As I type this the final shows of the 2018 season are underway, with November 16th being the cut off for weekend haulers attempting to make the NCHA World Finals. Hailey Schafer, of Arizona, has officially "made it", currently sitting sixth in the 15,000 Amateur class with $6,812 in earnings. No stranger to the Watt Arena, Schafer was Reserve Champion in the 2,000 Limit Rider in 2017, with the help of her great horse, Smart Chula Dual. Western Twist Media sits down with Haile

As we go to "press"... As we go to "press"... man, the era of social media is making that term redundant... Colleen Wallace and her great mare, Onetime Is Short, are sitting sixth in the 50,000 Amateur division of the NCHA World Standings. With 32 shows to their name and $19,903.67, the Canadian duo has had a commanding year, making the most of shows both North, and South of the border. Colleen and "Issy" are a favourite pair of mine to watch, and the 50 AM is an incredibly t

Tulsa Beck is currently sitting third in the NCHA 2,000 LR World Finals standings. Alongside the gelding, Mr. Willy Dual, Beck is making sure that her first year in the show pen is a big one. However, Beck is already "seasoned" when it comes to cutting horses, as she works for NCHA Hall of Fame trainer, Tim Smith. At Western Twist Media, we have a soft spot for haulers, but especially one's that are lopers too. We'll let Tulsa take over and tell you about her year, and her be

With the NCHA World Finals on the horizon, Madison Melasky of Groesbeck, Texas, is sitting pretty in the 15,000 Amateur standings. As we go to press, with thirty shows under her belt and $6,701 won, she has found herself comfortably sitting at third out of the top fifteen. Third is a familiar placing for Melasky who placed in the top three in the Senior Youth this year, finishing the year with 109 youth points on two horses DR Cuzin and Smarty's Star. We sat down with Melasky

Why cutting? It’s a question that’s been on my mind lately. Lord knows I’ve had the time to ponder it as i’ve gone down the road this year. I’ve walked to the herd more times in the past four months than I ever have in my life, and as it goes, after the dust settles on this year, it may be awhile until I walk to the herd again. So, why cutting? I guess we could start at the starry-eyed scrawny kid who loved horses for no explainable reason, except… she just did. Unlike s

As the race heats up for the NCHA World Finals, it is not uncommon to scan the lists of top 15 riders across all weekend classes and determine that a large majority are coming from one barn, Mike Wood Performance Horses in Scottsdale, Arizona. The barn churns out a record amount of world finalists every year, and for the last three consecutive years, the 2,000 Limit Rider World Champion has come from their barn. This year, it seems that Mary Penner is going to be able to cont

In 2016 Dannica Percevich and her horse Smooth (ImASmoothLittleCat) took home the title of Denver Nationals 50,000 Amateur Champions, fast forward to 2018 and she has her site sights on a world title. Photo Credit: Ted Petit Photography What is your horses registered name? I am showing 2 horses right now - ImASmoothLittleCat in the $15k Amateur and Wild Haired Lilly in the $35k Non Pro. How is your horse bred? Smooth (ImASmoothLittleCat) is sired by Smooth As A Cat and out of

Slightly pin-eared, tail swishing around, pushy Canadian cattle shoving us back into the herd, but we're still out here doing the damn thing. Photo Credit: Roughstock Studio Cutting, it's the variables that get ya and make you question why we do this insanely expensive sport. Those variable that weasel into your brain and tap dance around in that category labelled "mental toughness." From questioning your physical and mental capacities, to questioning your horses abilities an