proposed bylaws may not be perfect and they may not suit everyone,but they will do one thing for every member of the PRCA: forever guarantee that the members have the rights and the methods to make the changes they feel are necessary to grow and manage their association."

BRONC WILLOUGHBY PROPOSES COMBINING NCHA NON-PRO AND AMATEUR CLASSES AND LETTING EARNINGS DETERMINE ELIGIBILITY

March 28, 2008

The following is a letter and proposal that was written and e-mailed to me by incoming NCHA President Bronc Willoughby. The letter addresses a proposal being made to the NCHA Executive Committee today and the board of directors in a week or so. The proposal combines the NCHA Non-Pro and Amateur classes and class eligibility would be determined by money earnings.

Your comments on this proposal would be appreciated by Bronc and I would also like to know how you feel about the proposal.
Read more in Letters To Editor>>

To All NCHA Members,
As your incoming President, I believe that for years we have excluded a significant number of potential NCHA cutters by forcing them to compete in classes that they shouldn’t have to. We exclude cutters from the lower level Weekend and the Limited Age Event classes because of their past employment or family relationship. They don’t qualify for Amateur status under the current NCHA Non-Professional and Amateur rules. I want to include every person that has a desire to be an NCHA member and cutter.

I am proposing that NCHA combine the Non Pro and Amateur classes into one division and let money earnings determine class eligibility. NCHA determines Weekend eligibility by money won, either in the Novice classes or the Non-Pro and Amateur classes. Limited Age Event eligibility in the Limited Non-Pro and Amateur class is by money won.

The simplest and fairest way to determine what classes Non-Pro’s are eligible to show in is by money earnings. I believe by doing this we attract more people that would like to enjoy our great sport.

Everyone who now holds an Amateur card also holds a Non-Pro card. So all Amateurs are also Non-Pros. Currently you lose your Amateur status when you have won $50,000 at the weekend or $50,000 at the Limited Age Events or any combination exceeding $100,000. The cutters that show well move out of the Amateur classes fairly quickly. Over the last few years, added money has increased in the Amateur classes therefore more money to be won and Amateurs graduate out of the Amateur classes quicker.

I am proposing increasing the money limits at the weekend level to $75,000 Non-Pro, $35,000 Non-Pro, $15,000 Non-Pro and $5000 Limited Rider /any horse. Weekend earnings will be kept separate from LAE earnings. Weekend earnings will determine class eligibility for the Weekend classes. LAE earnings will determine class eligibility for the LAE’s.

By changing the Weekend limits and allowing every Non-Pro to compete at a level equivalent to their talent level and money earnings, we will make NCHA grow into an even bigger and better sport.

My proposal is listed on the next page. I want all NCHA members to see this proposal before the convention. I want comments and feedback from the members. Contact me at: 940-894-2120 940-782-9129 or bo7pgk@wildblue.net. Thank you for your consideration on this very important issue.
Bronc Willoughby

PROPOSAL TO COMBINE NON-PRO AND AMATEUR
All NCHA members who now hold a Non-Pro or Amateur Card will be reclassified as Non Pro’s. There will no longer be a distinction between Non-Pro and Amateur Status. Class Eligibility will be determined by total eligibility money earnings. Weekend and Limited Age Event earnings will count separate to determine eligibility. Only weekend eligibility earnings will determine eligibility for weekend shows and only LAE earnings will determine eligibility for LAE shows.

All Non Pros must qualify under the existing Non Pro Rules.

Effective 2009 Point year.

Proposal to change weekend money limits

Non Pro –No Change. Current rules for added money apply.

$75,000 Non- Pro – Added money could be same as Non-Pro class but not to exceed Non Pro. This replaces the $50,000 Amateur.

$35,000 Non Pro – Added money allowed but at no more that 50% of what is added in the $75,000 Non Pro. This replaces the $20,000 Non-Pro.

$15,000 Non Pro – No added money. This replaces the $10,000 Amateur.

$5,000 Limit Rider – Any horse, no money added. Rider does not have to own horse. This replaces the $2000 Rider Class.

LAE’s Futurity, Super Stakes and Summer Cutting

Non Pro Class-No Change. Current rules for added money will apply.

$125,000 Non -Pro - Limited Class – This replaces $200,000 Limited Non-Pro. The $200,000 counted lifetime earnings. The $125,000 is for LAE earnings only.

$50,000 Non Pro Limited Class—Entry Level Class.Added money and entry fee structure will not change from what is currently being used.

There will be no change to the Novice Horse and the Novice Non-Pro Classes.
Read more in Letters To Editor>>

ROBIN GLENN PEDIGREES BREAKS OUT REVOLUTIONARY INTERNET SERVICES

YOU CAN ORDER CUSTOM, REASONABLY PRICED HORSE REPORTS 24/7

By Glory Ann Kurtz

Dec. 4, 2007
It doesn’t matter if you are a stallion owner, a breeder, a single mare owner, a pedigree service, or just a cutter, reiner, reined cow horse enthusiast, a barrel racer, or the owner, breeder or rider of racehorses, halter horses or pleasure horses - or just a pedigree buff, you’re in for a treat.

Following 26 years of hard work and a couple of years of expensive computer programming, Robin Glenn of Robin Glenn Pedigrees (RGP) has hit the jackpot – with her new product that is. It is an all-included, inexpensive treat and “must have” for the entire horse industry.

Robin, who lives in El Reno, Okla., has provided pedigree services for individuals for over 26 years, as well as for sale catalogs for the cutting, reining, reined cow horse, halter, pleasure and racehorse industry. The extent of her computer database is unmatched by anyone. Included in the database are earnings of Quarter Horses, Paints and DNA-registered horses. Earnings of major aged and championship events are broken out and total earnings within various associations are also included.

THE FREE FOALTRACKER REPORT:
As an introductory perk, Robin is offering a FREE FoalTracker report that is invaluable to the stallion owner or breeder. You simply list the stallions or mares that you would like to know how their offspring are doing. Or you can also order a FoalTracker Report for individual horses.

Every Wednesday, you will receive a FoalTracker report showing the offspring sired by your chosen stallion, or out of your chosen mare, that had a new performance line entry in the Robin Glenn Database the previous week. This covers all performance factions, from the cattle and reining events to the pleasure and hunter events.

This service is invaluable for stallion or mare owners who want to congratulate offspring in their ads or websites, keep up-to-date on how their stallion’s offspring are faring in the current performance events. For those in the sale catalog business, it will help you keep up-to-date on sale horses – and for now, it’s FREE.

A $3 PERFORMANCE REPORT:
You have been showing your horse over the past year, and wonder how much money your horse has won. Or you’re thinking of purchasing a horse and the seller has told you a glowing figure of the amount of earnings the horse has won. For only $3 and a few minutes on your computer, you can check it out.

The RGP Performance Report will list the show the horse placed in, the year, how they placed and how much money they won. The report will also include money won and reported by individual associations and how the horse ranked in their standings. Horse standings, leading sire, dam, grandsire and maternal grandsire statistics published by Quarter Horse News or by associations such as the AQHA, NCHA, ACHA, NRHA, NRCHA, NSBA are also included, if they are available.

The report also includes the horse’s date of birth, sex, registration number, sire, dam and maternal grandsire. It also indicates which national associations the horse was shown in: NCHA, NRHA, NRCHA, ACHA or NSBA. The horse’s last recorded owner and rider are also included.

Performance reports are available from other entities; however, never has the report been so comprehensive and available 24/7 from your computer.

A $4 DAM REPORT:
You own a nice broodmare, or are thinking about buying a broodmare and want to check out her successful offspring. The Dam Report, available for only $4, lists the name of the dam, date of birth, registration number and pedigree, along with her performance record.

A list of offspring who have earned money or have been in the standings of various associations follows. The report also lists each offspring’s pedigree information, so you can see how that dam did when she was crossed on a particular stallion. At the end of the report is a listing of how many foals she has in the RGP database, how many were performers, how many earned money, how much money they earned and the average earned by her offspring.

A $7 SIRE REPORT:
You’re thinking of breeding your mare to a stallion and you wonder what his “real” statistics are. For $7, you can receive a list of that stallion’s top 10 foals, including their complete performance record, including totals within each discipline.

Like the dam report, each foal listed will include his date of birth, sex, registration number, sire, dam and maternal grandsire, as well as a detailed list of their accomplishments. Even though the $7 sire report only includes the top 10 offspring, the totals at the end of the report include how many performing foals the stallion has sired, number of money and total earnings. Should you want more offspring, the top 25 will be $15, top 50, $25 and the current year $10. An “All foals” list will be available at a later date.

A $20 NICKING REPORT:
The nicking report is an invaluable tool for mare owners, as well as stallion owners, as it reveals the sires of the dams that the stallion “nicks” the best with. For example, if you have a Doc O’Lena mare, you can call up a stallion’s nicking report, and see how Doc O’Lena daughters “nick” with a particular stallion (ie) how many mares had performing offspring, how many performing offspring there were, total earnings and average earnings. It also lists current year money earners, so you can tell if the stallion is still siring money earners from that cross.

Click here for example of Nicking report

The Maternal Grandsire Nicking Report is especially valuable to the mare owner. You can order a report from a particular maternal grandsire (ie) you have a daughter of Peppy San Badger) the report will tell you what stallions, bred to mares with your mare’s pedigree, cross the best. Nicking reports are only $20 – a small price to pay to see what the history of a cross has been.

Recently, Bar H Ranche ran an ad on Dual Pep and CD Olena, with their nicking reports. That way, mare owners could see which stallions their daughters crossed the best with. What a great service that is, designed to help the mare owner decide which mare to breed to a stallion!

There is also a specific Nicking Report in which you can enter a specific sire and dam’s sire, and all RGP database foals from that cross will appear, along with their performance figures.

A $7 GRANDSIRE AND MATERNAL GRANDSIRE REPORT:
Wondering how your sire or dam is doing as a grandsire of maternal grandsire? These reports are available for $7 for the top 10 and additional charges for more – however, totals on all grandbabies will be listed at the end of the report.

OTHER REPORTS:
Other reports available are RGP Weekly Results reports, where every Wednesday you will automatically receive results of limited age and championship cattle and reining events that have been held. Results will include the horse’s name which will click to that horse’s pedigree and previous earnings record. Cost $4 per week.

Robin has also set up a section for anyone needing reports on a large number of horses, such as pedigree services for sale companies who wish to create sale catalogs. She also has the AQHA Data Parser service for volume users of AQHA records; the service combines AQHA records with RGP records.

Robin also offers finished catalog-style pedigree pages and finished stallion statistical pages. Automatic monthly updates are also available. A service coming up will be a computer-generated, catalog-style pedigree page. Other custom products like the top 100 mares reports are available, as well as top 100 producers. This is a great product for your ads.

HOW DO YOU SEE AND PURCHASE THESE REPORTS:
In your Internet browser, type in www.robinglenn.com. Up pops the RGP main page which includes services that she offers. (Or you can click on the RGP logo on this website.) Click on “Take A Tour” and it will let you see what reports are available and allow you to click on a sample report, so you can see for yourself what’s included.

New users put money in their account. As an added incentive, if new users put $25 or more in their account they will receive an additional $20 worth of free reports.

Whatever your position in the performance horse industry, Robin Glenn has a service (and more coming up) that is a “must have” if you are going to be an informed player in this industry. Just ask me, I use it daily and have it bookmarked on my computer!

Click below to go to Robin's website.

http://www.robinglenn.com/

RYAN MOTES IS AT THE NFR ON A CUTTING-BRED ROPE HORSE

DANNY MOTE’S SON USES A CD OLENA-BRED HORSE TO BEAT THE COMPETITION

By Kellie Carr

Dec. 4, 2007 – Weatherford, Texa

Ryan Motes with his CD Olena gelding

Photo by Kellie Carr

For team roper Ryan Motes, Weatherford, Texas, the night of Nov. 11 was both riveted with anxiety and relief. On that night at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Motes, along with his team roping partner Jimmy Edens, Gatesville, Texas, secured their place at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo after a long, eventful year of competition.

While the qualification was a first for both ropers, for Motes, it meant he was a third-generation qualifier to the NFR, following in the footsteps of his dad, David, who has qualified for the NFR more than 20 times, and his grandfather, Glen, who qualified in 1960. Motes’ family ties also extend to the cutting community, as his mom and step dad are Danny Motes and NCHA trainer Winston Hansma, and his sister, Mica Motes, is a successful NCHA Non-Pro competitor.

“Something I’ve always wanted to do is make the finals, so it’s cool that I finally did,” Motes said a few days after his qualification.

With his ties to the cutting horse industry, it’s no surprise that Motes’ horses are also former cutters. His main mount, CD Starbucks, is by CD Olena out of a Grays Starlight mare. Motes has had the 9-year-old gelding since his 2-year-old year, when it became evident that cutting was not going to be his game.

“All of my heel horses are something we’ve raised here and started as 2-year-olds as cutters,” Motes said. “He just wasn’t making it as a cutter. But he stops real hard and he’s pretty level-headed, so he made the transition really easy.”

Motes has used CD Starbucks extensively in roping competition the last four years, and recently added another former cutter to his line-up.
“I have a gray Playgun out of a Shorty Lena mare that was the same type of deal,” Motes explained. “I got him midway through his 3-year-old year – he just wasn’t going to make it as a cutter. He’s tough, though. He cracked a couple of bones in his leg out in the pasture a while back. He’s really, really good in a small setting. I rode him all winter at all the indoor rodeos. My other horse is working so good now, I’m going to start on him, but I’m going to take this one as a back-up. With his leg, I try to take care of him and I don’t ride him as much as I should.”

Though he’s not a cutter himself, Motes is very involved in the family business, helping in the breeding barn and foaling out mares each spring. He is also a firm believer that a well-bred cutting horse can easily cross over into other arenas.

“They’re bred really, really nice most of them, and they’re broke,” Motes explained. “They have a good handle, and a lot of what they do on cutting horses turns right over into the roping arena. They teach them to stop and turn over their hocks real well, and that’s what you want in a good heel horse, and a head horse, too. They’re a good size and they seem to work real good. I’ve probably got six heel horses that I’ve turned over and made into rope horses.”

Certainly good horses are an important ingredient when trying to make a bid for the NFR. It’s a goal that Motes has attempted in the past, and he’s always finished just outside of the top 15 until this year.

“I tried to make it in 2001, my rookie year, and I roped with my dad,” he explained. “We roped together for about three years and we were in the top 20 or 21, so we were always pretty close, but never got in. We tried a few times and it’s nice to rope with him, but we tried three times and came real, real close. The fourth year, I decided to try something else.”

After that, Motes took some time off and went back to working for his mom and Hansma. Then, with the encouragement of his new wife, Courtney, he decided to go for his dream again.

“Courtney kind of pushed me a little bit to go back, trying to make the finals again,” Motes said. This time, he was roping with longtime friend Jimmy Edens, whom he has known since high school. While the pair had roped for years at local rodeos, they decided to hit the ProRodeo trail in 2006.

The 2006 season went well, considering the pair didn’t spend a lot of time out on the road. With a good showing at Reno in June, they had a long shot to make it at the end of the season, but came up short once again. In 2007, they decided to give it a shot for the whole year.

The winter rodeos went well, helped out by a great show at Reno. However, it suddenly seemed like they weren’t drawing well – or roping well. “We should have kind of coasted in (to the NFR), but we didn’t, it came down to the last weekend in Dallas,” said Motes.

At Dallas, the team nearly watched their chances slip away again, as they failed to win money in the first two rounds. They needed just over $2,100 to punch their ticket to Vegas, which shouldn’t have been hard to pull from the $550,000 purse at Dallas. But the times got faster and faster, and Motes and Edens watched their chances come down to Sunday night. In the semi-final round, they turned one in 4.6. With a 4.1 winning, the pair finished second, winning $3,674 each - just enough to put them over the top-15 bubble, and secure their place at the NFR.

Motes is competing in his first NFR knowing he has the complete support of his family. His mom and dad are going the whole time, while Mica hopes to sneak away from the NCHA Futurity for a few days to watch him compete was well.

“Everybody really encouraged me to be gone and go try to do it instead of trying to stay home, and that means a lot,” Motes said. “Mica, my mom, Winston…everyone has been really supportive.”

HOW MUCH WORKING TIME IS ENOUGH?

OVER 50 CUTTERS ATTEND NCHA CLINIC HELD IN MORIARTY, N.M.

Oct. 20, 2007 - Moriarty, N.M.
At the NCHA Clinic held Oct. 12 in Moriarty, N.M., “Getting your 70's to be 74's or 75's was the stated goal,” at least according to Dave Brian, NCHA Show Department Manager, in his opening remarks to the crowd of over 50 people.

The first thing Bobby Hunt, weekend Monitor and AAAA Judge, suggested to the clinic participants during the morning session, is to “impress the judge.” He said that a pretty run that shows confidence is easy to give plus marks to. A few of the other things he is looking for in a run is the horse that finds the bottom of the stop and the working time in the 45-second range. According to Bobby the Loose Rein-column is only to have a minus or a check. It is just required, so there should never be a plus there.

It was explained that the choice of making marks for each cow, or simply one mark per column for the entire run, is left up to individual judges and that the last three columns are for minuses only. Bobby said that there just is not any place on the judges' card for ugly, so leave that project horse for the practice pen.

During the three-hour morning session, a few of the great pointers included:

Going through the herd and coming off the back fence with just one cow still satisfies the deep cut rule;

The judges in attendance agreed that feeding rein, or having a loop in reins during the cut, was not as preferable as being able to drop you hand and have the correct length for a nice loose rein;

Once cattle are cleared, and as long as cutter is moving forward toward cow, it is okay to leave your hand up, but once the cutter makes a move across the pen, his or her hand must be dropped;

The operative word in reining point is "visible" (once you put your hand down, either on the swell or the neck, leave it down);

The rein hand on the horse's neck can be about six inches in front of the saddle but not 12 inches and will be a reining point each time your hand moves up or down the neck;

A rule of thumb on the difference between big "A" and little "a" is if the cutter has to kick to get back in position. So if horse recovers by itself, that is a little "a" but if the cutter kicks the horse to recover that is a big "A";

To know if you have a loose enough rein during run, check if the horse hits the bit when he drops his head in the stop;

In order to be charged with picking up cattle, the cow coming from the herd must come past the horses nose.

The cutters were encouraged to use the "Judges Evaluation Report" that is printed in every issue of the Chatter for reporting both the good and the bad. The process that the report follows is: Once received at NCHA, it is sent to the monitor of the judge in question and then that monitor views the video of that particular class. Typically the monitor reviews two classes from every show but they may not review the class that the cutter had an issue with unless there is a report (or reports from several cutters is even better). Once the monitor has completed the review, he consults with the judge in the report.

At a minimum, the judge gets critiqued by the monitor and it is possible to have a judge lose one of his A's with this process, so it is imperative that cutters police the judges. It was stressed that the name of the person submitting the report is kept confidential. Cutters are also strongly encouraged to submit reports for video people that are either doing great or on those that are not offering the level of product required and especially for judges that are exemplary. Bobby says the best way to keep good quality judges is to let them know they are doing a good job.

Live works critiques were especially popular with this part of the clinic, which was limited to 25 participants. Brett Davis, Texarkana Texas, along with Bobby Hunt, had there microphones buzzing during every run with invaluable comments that were tailored for that specific cutter.
Bobby said that "being forced off a cow means that if you don't quit you are going to have to shake hands with the judge". Brett said, "Don't ride through your horse, making the same mistake over and over again in your run. Pick up and fix your horse when they are just beginning to make the same mistake for the second time. It will fix your horse for the next run because the run you are in has already been ruined, even if you do not fix it".

Another golden nugget from Brett was, "When coming off the back fence during your cut, look to the top of the herd, that is where the cattle that want to be cut are."

"Think of your run like a thermometer on a hot day, keep that thing going up throughout your run and have fun," said Bobby Hunt.

HEARTS FULL OF "HOPE"

AN OWNER'S JOURNEY TO THE WINNER'S CIRCLE IN AUSTRALIAN DERBY

May 31, 2007

In the cutting industry you will often hear people talk about how they have been breeding or showing cutting horses for over 30 years in the hope that one day they would have a finalist in the Futurity.

Imagine then, the euphoria for South Australian couple, Karen and Claus Thrun, when their first ever cutting prospect, Chickasha Hope, finalled in all four of her Futurity events, placing in the big one at Tamworth and third in Victoria. Then in 2006, the mare won the Australian NCHA Derby. Was it simply the skill of their trainer, Aaron Wheatley? Was their mare a freak, or does it just come down to a lot of careful planning?

“All of the above,” says Karen, “but with a huge measure of good luck thrown in.”

In 1995 Karen and Claus established Cleland Gully Quarter Horse Stud on their 250-acre property in the picturesque Tooperang Valley near Mt Compass in South Australia. They stand the Queensland-bred AQHA Champion sire, BPS Lead Role (by BPS Centre Stage) and breed a small number of purebred foals each year for the local market. It was at the
Equitana in Melbourne, where they first experienced a professional cutting competition. They watched in awe as “One Moore Spin,” an all-time great, weaved her magic in the arena. Claus thought it was the most exciting horse sport he had ever seen and Karen was just overcome with goose-bumps.

Something happened that day, and in 2002 they planned a holiday to Tamworth to check out the Australian NCHA Futurity. However, at this prestigious cutting competition, the NCHA horse sale was also expected to be above average. After the death of the outstanding cutting stallion, Docs Spinifex, Garrison Quarter Horse Stud announced that the first stage of their broodmare dispersal would be held at the 2002 NCHA Futurity Select Sale. Prospective buyers from all across the country flocked to the Tamworth showgrounds that year to get their hands on some of the best bloodlines around. The auction was exciting and very infectious. This was the same year that Chance Lodge sold their yearling filly, Hickaboonsmal, for a record price of $81,000.

Sale fever finally settled once those lovely mares were sold and the big spenders headed to the bar with lighter wallets. The young stock were up next and when a pretty yearling chestnut filly was led into the sale pen, Karen began to wriggle in her seat. “We weren’t looking to buy, but she really caught my eye and I just wanted a chance to own her,” Karen explained. Claus noticing her interest, asked a few questions and immediately started bidding.

“My heart started thumping so hard, and then I thought - this is crazy," said Karen. "And then I told Claus to stop, but that was where the hammer fell and before we knew it, we were the owners of our first cutting horse!” They were very excited and stunned all at once, suddenly realising they needed a halter, rugs and feed and to arrange insurance and horse transport to Mt Compass. Fortunately, Kevin Noble was heading back to South Australia with room in his goose-neck, so they secured a place with him.

Chickasha Hope is by the black stallion, Acres Destiny, who needs no introduction in the Australian cutting and campdrafting arenas. Her dam is Chickasha Carrie (by Buc Lena), a 1995 Non-Pro Futurity winner and Limited Non Pro Futurity winner. The filly was bred by Peter and Marie Rogan from Tamworth. Peter Rogan is no stranger to the cutting industry, he rode Chickasha Carrie to her wins and his parents, Ray and Alison Rogan imported the USA World Champion Cutting stallion, Chickasha Dan, back in 1972.

Karen is currently writing a book on the history of the Australian Quarter Horse and is very proud of her mare’s ancestry. Chickasha Dan is a great grandsire of Chickasha Hope. In her research Karen has learned about Dan and other horses of his calibre that were imported back then. She believes they were ahead of their time in this country.

“The cutting industry in Australia was really in its infancy in the early 1970s," said Karen. "Greg Lougher arrived with his Clover Leaf horses in 1967 and surrounded by great controversy, he demonstrated the breed’s innate ability with cattle. He was instrumental in getting many people started in the cutting industry, but they were barely beginning to understand how to ride cutters when these highly-trained horses arrived. They were just so cowy and I’m sure those who were involved back then will agree that our horsemen had a long way to go.”

When Chickasha Dan (King Glo x Chickasha Ann) was imported into this country, he was a World Champion Cutting Horse. As a 3-year-old in 1965, ridden by Dr. Allen Hamiliton, he won the National Cutting Horse Futurity in Texas, the world’s largest futurity event. He then went on to win the coveted title of NCHA World Champion Cutting Horse in 1968 and at just 6 years of age. He was the youngest horse to win the title and the only horse to ever win both top honors. His “double crown” achievement was not equalled by any other horse until Docs Marmoset in 1981. In recognition of his brilliance, Chickasha Dan was inducted into the American NCHA Hall of Fame in 1970.

“With a grandsire like that, it’s no wonder our mare is so cowy, and he is just one aspect of her pedigree," said Karen, who nicknamed the filly Dee. It wasn’t long before they knew that she was special. Among other things their kelpie was no longer game to enter the paddock, choosing to remain at the gate until Karen had finished feeding. Dee had given the dog so much chase each time it wasn’t worth the hassle. When Dee turned two, Karen asked Peter Rogan’s advice on a suitable cutting trainer and Aaron Wheatley was strongly recommended. Esther Stibbard from Strathalbyn, South Australia starts  all the horses for Karen and Claus. After Esther put four weeks on Dee, the filly went across to Aaron in Victoria to commence her cutting training. Coincidentally, Esther’s father, Milton Stibbard originates from Queensland and he was a keen participant in the fledgling years of the cutting industry back in the early 1970s.

After his first ride on Chickasha Hope, Aaron stepped off with a big smile on his face and before long he was convinced she would be a hot contender for the 2005 NCHA Futurity. So with their hearts full of hope, Karen and Claus drove to Tamworth to watch their young mare compete in her first Futurity. The entries were huge, about 110 horses all competing in the second biggest prize money event in the country. Chickasha Hope scored a 145 in her first go-round and qualified for the final after gaining the second highest score of 148 in the second go-round. The final comprised of the top 20 horses and the filly finished in equal 4th place sharing the spot with another of Aaron’s  good mares, Petas Royelle, both scoring a 146. Karen and Claus considered themselves very fortunate to have done so well with their first horse at her first competition.

The next Futurity on the calendar was the DDCC at Toowoomba, closely followed by the CCCC at Goondiwindi. The cattle were big and very challenging for the young horses at Toowoomba and it was a tough event, but the filly finalled again to come away with 12th place. In Goondiwindi, with the cattle a little smaller but still very unpredictable, Chickasha Hope floored her owners with the top score of 149 for the first go-round and went on again to qualify for the finals, only to lose a cow in her final run and fall back to 10th. The Victorian Futurity was the last of the four futurities for these young horses and a little closer to home. The young mare went very well with a 145 and a 147 putting her into the finals for the fourth time that year and she finished with another 147 to place third with Tassa Tex and Jason Leitch.

With such a great result in the Futurities, the Thrun’s decided to continue with the mare in 2006 in the Derby events for 4-year- olds. By this time Aaron had Chickasha Hope working so beautifully with her own unique “fluid” style that she was a stand-out for both American judges at the NCHA Futurity in Tamworth. They marked her with a 150 and a 145.5 in her go-rounds. Qualifying again for the finals, she scored a 151, the highest score for the whole show, to win the NCHA Derby by three and a half points. This terrific mare didn’t stop there, going on to final for the next three futurities and coming away as the Derby Champion again in Toowoomba and Victoria. Winning three out of the four Derby events and finalling in all eight of her age events, Karen and Claus feel they have been blessed with a wonderful mare and a very talented and dedicated trainer in Aaron Wheatley.

When Aaron publicly announced that he would be leaving the country after the Victorian Futurity for a training position in the States, Karen and Claus knew they would have some huge decisions ahead. But none quite as big as their decision after Aaron offered to take Dee with him to America for promotion and then later to sell her for them. After a lot of deliberating they decided to keep the mare in Australia.

“We felt very privileged. Aaron has always been full of praise for Dee, but there are so many risks involved,” Karen stated, “And we may never have one like her again. We have grown very attached to her and we’re looking forward to seeing her foals and maybe having the chance to ride her on a cow ourselves down the track.” Earlier this year they purchased two more trained cutting horses and joined the recently resurrected SA Cutting Horse Association to gain some cutting pen experience for themselves.

Chickasha Hope, described as “one of the sweetest moving cutting horses you will ever see,” has earned in excess of $44,000 in just two years of competition in her young life. Having already knocked back offers from the States to purchase the mare, Karen and Claus are now planning to breed her during the break with the use of imported frozen semen. There are great opportunities for breeders to access some of the best cutting bloodlines from America and they believe their mare deserves the best. With the benefits of embryo transfer they plan to try for a couple of eggs and then hope to find a suitable trainer to take the mare through the Classics. They wished Aaron Wheatley all the best in America and extended their appreciation to him and his great team for doing such a brilliant job with their mare.

LAINIE WHITMIRE SUES NCHA OVER LOSS OF AMATEUR/NON-PRO STATUS

CONTROVERSY HAS BEEN GOING ON FOR 2 ½ YEARS

Article and photo by Glory Ann Kurtz

March 15, 2007 – Fort Worth, Texas

It’s a battle between a former-barrel-racer-turned-cutter and the National Cutting Horse Association (NCHA), regarding her amateur/non-pro status, that’s been going on since 2004, and has culminated in a lawsuit.

The lawsuit, with hundreds of pages of allegations, exhibits and depositions of the main characters is filled with charges of defamation, verbal harassments, deceit, fraud, retaliation by an ex-husband and his lover, false imprisonment, a side agreement, charges of conduct and prejudice by a lawyer and the attempt to disqualify him, as well as several attempted settlement communications never presented to the NCHA Executive Committee. It’s all available to the public at the Tarrant County Courthouse for anyone who is willing to pay 35 cents a page.

Lainie Whitmire, Sallisaw, Okla., sued the National Cutting Horse Association (NCHA) on Oct. 10, 2006 and also through an amended petition filed on Nov. 29, 2006. Whitmire, and  her husband, Ray, are lifetime members of the NCHA.

Two hearings had been held regarding Whitmire’s amateur/non-professional status after an unnamed person had notified the NCHA that she had previously trained barrel horses while married to David Kleck, a Southlake, Texas, veterinarian, from Dec. 31, 1993 through April 17, 2003.

On Nov. 15, 2004, she was asked to appear before an NCHA Hearing Committee appointed by NCHA Executive Director Jeff Hooper. The committee, consisting of Bucki James, Gail Karanges, Danny Miller, Mary Jo Milner and Joe Howard Williamson.

The Allegations:

The evidence produced at the November  hearing was a note from Kathleen Belle Starr, Wichita, Kan., stating that Whitmire had trained and rode barrel horses for her. There was also a statement that she had rode Firewater Bugs for free. Along with the note were reports from Equi-Stat showing Whitmire’s barrel racing history (under her former married name), including horses rode and money won.

However, there was an e-mail from Robin Hoffman of Speedhorse, Inc., presented, which said that Whitmire was considered a Non-Pro competitor for the Speedhorse Gold & Silver Cup Barrel Futurities.

Also, at the November hearing, Tommy Marvin, a well-known trainer and NCHA Futurity Champion, testified that he was familiar with Whitmire’s riding abilities and believed it was “obvious” she was an amateur. He also testified that, based on what he had seen, she had never previously trained horses.

In addition, Whitmire’s counsel Clark Brewster, Tulsa, Okla., provided  the Hearing Committee with the results of a polygraph examination which Whitmire had passed. These findings had been independently corroborated by another examiner.  And Whitmire insisted that she had never previously trained horses for remuneration in any form.

Regardless, on Nov. 17, the NCHA Hearing Committee revoked her amateur status and suspended her non-pro status unless she could produce sufficient documents and records to demonstrate that she did not train horses astride for direct or indirect remuneration during the years 1998-2000. They also demanded that she present herself for a polygraph examination when requested.

Side agreement:

On Jan. 4, 2005, Brewster wrote NCHA’s general counsel, Eldridge Goins, advising him that (a) he had learned through additional discovery that Whitmire had never trained horses astride for remuneration, direct or indirect; (b) he was prepared to present unequivocal sworn testimony to prove this fact, and (c) she was ready to take a polygraph exam.

After a series of phone calls were made between Brewster and Goins, Goins wrote a letter to Brewster on Jan. 19, 2005 letter reflecting the agreement between the two parties. The agreement stated: 1) that all pending investigations and appeals would cease, 2) Whitmire’s NCHA membership would be suspended with reinstatement at the end of six months and 3) her status as a non-pro had been revoked as she was deemed unqualified for non-pro status under present NCHA rules.

According to Brewster’s deposition under oath, the prepared agreement was not signed off by him and that he and Goins had an attorney-to-attorney gentleman’s agreement that there would be a cooling-off period of six months and if the amateur rules changed, she’d get her card back. If not, she’d at least have her non-pro card. Brewster said that both lawyers agreed during the meeting that the rules were ambiguous with unequal enforcement. Still under oath, Brewster said he had called Goins shortly after receiving the correspondence with the “terms” of the settlement, asking him if they still had the gentlemen’s agreement and Goins said, “absolutely.”

However, during their respective sworn depositions, Brewster outlined the private agreement, while Goins swore there was no such agreement. Also, because of the agreement reached between them, a Jan. 19, 2005 hearing was cancelled. This was the same hearing where Brewster was prepared to present his “unequivocal sworn testimony” that Whitmire had never trained horses for remuneration and for which Whitmire was to take a second polygraph exam.

Consistent with the settlement agreement reached between Goins and Brewster, Whitmire applied for reinstatement of her non-pro membership and was declined. When she persisted, by amending her application to make her position clear, she was denied again and accused of making a “false declaration” on her application regarding training horses for remuneration. The non-pro committee denied her application and further recommended that she be suspended for not less than one year for making the false declaration.

This action was appealed to the NCHA Executive Committee, and at a hearing on Aug. 21, 2006 before the Executive Committee, additional evidence was presented by the NCHA for the first time. There was a copy of four checks presented by John Farrar with “Training and board” written in the description line. Also, at this same hearing, Kleck claimed in a 2004 questionnaire that Whitmire “had horses in training for numerous different owners throughout the duration of their marriage.”

Responses from Whitmire:

In response to the Starr allegations, no remuneration for training was mentioned in the note and further communication with Ms. Starr had been unsuccessful by either the plaintiffs or the defendants. According to Whitmire’s lawyer, she didn’t answer telephone calls and the NCHA objected to attempts to take her deposition on written questions to secure any documents she might have, showing that she paid Whitmire for training. Also, all the reports attached to the accusation listed money won, not money paid for training horses. NCHA rules state that premium money earned is NOT considered remuneration.

On the Farrar check, a signed and notarized statement was later received by the plaintiff’s lawyer from Farrar saying that he had no knowledge of Whitmire riding any horses for remuneration.

On the Kleck allegations, his answers on the questionnaire did not include a description of direct or indirect remuneration, as was requested. Whitmire claimed he was a vindictive ex-husband who vowed to ruin her. Also, all of her financial records, including her tax returns, bank deposit slips and bank statements, which were requested by the NCHA, were in his possession and he refused to give them to her. Even though the NCHA counsel, Eldridge Goins, had talked with Kleck, he had failed to ask for the records, even though he had told the NCHA Executive Board that he had been “begging” for the tax returns.

Whitmire also said she was verbally harassed by Dave Brian, NCHA Show Manager, in November, when he called her on the telephone and called her a liar.

A new lawyer:

Whitmire decided that should legal action become necessary, she didn’t want Brewster involved, since he was an NCHA member. Also, a Texas lawyer was needed to sue the NCHA in Tarrant County.

Through legal documents obtained by this reporter, Whitmire’s new lawyer James Walker of Walker & Sewell LLP, Dallas, Texas, alleged in the ensuing lawsuit that Eldridge Goins, acting as the NCHA’s general counsel, persuaded Whitmire to not appeal the decision, assuring Brewster that she would be eligible for reinstatement of her amateur/non-pro status later in 2005. However, when she applied for reinstatement of her Non-Pro status, Goins indicated to her that her application would not be favorably received and she might jeopardize her NCHA membership.  The Non-Pro Committee again denied her application.

Throughout 2005 and into 2006, Whitmire resubmitted her application several times for amateur and non-pro status, hoping Goins would abide by the earlier agreement made between Goins and Brewster, and because she believed  the Executive Committee had enacted rule changes, which would render her eligible for amateur and non-pro status. Whitmire then claimed that NCHA Executive Director Jeff Hooper told her she did not qualify for non-pro status in either 2005 and 2006 and that he insinuated that if she continued seeking her non-pro status her membership could be suspended.

Hooper’s close relationship with Goins was described in Hooper’s deposition, with him saying, “I have very consistent, regular contact with Goins and from working with him since August 2000, there’s never been a circumstance that somebody moved a paper clip from the left side of the page to the right side of the page, that he didn’t call me up and say, ‘Is it OK if the paper clip is on the right-hand side of the page?’ ”

Undeterred, Whitmire reapplied and was again denied her non-pro status by the Non-Pro Committee, this time for a “false declaration.” They also recommended her membership be revoked. On Aug. 21, 2006, the Executive Committee heard her appeal and at the conclusion, not only denied her 2006 Non-Pro application, but suspended her NCHA membership.

The lawsuit:

The ensuing Oct. 10, 2006 lawsuit against the NCHA alleges fraud, misrepresentation and breach of contract, as well as false imprisonment and intentional infliction of emotional distress. Whitmire also filed a declaratory judgment action seeking to have the various NCHA rules declared ambiguous and construed in her favor. She was seeking reasonable and necessary expenses and attorneys’ fees.

Fraud: The suit stated that Goins told her lawyer that if she refrained from appealing the initial suspension, she would be eligible for reinstatement of her non-pro status in 2005. Not only did they deny her non-pro status but also suspended her.

In the response dated Oct. 27, the NCHA claimed that Whitmire had not pursued and exhausted the available administrative remedies pertaining to the claims in the case. Also that claims for fraud were simply alleged breaches of its contract with the NCHA and do not support a cause of action for fraud.

False imprisonment and intentional infliction of emotional distress: The lawsuit claimed that during the 2004 NCHA Futurity, Hooper and Goins ordered Whitmire into a room behind the announcer’s stand (women’s dressing room) at the Will Rogers arena after she had competed in the first go-round of competition and qualified to go to the second go-round. Their “harsh and abrupt” conduct inspired in her fear of personal and reputation injury.

Whitmire claims they detained her without her consent, berated her, made several false allegations and at no point did she feel free to leave the room because of her vulnerability and oppressive circumstances involving the detainment. Among other things, Goins told her that if she won the competition, she would be keeping someone “that had earned it” from winning. The suit said Goins was also competing in the Amateur division the following day and would be competing against Whitmire.

Whitmire’s deposition said NCHA President Don Bussey was also in the room and that someone had gone to get Brewster and while they waited, Goins just starred at her. When Brewster arrived, Goins slammed a file down on the table and said, “She’s through,” later saying they had obtained more evidence and they were immediately taking her membership card away – and she would not be able to show in the second go-round. According to Whitmire, her horse was in the process of being warmed up for the second go-round while this meeting was taking place.

Whitmire said she was sick to her stomach; she had never been treated like that before in her life and was in a state of shock. According to Whitmire, she was shaking and crying and wanted out of the room. “I asked to leave, but no one answered me,” said Whitmire under oath. She said that her husband was trying to get into the room, but Dave Brian was sitting by the door and wouldn’t open it. Eventually, Brian cracked the door and said ‘nobody else needed to be in there,’ and Ray Whitmire said ‘I’m her husband,’ and came in anyway.

According to testimony, Ray Whitmire had tried to gain entry to the door a couple of times, but it was locked and no one responded to his knocks. Because people insisted she had been taken into that particular room, he persisted and was finally able to get Brian to open the door. Susan Marvin, who had been with Ray Whitmire to look for Lainie, was denied admission to the room.

Brewster reminded those in attendance that they were in the middle of an appeal of her amateur status and that the NCHA (through Goins) had given her until Jan. 4, 2005 to sit for a second polygraph exam and to provide the requested documents and testimony. As a result, he advised them that he believed it would be a bad decision to not let her show. He also advised them that they could “land the NCHA in a lawsuit for this kind of conduct.” Whitmire claimed that Hooper said, “We would welcome a lawsuit.” She said when she looked at Bussey, he just ‘bowed his head and shook it.’

As she and her husband were leaving, Ray Whitmire said, “Well the horse is still entered in the amateur. I guess this means I’ll show him in the amateur,” to which Brian said, “No, because she is an open rider, you cannot show in the amateur.”

Whitmire said the meeting broke up, but they ended up behind the announcer’s stand with several people walking by who were within hearing distance, as were the announcer and those at the announcer stand. Goins said, “She’s not going to show, it doesn’t matter what you say.” However, Whitmire said that Don Bussey later came by and told her she could show. She marked a 211, not enough to get in the second go-round, but she did advance to the limited non-pro finals.

The new evidence:

The alleged new evidence that was not presented until the August 2006 appeal hearing was the questionnaire completed by Kleck; a statement from Natasha Edwards Thomas, a former employee of the Kleck’s Morningline Farm, stating she had witnessed Whitmire training barrel horses and a lawsuit by Lainie and David Kleck, d.b.a. Morningline Farm, against Mayme Bull, Livingston, Texas requesting payment for horses trained.

According to Walker, all financial records had not been presented at any of the prior hearings and none were apparently ever requested by Goins when he was talking to Kleck and securing his completed questionnaire. Also, he said Whitmire did not have possession of the records at any time during or after their marriage.

Walker said the statement from Thomas failed to answer the question stating that Whitmire received any remuneration and that she had later signed a sworn affidavit saying she had no personal knowledge of Whitmire receiving any remuneration for training horses. According to Whitmire’s deposition, Thomas had an affair with her husband and had been fired by her and her husband’s Morningline Ranch.

Also, Whitmire told Walker that she did sign the lawsuit for collection, but the bills of $15 per day, were for board and training, but did not indicate who was doing the training. The lawsuit has not yet been produced by the defendants.

NCHA response:

The NCHA response said the claims were simply alleged breaches of its contract with the NCHA and such claims do not support a cause of action for negligent misrepresentation. They denied all allegations.

The NCHA said that Whitmire was bound by the NCHA rule 41, which states: “If any member institutes litigation in which the association is included as defendant in an effort to recover damages, to overturn enforcement or interpretation of the Constitution, By-Laws, Rules or Regulations, or for any other reason whatsoever, and does not prevail in said litigation by the recovery of all relief requested, said member shall be liable to the Association for its attorneys’ fees, costs of court, and other expenses incurred in connection with such litigation. Venue for any litigation in which the Association is included as a defendant shall be Tarrant County, Texas.”

Further they cited rule 38(e), which states, “The decision of the Executive Committee shall be final and binding on all parties.”

Also, the NCHA responded that “Texas courts recognize the right of private associations to create a set of rules and perform internal governances and are reticent to interfere with decisions made within the organization, citing a 1990 Amarillo, Texas case, Burge vs. American Quarter Horse Association plus others.

Motion to disqualify Eldridge Goins as legal counsel for NCHA:

In a motion dated Nov. 20, 2006, which was later amended and filed March 12, 2007, Walker sought to disqualify Goins as the NCHA counsel, with the central basis being he was a fact witness in the case, which is against the Texas Disciplinary Rules of Professional Conduct. He is also a “culpable actor in several of the Plaintiff’s causes of action,” and contributed to cause Whitmire’s damages, including his breach of the agreement between him and Brewster and the false imprisonment of Whitmire and infliction of emotional distress.

The motion also states that NCHA rules governing qualification for amateur and non-professional status in the NCHA are ambiguous and should be construed against the NCHA in resolving any conflict regarding their interpretation.

The NCHA rule 41 stating that if a member institutes litigation in which the association is included as defendant, they are liable for … (this rule was previously stated in full). Given the NCHA’s insistence that Whitmire is no longer a member of the Association, NCHA Rule 41 clearly has no application to her in this suit.

Settlement Communications:

When Walker sent Goins six settlement communications, in which Walker was asking for an audience of the Executive Committee, Goins responded saying that a meeting with the Executive Committee was “not possible” and any settlement proposals should be given to him orally or in writing and he would submit them to the NCHA, without going through lawyers. He was also willing to arrange a telephone call or conference between Whitmire and the NCHA Executive Director Jeff Hooper without attorneys being present. The settlement communication letters were sent on Nov. 14, 2006, Nov. 16, 2006, Nov. 17, 2006, Dec. 13, 2006, Jan. 24, 2006 and Jan. 31, 2007.

In a Supplement to Request for Sanctions of Defendant filed Nov. 29, 2006, Goins stated that the letters were inflammatory, insulting and defamatory communications, with no purpose other than to harass and belittle the addressee and seek an inflammatory response. He said the letters were “styled as settlement communications in an attempt to cloak them in a privilege (so they wouldn’t have to be included in court records) and shield him from responsibility for their defamatory content.”

Goins included copies of the six letters with the Supplement, making them part of the court records. When he was asked in his deposition why he felt the letters were defamatory or belittling, Goins refused to answer and advised the Plaintiff that she would find out “at the hearing.” “Only a party as emotionally involved in this case as is Mr. Goins would ever suggest such a thing,” said the motion.

The motion is asking for monetary sanctions, including the well over $40,000 which has been spent in connection with the disqualification issue.

Walker’s Nov. 14 letter stated that the Executive Board was to meet at 8 a.m. on Nov. 20. “We note that your responsive pleading in this matter complains of the fact that Ms.Whitmire did not avail herself of a subsequent appeal to the Executive Board prior to filing suit. In the interest of resolving this dispute in the most expedient and cost-effective manner possible, we propose that we be allowed to meet with the Executive Board.” 

Goins’ response was, “A settlement conference between your client and the NCHA Executive Committee during its planned meeting is not possible.”  In his response, Goins invited Walker to advance any settlement proposal by a procedure he had outlined previously. He also said the right to appeal was explained in the hearing conducted Aug. 21, 2006.

The Nov. 17 letter from Walker said that he found it “difficult to understand why the NCHA Executive Board prefers to incur the expense and inconvenience of litigation when we are willing to explore the possibility of a complete and final resolution of this dispute during a regularly scheduled meeting of the Board. We continue to believe that such a settlement conference presents both sides with the most expedient and cost-effective means of resolving this dispute.”

On Dec. 13, James Morris with Goins’ law firm answered, saying that they previously invited Walker to make any settlement proposal in Goins’ Nov. 15 letter.

A Jan. 24 letter from Walker said, “Now that we have completed Mr. Brewster’s deposition, and before both parties incur the expense of completing the remaining three depositions … we believe the time is right to meet with the NCHA Executive Board to explore the possibility of a complete and final resolution of this dispute… Goins’ Jan. 26 response said that “any settlement proposal you wish to propose be made to either Jeff Hooper or me. I believe the Association’s position on this issue is clear…

A Jan. 31, 2007 letter from Walker was the only letter with personal reference to Goins. It stated that Goins was the primary obstacle to securing an early and reasonable settlement of this dispute. “The reason for this is simple – you long ago abandoned your role as counsel and are now personally and emotionally invested in this case as a material fact witness.” Walker explained how the Texas Disciplinary Rule of Professional Conduct states: “A lawyer shall not accept or continue employment as an advocate before a tribunal in a contemplated or pending adjudicatory proceeding if the lawyer knows or believes that the lawyer is or may be a witness necessary to establish an essential fact on behalf of the lawyer’s client.”

The letter continued. “Your continued insistence upon violating this important Disciplinary Rule and your status as a culpable actor are sufficient grounds for Ms.Whitmire to request a direct meeting with the Executive Board. We have repeatedly pointed to our conflict as an impediment to securing some constructive form of progress in resolving this case and you have repeatedly ignored us in this regard.”

“Despite your role as a material fact witness in this case, you continue to cause the Whitmires and the NCHA to incur needless attorneys’ fees and costs in connection with at least two hearings and four depositions focusing solely upon your ability to continue as counsel in this matter,” said Walker. “At this point, I question whether you have even advised the NCHA Executive Board that your deposition is being taken as part of an effort to disqualify you as counsel. Regardless, we continue to believe the time is right to meet with the NCHA Executive Board to explore the possibility of a complete and final resolution of this dispute.”

What’s next?

Current plans by the Plaintiffs include deposing Bucki James, Don Bussey and others involved in this case. If no settlement is reach, the case will go to trial.

When Lainie Whitmire was interviewed for this article, she said, “I have never worked or been paid as a professional trainer. I remain hopeful the Executive Board will see fit to restore my non-professional card as soon as possible so that I may participate with my family in cutting events.”

Walker expressed  hope that the Executive Committee “would take a look at the true state of affairs and do the right thing.”

Attempts to reach Goins and Hooper for a response from the defendants were unsuccessful.