NRCHA World's Greatest Horseman —
Quarter Horse News 1999 Review
Some of the top cow horse athletes and talented riders in the nation traveled to the Lazy E Arena in Guthrie, Okla., the middle of June, where they battled it out for the title of the "World's Greatest Horseman." The intensity of the riders and the tenacity of their mounts as they competed in the contest, which was held Jun. 15-19 could be likened to the National Hockey League's top teams, who during the same weekend were engaging in a grueling battle for the coveted Stanley Cup.
The National Reined Cow Horse Association's premier contest's rules read "one rider - one horse (any age, any breed) - one bit" and each contestant and his/ or her horse were asked to compete in four works - herd, reined, roping ,and cow (or fence) works. While many of the horses entered regularly compete in the reined cow horse, reining, or cutting events, the stickler was the required roping, or steer stopping work.
Although he feels he has as much roping experience as a majority of all-around competitors, the roping division had always seemed to eliminate any chance of winning similar all-around competitions for five-time NRCHA Snaffle Bit Futurity champion rider Ted Robinson of Oak View, Calif. However, that wasn't the case for this year's champ and his last-minute entry, Katie Starlight, a beautiful 6-year-old daughter of Grays Starlight and the only mare entered in the year's competition. Ironically, Robinson scored a very respectable 214.5 and 216 in the preliminary and finals' roping works, yet, "Katie" was undoubtedly the most inexperienced roping mount that Ted have ever contested on!
Robinson was to have competed on Mr Nu Colonel, a son of Nu Cash, that he had ridden to the 1995 NRCHA Snaffle Bit Futurity Championship and to the 1997 NRCHA Open Hackamore Year-End Championship. When the stallion came up lame with a sesamoid problem, Robinson disappointedly decided to withdraw from the competition. Less than two weeks before the Guthrie contest began, Hunsicker said she'd love for Robinson to show Katie, which is out of Colonels Gunsmoke, a daughter of Colonel Freckles, at the contest. The mare had a world of reined cow horse experience. Robinson had ridden her to the NRCHA Open Hackamore World Championship the year before and Hunsicker, of Solvang, Calif., and Katie are leading the NRCHA's world championship standings in the Non-Pro Bridle Division. There was just one problem - the mare had NEVER been roped on. Katie's first roping competition turned out to be the preliminary go-round at Guthrie!
No matter - the good-minded mare had a horseman on her back to show her the way and, after all, that's what the competition was all about - identifying the "World's Greatest Horseman."
In the preliminary round, Robinson and Katie got off to a rough start, scoring only a 198 in the herd work. The pair rallied in the reined work - Katie's area of expertise - and won the preliminary work with a super high score of 225.5, and they placed third in the preliminary cow work with a 219.5. They returned to the 11-head finals in fifth position with a total score of 854.5. In the finals, they again scored low in the herd work, a 209, but bounced back with a high 219 in the reined work. Following their 216 roping score, they began their final work, and one that Robinson excels at - the exciting cow (fence) work, ranked fourth with a subtotal score of 644.
As the next to final entry in the cow work, Robinson knew he needed a 217 to claim the sought-after title. A master at reading a cow so as to get the most out of a fence work, when the pair's Charolais cow entered the pen, Robinson capitalized on the good draw and swept the division with an outstanding score of 221! Upon completing their final circle, Robinson victoriously threw his hat into the air as the audience roared their approval of the "world's greatest horseman" and his superior mount. Including their preliminary round monies, Robinson and Katie drew a total paycheck amounting to $55,450!
"She's a really neat mare," said Robinson. "She was there to 'give it' - she's pretty special."
Two horses co-shared the Reserve Champion honors with total scores of 860, Chex Out This Remedy, owned by UC Partners of Corcoran, Calif., and ridden by Jon Roeser, and Cowboys Welcome Star, owned by the Miller Land and Livestock Co. of Big Piney, Wyo., and ridden by non-pro competitor Mike Miller. Chex Out This Remedy and Roeser drew two checks in the preliminary round, one for a second-place tie in the herd work and another for a fourth-place tie in the steer stopping work.
In the finals after marking 214.5 in the herd work, a 216.5 in the reined work, and placing third in the steer stopping with a high 217, Chex Out This Remedy and Roeser drew a cow that didn't want to "listen" and received a low 212 The Pair's total take-home pay amounted to $17,066.67
Miller, who as the only non-pro finalist was a crowd favorite, and Cowboys Welcome Star were consistent in the finals - making a 213.5 in the herd, a 213 in the reined work and a 215 in the cow work. Miller, a Wyoming cattle rancher, and his well-disciplined gelding won the steer stopping with a high 218.5, which added to their three other works, which rewarded them with the Co-Reserve Championship and a $15,000 paycheck.
The World's Greatest Horseman contest paid out $138,000.
Judging the "World's Greatest Horseman Contest" were: Gary Bellenfant, DeLeon, Texas, Skip Brown, Red Bluff, Calif., Stan Fonsen, Windsor, Calif. Doug Ingersoll, Lincoln, Calif., Dick Pieper, Marietta, Okla., Ronnie Richards, Corona, Calif., served as director of judges.
