the Cutter Open Jason Taylor has spent the majority of his career showing in the


aged event circuit, but this year followed a different path as he went down the road to show a few horses and assist his non pros. Jason grew up cowboying in his home state of Oregon and


Idaho. He started training thirteen years ago when working for rein- cow horse trainer, Ron Emmons. Jason then moved on to work for cutting horse trainer, Gavin Jordan, before venturing out on his own. For the past two years he has been training for Carol Ward in


Rancho Murieta, California. At the end of the 2010 show season, Jason and Carol were discussing their upcoming plans and goals for the horses. One of Carol’s shining stars is the seven-year-old mare, Lil Dulce Lu. As the mare finished her aged event career, she had earned a total of $92,000 in lifetime earnings, but both Carol and Jason wanted to see her reach the $100,000 mark. They decided that they would continue to show her on the weekends to reach this goal. Their goal of $8,000 was quickly surpassed as the mare won


over $47,000 this year with Jason showing in the Open and Carol in the Non Pro. Jason was the PCCHA Open Champion and finished fourth in the world. “Dulce Lu loves her job. She has a huge heart and a lot of grit.


She truly is the best horse I have ever ridden,” says Jason. In December, Jason competed in the NCHA World Finals for


the first time ever. All the excitement and competing against the cream of the crop made this his favorite show of the year. While he had tough luck the first and fourth round, he marked a 223 in the sec- ond go and a 225 in the third to win a total of $8,000. He looks for- ward to hopefully competing there again next year. Being his first year as a weekend hauler, Jason truly enjoyed it. “I like the weekend shows because every day is a new day. You meet new people and travel to a lot of places.” This upcoming year Jason plans on staying home more. He has


a large group of younger horses and will be hitting the major aged events. With the additional goal of qualifying for the NCHA World Finals again, he will be showing Dulce Lu at some weekend events, including the Mecuria series.


Open Derby Trainer, Mike Wood, had a remarkable year winning three


PCCHA Championship titles and a World Championship, thereby pushing his lifetime earnings past the $500,000 mark. Growing up in Chandler, Arizona, Mike spent a lot of time roping but always want- ed to be a horse trainer. One day he went to trainer Al Dunning’s ranch to check on some steers and found himself asking for a job. He worked for Al for ten years before creating his own business. In the Derby class, Mike showed CKS Color Me First, a geld-


ing by Teninas First. He has been training “Buckwheat” from the start and says, “he has been a simple horse to train. He has a big, swoopy style and is really an eye-catcher with his style and color.” Owners, Craig and Karen Steele, operate their own small


breeding farm in Dewey, Arizona, and found Buckwheat to be quite a surprise. “Who would have thought that we would end up with a black and white colt that was out of a buckskin mare?” asks Craig. From the start, the Steele’s found Buckwheat to be “very ath-


letic with a special eye appeal due to being Technicolor”. When he turned two, they sent him off to Mike and credit him for Buckwheat’s success. Not only has Mike won this title but was also a finalist at the PCCHA Futurity and PCCHA Derby on Buckwheat. The Steele’s plan to continue having Mike show him in the limited aged events and maybe even the PaintWorld Show in the fall of 2012.


Open Classic Challenge Paradox Dual Cat spent the year with trainer, MikeWood, but


switched owners midyear. Brian and Linda Butlin owned him at the start of the year. Mike showed him in the aged event classes in order for “Cougar” to gain experience while keeping his earnings down. Mike enjoys showing him because of his “big stop”. Current owner, Rosey Johnson, purchased Cougar in July.


Rosey started cutting early this year with Mike. She has a back- ground in working cow horses, but always loved the cutting aspect. She liked the “preciseness” of it and wanted to give cutting a chance on its own. After showing for a few short months, Rosey fell in love with


Page 76 • March 2012 • PACIFIC COAST JOURNAL The 2011 Year End Champions of The PCCHA


cutting and wanted to commit herself to the sport. She had been showing a 17-year-old gelding, but knew she would have to purchase a new horse in order to step up. Mike and Rosey went on a hunt for the ideal horse. At the South Point Cutting inVegas, Rosey saw Cougar for the


first time. He immediately caught her attention so she approached Mike about him. After a few lessons Rosey knew he was the perfect horse for her. “I purchased him because I knew he would make me step up.


He challenges me and teaches me a lot. I especially like his person- ality. He is fun and laid back,” says Rosey. The pair quickly connected and at their first show together,


Rosey was second in the Purina Series. They seem to make the per- fect pair and will go on to achieve great things as Rosey moves up the ladder of success.


Non Pro Fifteen years ago, Carol Ward entered the world of cutting


horses with a diverse background and unique outlook on the sport. Carol started riding at seven years old when she fell in love with the pony rides at the local park. From there she went on to have her own pony, followed by breeding and racing thoroughbreds and hunter jumper horses. In 1982, Carol and her father, Fred Anderson, devel- oped the Murieta Equestrian Center, in Rancho Murieta, California, which now holds many prestigious equine events. Cutting events were often held at the Equestrian Center and


Carol enjoyed watching them because of the cattle. She grew up liv- ing on a cattle ranch and showing Angus cattle so she found the entire sport intriguing. One day she was in the stands and mentioned to a fellow spectator that she would like to try cutting one day. Later that week she received a phone call to try a cutting horse. Two weeks later she owned one and a week after, she made her first show run. Carol’s late husband, Jerry, also wanted to get involved with


cutting, so they set out on the adventure together. It wasn’t purely a hobby for them though. “I wanted to make it a business. If you don’t, you can’t make the type of effect you truly want. Jerry’s dream was to be able to breed, train and show our own horses. I’ve been able to do that which means a lot to me,” says Carol. This year Carol took home four PCCHA championships. Along


with trainer, Jason Taylor, she showed the mare, Lil Dulce Lu, in the Non Pro division. Dulce Lu is by Dulces Smart Lena out of a SR Instant Choice mare, Miss Haulin Hickory. She was shown a little as a three-year-old, but was hurt early as a four-year-old and forced to take some time off. Carol wanted to show Dulce Lu this year in order for the mare to reach the $100,000 mark before retiring as a brood mare. Dulce Lu proved to be an extraordinary horse. “Dulce Lu got better as the year went on. She is an amazing


athlete with a huge respect for a cow. She doesn’t want a cow to get an inch on her. Her intensity is amazing,” explains Carol. Carol has set another goal and now wants Dulce Lu to reach $200,000 in lifetime earnings. Similar to Jason, this was Carol’s first year on the weekend cir-


cuit. She loved the entire experience, from the atmosphere of each show, to the competitive spirit, to the people she met, “the main thing I take away from this year is the people and the places. I made life- long friends. The people will be my motivation to go back on the road. I will miss them all.”


Non Pro Derby CarolWard thrives on being able to breed, raise and show her


own horses. All of the horses she showed this year were home raised. “It is like traveling down the road with your extended family.” Warm and Sunny is a half brother to Lil Dulce Lu, the mare


who took home the PCCHA Open and Non Pro championship. Carol showed “Sunny” as a three year old but really feels that he blos- somed this year. “Sunny has always been athletic, but this year he really got


intense. He became a lot more like his sister. He is quick across a cow and one of my favorite horses to work,” describes Carol. Carol started the year showing Playin the Cats in this division but sold the horse after a few months. She switched over to Sunny and was very successful earning over $5,000. Carol and Sunny will con- tinue to team up in the 5/6 division this year and hopefully travel to


the Breeder’s Invitational and NCHA Summer Spectacular. Non Pro Classic Challenge Five year old gelding, Dual Flames, will always hold a special place in CarolWard’s heart as he was named after her late husband Jerry. “A friend once called Jerry and I “dual flames” to describe the spe- cial kind of soul mate relationship where we burned brightly togeth- er but for only a short time. I named this horse in memory of that,” describes Carol. Carol showed “Sparky” a little before this year and finds him to be “very easy going. He truly is a sweetheart. I can lope three circles and go cut a cow.” In 2010, Chris Johnsrud rode Dual Flames to the NCHA Super Stakes Limited Open Championship. Carol earned close to $6,000 this year in the Classic Challenge division which pushes Sparky’s earnings to $32,000. She ended the year with a $2,500 lead over sec- ond. Sadly, Carol sold Dual Flames this winter because “she just can’t keep them all”. It is sure that Sparky will be successful with his new owners and Carol’s “Dual Flame” will remain bright for many years to come. $50,000 Amateur The saying “once a cutter, always a cutter” perfectly describes rider Donata Loveless’ cutting history. Donata rode her first cutting horse in 1984. She currently owned a working cow horse but was boarding at a cutting trainer’s barn. The trainer convinced her to take a lesson and that is all it took for her to fall in love. Donata dabbled in cutting for a few years, but life got in the way and she was forced to put it on the back burner. It wasn’t until 2006 when cutting reentered her life. Her daughter was riding hunter jumpers and their barn happened to be across the street from hall of fame cutting trainer, Tim Smith. Donata took it as a sign and found herself back in the sport she always had loved. In 2007, Donata purchased the 6-year-old gelding, Tap Dancing Cat, from owner Tommy Lyons. The horse, named Tom after his previous owner, had been a member of Tim Smith’s barn for the past two years and Donata knew he was something special. She bought him and ever since has referred to him as her “significant other”. Until this past year, Donata hasn’t been able to spend as much time on the road as she would have liked and finds that Tom is still teach- ing her how to cut. One day, Tim Smith, chuckled and told her “that horse has forgotten more about cutting than you will ever know.” Donata completely agrees as she says, “Tom is one of the smartest horses I’ve ever known. He also has incredible athletic ability.” While hauling this year, Tim Smith wasn’t able to help Donata on the weekend circuit, so for the year she joined Jason Taylor’s crew that was going down the road. For Donata this was the perfect fit. “Jason is not only a talented rider and trainer, but he has a program that addresses all aspects of what it takes to get these wonderful horses to the winners circle. From nutrition, health and physical conditioning, to keeping their minds straight, so they still love what they do. Let’s face it, just like people, these horses are best when they love their job.”


Finishing 3rd in the world and the PCCHA champion, this year


will always hold a special place in Donata’s heart, as she was able to finally live her dream. She looks forward to continuing her journey in cutting and making many more memories.


$35,000 Non Pro Hauling was never an option for rider Charlene Rossoll, or at


least she thought it wasn’t. Charlene spent most of the year showing when she had the chance. It wasn’t until late summer at the Bakersfield three day cutting that she took the lead by a narrow mar- gin. Everyone continuously told her that she had to head to Fernley, Nevada, and finish up the rest of the year on the road. After a lot of encouragement from friends and family, Charlene took the jump and hoped in the truck with close friend, David Booth. That proved to be one of the best decisions she made all year and she finished the year strong being awarded the PCCHA championship and 4th in the world.


Charlene started showing cutting horses in 1995 with friend


Tom Shelly. Five years later she met her husband, Rex, who is a cut- ting horse trainer located in Santa Ynez, California. What she really loves about cutting is “all the new friends and places we go to. I feel


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