Chad Bushaw and his 2012 NCHA Summer Spectacular Derby Non-Pro Champion Bet On A CatHeading into December’s National Cutting Horse Association (NCHA) Futurity finals in Fort Worth, Texas, Chad Bushaw ranked just behind cutting’s all-time leading Non-Pro earner, Mary Ann Rapp, and just ahead of Dustin Adams, second on the all-time list, with one show to go in their race to finish as 2012’s top-earning rider.
Not too surprisingly, the year’s last and biggest event decided another tight three-way race between the Non-Pro division’s dominant trio. Thanks to seventh and 17th-place finishes at the 2012 NCHA Futurity Non-Pro finals aboard two mares, Pippis Longstocking (Dual Smart Rey x Hyperlena x Smart Little Lena) and Lady Writer (One Time Pepto x Cats Ruby x High Brow Cat), Bushaw secured his third Equi-Stat Non-Pro Award since 2002. He topped the Non-Pro division this time with $286,087 earned during the 2012 season.