Dont Look Twice & Phil Rapp Compete Bridle-Less

If you haven’t seen it yet, quit reading right now. Go straight to the video at the top of this page. If you’ve seen it already, here’s some extra spice.

The 6-year-old standout (High Brow Cat x Tapt Twice x Dual Pep) headed to Rancho Murieta, Calif., with $598,999 in career earnings, according to Equi-Stat, a statistical division of Cowboy Publishing Group. She and Rapp set a new single-run National Cutting Horse Association record with a 234 to win the Mercuria/NCHA World Series Of Cutting Open finals on Sept. 4 in Nampa, Idaho, after winning the Classic/Challenge Open finals of the Idaho Futurity And Aged Event in the same arena earlier the same day.

This year’s 2011 NCHA Open Horse of the Year leader, owned by Waco Bend Ranch, Graham, Texas, and bred by Phil and Mary Ann Rapp, Weatherford, Texas, topped $600,000 by carrying Rapp to what for them was a routine 217. Their Sept. 13 run for a No. 5 finish earned $3,500 during Classic/Challenge Open at the El Rancho Futurity.They added to that on Sept. 16 with what officially ranked as a seventh and last-place finish in the World Series Open finals - with a no-score that netted $1,420.

Unofficially, the pair’s effort in holding back two rowdy steers with a bridle-less run, after the first steer snuck under her bridled neck – earned a no score. Unofficially, a large and awe-struck crowd surrounding the outdoor arena disagreed, offering a steady stream of cheers.

The pair initially held their first cow with a strong start, only to have it bolt under the mare late. Rapp patted “Lipstick’s” neck. He then unhooked her bridle and guided her lightly with the loose reins while the duo gathered and then held their final two cows.