OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2017 THE RIDER /23 OCHA High Point Circuit Awards


Ontario Cutting Horse Association Visit us at: www.ontariocuttinghorseassociation.com


Executive Directors: President


Vice-President


Kathy Armstrong 416-931-0204 kathyaarmstrong@hotmail.com Scott Reed


Treasurer/Show Sec. Juanita MacKay 519-753-1565 Secretary


Anne Lorimer


Directors: Troy Donaldson 519-443-7263 Jim MacKay Lisa Minshall Scott Reed


519-753-1565 519-855-6602 519-443-6639


Eric VanBoekel 519-879-6699 Michelle Waters 519-209-6969


905-864-5312 scott_reed_farm@hotmail.com 905-542-2796 aa.lorimer@sympatico.ca


Ernie Wilson Noreen Whyte


minshall_farms@icloud.com scott_reed_farm@hotmail.com


melafontaine@gmail.com Kathy Armstrong 416-931-0204 kathyaarmstrong@hotmail.com


Spectacular Win by Ontario Cutter at World-Class Competition


Katherine Van Boekel


of Norwich, Ontario, once again demonstrated why she is ranked as one of the best amateur cutting horse riders in the world this past July. Van Boekel took home the title of Unlimited Amateur Classic Champion at the 2017 Summer Spectacular in Fort Worth, Texas aboard her superstar mare, Wendels Little Missy. Van Boekel was also seventh in the same division with Sweet EE Mo- tion, whom she was reserve champion with at the April


Super Stakes show, also held in Fort Worth. Photo below Ontario cutter Katherine VanBoekel crowned cham- pion at Fort Worth Summer Spectacular. Photo by Cut- ting Horse Central.


Interview with Katherine Van Boekel Following her success


at the Summer Spectacular and previous prestigious aged event shows, Kather- ine Van Boekel discussed how she developed her


competitive edge and some of her favourite aspects of this equine sport.


Q: How has Wendels Little Missy changed since her big debut at the 2015 NCHA Futurity? In what ways has she surprised you over the past few years as an equine athlete?


VanBoekel: Wendels Little Missy (aka “Wendy”) is a 5 year-old mare by Highbrow CD x Just a Lil Freck. We bought her in the summer of


her 3 year-old year and if truth be told, I really didn’t think much of her at the time but my husband Eric liked her a lot. To me, she was pretty small and didn’t seem to have much “wow factor”, but she sure proved me wrong a few short months later when she went to the herd for the first time at


the NCHA Futurity,


marking big scores and fin- ishing Reserve Champion in the Limited Open Division! From then on, she became a consistent Finalist at the Limited Aged Events. She had another Reserve Open Champion placing at the PCCHA Derby in Las Vegas, scoring just half a point behind the winner Metallic Rebel, the great son of Metallic Cat. Eric showed her once at the end of her 4 year-old year and won the Unlimited Ama- teur Championship title at the Cotton Stakes in Louisiana. I started show- ing her as a 5 year-old in the Amateur Division this year and she has performed equally well for me. I call her the “little mare with the huge heart” because she will give it to you every time, she has so much grit and determination. She will fold herself in half to stop a cow. She’s a thrill to ride and show!


Q: What is it about the sport of cutting that is so appealing to you?


VanBoekel: I’ve competed in vari-


ous other equine disci- plines in which a horse is expected to submit com- pletely to its rider. In the sport of cutting, we actu- ally rely on our horse to do some “independent think- ing”. A horse needs to be “cowy”, to be able to rate the movement of the cow, which will allow the horse to engage that cow, draw it towards him and control it.


Non-Pro - Greg Wilde and Bobby Cee Lena. Award sponsored by Shiland Equine Veterinary Services, Tackmaster Equipment, and Rheal Bourgeois. Photo by Anne Lorimer.


When you drop your rein hand on that horse’s neck, he goes to work with mini- mal guidance. To feel that genuine willingness in a horse is what I find most ap- pealing in the sport of cut- ting.


Q: Being an accomplished


show woman in other equine sports, how has your diverse riding background helped you in recent years as a cutter?


VanBoekel: Having competed in


several other equine disci- plines, I have been able to


use a lot of my horseman- ship skills in my cutting runs as well. Being able to control the “horseshow jit- ters” and other showman- ship skills have helped me present myself and my horses better and have given


Continued on Page 24.


Newsletter: Noreen Whyte


Please direct mail to our treasurer: Juanita MacKay


304 Conklin Road, R.R. #2, Brantford, Ontario N3T 5L5


519-855-6960 519-443-8435


NCHA Area 21 Director Lisa Minshall


519-855-6602 519-443-8435


kelsolook@gmail.com weavencut@kwic.com


minshall_farms@icloud.com weavencut@kwic.com


2 000 Limit Rider - James Cook and Dual Peps Tom Cat. Award Sponsored by Royale Trailers, Lynne Poole Western Dressage, and Fletchers Horse World. Photo by Anne Lorimer.


$250 Achievement Buckle: Lisa Mayer accepts the OCHA $250 Achievement Buckle present by OCHA director Ernie Wilson. Photo by Anne Lorimer.


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