CMSA World Championship
Contributed by Jessica Carr, The American QH Journal, Photography by Don Trout
The 2017 AQHA Cowboy Mounted Shooting World Champion- ships kicked off its first day of competition on March 14 in Houston. “This year, there are nearly 100 entries representing 18 states and two Canadian provinces competing for world champion titles in the youth, limited youth, Select, amateur, limited amateur and open divisions,” said Charlie Hemphill, AQHA director of shows and new events.
The Open Division Zane Chunn won big in his
first year as an open competitor, tak- ing home the world and the reserve world champion titles at the 2017 AQHA Cowboy Mounted Shooting World Championships. But this isn’t his first title. Zane is a 4x youth world and a 3x youth reserve world champion in cowboy mounted shooting. Three of his youth world champion titles were won aboard Little Costa Latte. Little Costa Latte is a 2007 dun
The Amateur Division Tom Henderson’s first year of cowboy mounted shooting competi- tion was golden. He ended the year with the amateur world champion title. “It has been such a thrill ride to
go out there, and go fast and shoot off of a horse,” Tom says.
He credits his success to his
horse, Rojos Klassy Fox, a 2013 bay roan stallion by Rojos Klassy Roan and out of Foxy Blue Twist by Blue Fox Hancock. The horse was bred by San Shoultz and Ken Matzner of Fort Collins, Colorado. Tom bought the stallion – then
just a weanling – in 2013 through the KESA Quarter Horses production sale.
Tom and wife Billie went to the sale to look at the colt, fearing he might be out of their price range.
When
they got to his stall, a vet was
Zane Chunn & Costas Smart Hickory
mare by El Costa Prom and out of Blackeyed Beatrice by Little Peppy Seiko. She was bred by Annie Bianco Ellett. “Latte” is the horse Zane rode this year to clinch the reserve, and the horse he won the open world title on was Costa Smart Hickory, a full-brother to Latte. “It was really a fun win to be able to
get first and second on those two,” Zane says. Costas Smart Hickory is a 2008 bay
gelding also bred by Ellett. Zane looked to Mozaun McKibben to train “Mocha.” How- ever, Mocha got an eye infection in 2014, ul- timately becoming blind in his left eye. Mo- cha’s future as a cowboy mounted shooting horse became uncertain, but Zane decided to continue to ride and show Mocha to see how he would progress.
“Obviously he has really exceeded my
expectations with only having one eye,” Zane says. “The basis our relationship is built upon is him trusting me. He has really just been a fantastic horse.” Zane says everything kind of fell into
place for him and Mocha this year, and he felt like it was Mocha’s year to really shine. w
10 SouthWest Horse Trader
Cathy Papley & TS Sunnys Famous Jet
The Select Amateur Division The key to being successful in cowboy
mounted shooting is a speedy horse who isn’t bothered by gunfire. Canadian Cathy Papley found those qualities less than a year ago in TS Sunny Famous Jet. Then in March, the pair won their first world championship in Select cowboy mounted shooting.
TS Sunnys Famous Jet, “Shimmer,” is a
2009 sorrel mare by PC Mr Sun Peppy and out of Jett Ta Fame by Dash Ta Fame. She was bred by Una Crowley-Ford and Todd Ford of Treasure State QHs in Chinook, MT.
May 2018
sewing up the colt’s eye, an injury that had occurred in the stall. The Henderson’s asked the vet if the in- jury would affect the colt’s vision, and the vet said he didn’t think it would.
Due to the unfortunate injury, the Hendersons believe they were able to snag Rojos Klassy Fox within their set budget. Once they got the colt home, they decided to call him “Stitch,” as a way to re- member the events that played out for them to buy him. Stitch’s eye completely healed
and Billie was able to gun break him as a weanling. Once he was broke out, she trained him for cow- boy mounted shooting and showed him for a year before her husband took over the reins.
Tom Henderson & Rojos Klassy Fox
At the time, Tom was team roping, but he started competing in CMS, and he hasn’t stopped since. “It’s just amazing. I roped three nights a week before this, and I haven’t so much as swung a rope in two years – that’s how ad- dictive it is,” Tom says. w
Cathy, who hails from Alberta, purchased
Shimmer in June 2017, while leaving only nine months to qualify and prepare for the World Championships. The duo diligently worked to get in sync before the world championships, but the toughest obstacle for Cathy was getting used to Shimmer’s unique disposition. “She is a spitfire,” Cathy says. “She is on the go all the time, and she stays very active.” With Shimmer’s racing bloodlines, she is a
quick horse who doesn’t wear out easily, but Cathy loves those attributes about her because it is what makes her the perfect horse for mounted shooting. “She has a lot of heart, and there is no quit in
her,” Cathy says. “She gives it her all every time she runs.” When Cathy isn’t busy competing in mount- ed shooting, she oversees operations on the ranch she and husband Don Litvak own. Cathy also pro- motes cowboy mounted shooting in Canada. w
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