Cynthia Bias and Plain Magic Pep Hold Amateur Lead

After two legs of preliminary competition, Cynthia Bias and Plain Magic Pep still hold the lead in the race to the 2009 National Reined Cow Horse Association Snaffle Bit Futurity Amateur Championship. The Amateur division, which does not have a finals, is decided by the preliminary round of competition, which ends on Wednesday, September 30, following the cow work.

Bias and her 3-year-old, by Reminics Pep, began with a 217 in the herd work. While the rein work proved tough and resulted in a 197.5, the Edison, California, Non Pro remained in the lead by a half-point. The cow work is left to decide the Amateur Championship.

The Amateur Champion will receive a Bob’s Custom Saddle sponsored by Larry & Ellen Bell, a Gist Silversmiths Champion Buckle from Cable Creek Ranch, an ESP Wool Top pad from Classic Equine, a Cinch Monogrammed Down Vest from Bob’s Custom Saddles, Platinum Performance, and a custom handmade hat from Shortys Hattery.

Marking the Amateur Rein Work high score was Bill Tointon of Longmont, Colorado, on Chex Viva Las Vegas. Tointon marked a 212.5, for a 411.5 composite – putting him in sixth place going into the final leg of competition.

With every point critical to earning a final’s berth, McKenzie Merrill has racked up enough to give her the lead in the Non Pro preliminary competition. She tied for the Non Pro herd work high score with a 216, then returned on Tuesday morning to mark a 218 – topping both the Non Pro and Intermediate Non Pro Rein Work.

Complete results of the Snaffle Bit Futurity and horse show are posted on the official NRCHA web site, www.nrcha.com. A live webcast can also be accessed from the NRCHA website, and can also be found at www.gallopingvideo.com. Competition resumes at 8am Wednesday morning, and the first order of the day will be the Non Pro cow work, which will decide the Non Pro finalists and determine the Amateur Championship.

The National Reined Cow Horse Association, the governing body of cow horse competition, is responsible for promoting the sport, insuring high standards of competition and educating members and the public about the history and tradition of the cow horse. Through the support of a Corporate Partner family that includes Adequan^®, Bob’s Custom Saddles, Cinch, Inc., Classic Equine, Gist Silversmiths, MD Barns, Platinum Performance, Inc., Nutrena, Quarter Horse News, Fort Dodge West Nile Innovator, Rios of Mercedes, Merial products ULCERGARD and EQUIOXX, Wide World of Horses, Markel Insurance Company, and the Silver Legacy Hotel, the association works to keep the vaquero tradition alive in today’s equine industry. For information on the National Reined Cow Horse Association, call 580-759-4949 or visit the NRCHA Official Web Site at www.nrcha.com.