If there was a list of people who should win a National Cutting Horse Association (NCHA) World Finals Show Championship in 2019, it’s easy to make a case for Mia Webster to be near the top.
After coming oh-so-close to winning the $50,000 Amateur World Finals Show Championship last year, the young cutter from the Pacific Northwest and her roan gelding, What About Blue, got the job done in 2019.
Webster, of Bend, Oregon, said she went into the World Finals with the goal of having fun.
“It was kind of unbelievable, because this horse has brought me through a lot throughout the year. And, the past two years that he’s hauled, he’s brought me through a lot and has won a lot with me,” she said. “So it was pretty amazing to be able to do it on him.”
Last year, Webster was the $50,000 Amateur World Finals Reserve Show Champion. Many in the W.R. Arena thought Webster actually won that year, because she accumulated the most points during the show. However, World Finals show titles are decided by money, not points.
In 2018, Webster had one point more in the $50,000 Amateur World Finals than fellow competitors Kathy Bro and Superfly, but had to settle for second because Bro won $92 more during the show.
Fortunately, there was no need for higher math this year. Webster and her trusted horse, What About Blue, marked a pair of 224s – good for second place in the first round, first place in the second and a class-topping composite of 448. Altogether, she earned $4,287 during the show – about $1,200 more than World Finals Show Reserve Champions Dannica Percevich and Wild Haired Lilly.
The 2019 $50,000 Amateur World Champion – the horse and rider who won the most money throughout the entire year – went to Corrie Rousey and Swing Thru The Drive.
Rousey, of Carlsbad, New Mexico, and the 2010 mare (Hydrive Cat x Justaswinging Peanut x Justa Swinging Peppy) only added to the giant lead the had coming into the show. They finished with $52,797 in seasonal earnings.
As for What About Blue, Webster said the 9-year-old gelding is going to get a long break. The son of High Brow CD and out of Swingin Star Pepto (by Peptoboonsmal) has the biggest heart in the world and deserves a good rest, she said.
“He is pretty much my favorite,” she admitted.
Bred by Phil and Mary Ann Rapp, of Weatherford, Texas, What About Blue has earned more than $237,788. He is owned by Webster’s family’s Clarke Butte Ranch.
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