Although the top Non Pro and Intermediate Non Pro riders will advance to the finals, which begin Friday, October 1, the Amateur Championship is determined in the preliminary round. After the completion of the herd work, Cynthia Bias, of Edison, California, has a two-point jump on the competition in the Amateur division.

Bias rode her horse, Quesadiya Prize, by Smokums Prize and out of Quesadiya, to a 210 and won $500. Second place in the Amateur division was a tie between Tyler Fillmore and Cuttin Cadet (TR Dual Rey x Lil CD Fair), and Morgan Holmes and Im Dun R U (Dun It Big x Lion In Wait). Fillmore and Holmes both marked a 208 and each collected $250.

The Amateur competition continues Thursday, September 23, with the rein work, and concludes Sunday, September 26, with the cow work. The Amateur awards will be presented during the Annual NRCHA Hall of Fame Banquet at the Silver Legacy Hotel and Casino on September 30.

Topping the Non Pro Herd Work preliminaries with a score of 217 was 2007 NRCHA Snaffle Bit Futurity Non Pro Champion Michelle Cowan. Cowan was riding TR Spooky Cat, by TR Dual Rey and out of Haintscatnholycows. Cowan, of Ardmore, Oklahoma, collected $1,500 for the herd win.

Second in the Non Pro division was five-time Non Pro Futurity Champion Anne Reynolds and Very Shiney – a full sibling to her 2009 Champion Shiney And Verysmart. Reynolds and the 3-year-old cow horse were awarded a 215.5 by the judges and collected $1,250.

Another former Champion, 2007 Amateur Snaffle Bit Futurity Champion Karey Franz, won the Intermediate Non Pro Futurity preliminary herd work on High Skippin Cat, marking a 213.5. Franz and High Skippin Cat, by High Rollin Cat and out of Miss Sundance Skip, won $1,000.

Gene Armstrong and No Foolish Cat took home $600 for second place in the Intermediate Non Pro. Armstrong, of Paso Robles, California, and the WR This Cats Smart gelding, out of Lean Acre Doc, marked a 213.

The NRCHA Snaffle Bit Futurity has been held annually at the Reno Livestock Events Center in Reno, Nevada, since 1999, and intermittently since the event’s inception in 1970.

For complete results or to view the live daily webcast, visit www.nrcha.com.

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, Classic Equine, Gist Silversmiths, John Deere, Markel Insurance, MD Barns, Merial products ULCERGARD and EQUIOXX, Nutrena, Pfizer Animal Health, Platinum Performance, Quarter Horse News, Rios of Mercedes, Running W Designs, the Silver Legacy, and Wide World of Horses, 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.