ora-diehl
Ora Diehl

Diehl Elected NCHA Vice President

The National Cutting Horse Association (NCHA) announced Tuesday, May 14, that Ora Diehl was elected as the organization’s vice president for the 2019-2020 term. She will officially assume the responsibilities of her office during the NCHA Convention, scheduled for May 31-June 2.

According to the independent firm Simply Voting, Diehl, of Ruskin, Florida, defeated opponent Kirby Smith, of Grand Island, Nebraska with a 57% majority and 1,569 votes. Smith received 1,185 votes (43%), and 32 members (1.1%) abstained.

Diehl, 59, was horseback before she was a teenager and, after a hiatus, was reunited with horses in 1991. She started cutting 25 years ago and has become a successful owner, breeder and rider ($436,185), with 2005 stallion Dealnwithacoolcat topping her list of proudest achievements in the industry. The Lonnie and Barbara Allsup-bred horse garnered $49,873 with Diehl and her son, Curry, who trains for Dunn Diehl Farms. With her husband, Frank, she boasts an Equi-Stat owner record of $1.7 million and $670,000-plus as a breeder.

Outside of cutting, Diehl worked 15 years in the banking industry before spending 27 years farming, ranching, running a tomato packing facility and developing Synbiont Global with Frank. She also enjoys crafts, reading and traveling in her spare time. She and her husband share a blended family, including sons Dean, Doug, Curry and J. Cody, along with three daughters-in-law, 10 grandchildren, one great-grandson and “Memaw,” who is 93.

During her campaign for vice president, Diehl responded to hard-hitting questions about her platform on some of the cutting industry’s hottest topics. Read her responses here.

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