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Katie's Blog
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It wasn’t like they won the class. No, Rascal Cats (High Brow Cat x Keena Pep x Dual Pep) and Wesley Galyean did fine at the Tunica Futurity & Classic in February, but they went home with a nice 217.5 score and sixth place – fine results, but not the kind that tell that day's whole story.
I was there for the finals of the 4-Year-Old Open division at Tunica. There were a number of talented and true horses – Yadacat, Best Hesa Cat, Special Nu Baby and Harley were among the big names in the draw. Ended up that Dear Gussey and Bill Riddle won the class (see the cover story in the March 1 issue of Quarter Horse News or online here.)
And while it was great watching all those nice horses and worthy runs, it was the sixth-place performance that really made a big impression that day.
Rascal Cats (Gotta love that name!) is a 4-year-old who was bred by and is still owned by Billy Martin, Millsap, Texas. The horse and Wesley Galyean made the Open semifinals at the 2009 NCHA Futurity thanks to a 216 in the first round and a 219 in the second. From there, the pair made the Open finals at Abilene (20th), Augusta (third), Tunica (sixth) and Arbuckle (tie for 16th). So far, Rascal Cats has $37,020 on his record, according to Equi-Stat.
I suppose it’s a easy to get a little jaded to the incredible athleticism of cutting horses, to not notice every nuance, every perk of the ears or hustle up to the cow. I plead guilty to all of the above when I initially watched Rascal Cats work his three cows in the finals at Tunica. He held true on the first cow, which presented a decent mix of moves. He got down with some fancy turns on the second heifer, which was good for a little more face-to-face time.
Then, on his third cow, Rascal Cats sped up for a bit of challenge and powerful stops on both sides. It was on one those ends, on the horse’s right, that he got hung up while executing a powerful turn. He lost his footing and went clear down his belly – legs up underneath and in all directions. Still, the horse never lost mental contact and his head moved stayed with the cow. Not an inch of working advantage was lost. One moment he was down, the next Rascal Cats was up and going as though nothing had ever happened. Galyean didn’t pick up on the reins or push hard to get the horse back into position. Rascal Cats made it happen all on his own, with Galyean riding steady the whole way though.
Later at Karley Clearman’s video booth, I watched the whole performance unfold again. This time, the part involving the fall was slowed way down, frame, by frame, by frame. Only then, could I see just how “on” that horse stayed the whole time during the fall. He never, not even for a split second, lost focus on that cow. It was amazing.
Karley Clearman was kind enough to make a video of Rascal Cats’ Tunica performance for the Quarter Horse News Web site. Clearman even slowed down the footage during the fall so you can see the horse’s reactions has he lost his footing.
Watch that video and you’ll have no doubt – this cutting horse loves his job, is dedicated and proved to be one heck of a reliable partner when show time got tough.
See Rascal Cats & Galyean work at Tunica |
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