Western Nationals Update: Amber Czisny, Peppyschino Jerry Win With 222

Amber Wilson Czisny, the wife of Marietta, Okla., cutting horse trainer Wayne Czisny, and Peppyschino Jerry, a 6-year-old stallion the couple bought in April of 2010, won the Western Nationals $5,000 Novice/Non-Pro finals on Friday with a 222 – the top score posted by any horse and rider that has competed at the event so far – to earn $4,427.

Susan Lucchesi, Florence, Mont., and Sweet Jesus were Reserve Champions with a 219.5. Luccessi owns the 2005 mare (Sweet Lil Pepto x Genuine Jean x Genuine Peppy).

The Four Sixes Ranch/National Cutting Horse Association Western Nationals concludes with four finals Saturday and Sunday in Ogden, Utah. Amber Czisny and Peppyschino Jerry (Smart Little Jerry x Little Peppys Pep x Peppy San Badger) compete again Sunday in the Non-Pro. Wayne Czisny and the same horse placed third in the $10,000 Novice Open and eighth in the $3,000 Novice Open earlier in the week.

Peppyschino Jerry, bred and originally owned by Bob Leiseth, Copper Canyon, Texas, is a horse the Czisny’s bought from a friend in spring of 2010. Since buying him, Amber and Wayne had ridden the horse to combined earnings totaling $30,491 before their trip to Utah. He’s already earned three finals checks there and has a chance at leaving with one more check if he and Amber make Sunday’s Non-Pro finals.

Amber, a prior career earner of $169,578 as a cutter, and Peppyschino Jerry won Classic Non-Pro titles at limited-age events in Iowa and Missouri last year. Wayne Czisny had earned $929,802 as a cutter before picking up several Open checks in Utah this week.

Amber and Wayne Czisny are longtime friends who met through their mutual interest in cutting. They will celebrate their second anniversary as a married couple in August.
Cody Lee
Cody Lee Wins $35,000 Non-Pro

Cody Lee, a Montana cutting horse rider who had made finals at the past three Western Nationals, and Remanitas Alegria, a 9-year-old mare competing at the event for the fourth year in a row, won the $35,000 Non-Pro on Thursday with a 221 to earn $5,289.Lee, a prior earner of $31,192 as a cutter, according to Equi-Stat records, lives in Hamilton, Mont. He has qualified for Western National finals with the mare (Smart Mate x Miss Remanita x Mr Peponita Flo) three times since buying her during the 2009 season.

Prior owner Kathy Foote, Livinston, Mont., and Remanitas Alegria placed fifth in the Non-Pro finals at the Western Nationals in May of 2008. In fall of 2008, Foote and Remanitas Alegria, a career earner of more than $66,000, also finished as Classic Non-Pro Reserve Champions at both the Idaho Futurity and Pacific Coast Cutting Horse Association Futurity limited-age events.

Karen Griffin, Weatherford, Texas, bred Remanitas Alegria. Bruce Morine, Weatherford, Texas, fared well with the mare at several Open events early in her career.



Joel Schulz
Schulz/CD Little Dog Top $15,000 Amateur

Joel Schulz, a relatively new rider who started competing as a cutter in 2008, and CD Little Dog, a 2002 gelding that he bought in early 2009, dominated Wednesday’s $15,000 Amateur finals at the Four Sixes Ranch/National Cutting Horse Association Western Nationals in Ogden, Utah, with a 220.5 to earn $5,527.

Schulz, Fort Lupton, Colo., a prior career winner of $19,420 as a cutter, according to Equi-Stat records, and CD Little Dog (CD Royal x Xenalena x Travalena) won their finals by a 4.5-point margin while marking the second-best score at the show by any horse and rider thus far. CD Little Dog, bred by Mary Garner, Mountain Center, Calif., and previously owned by cutting couples Tim and Diane Smith, Temecula, Calif., and Russ and Janet Westfall, Los Olivos, Calif., has been Schulz’s primary cutting horse since he bought the gelding from Gina Seau, San Diego, Calif., two years ago.

Schulz and CD Little Dog also competed at the Western Nationals last spring and they earned money in four different divisions.

Noel Kleinhaus, North Bend, Wash., and his 19-year-old mare Starlights Fancy (Grays Starlight x Miss Fancy Zan x Black Gold Zan) were $15,000 Amateur Reserve Champions with a 216. Starlights Fancy is a career winner of about $70,000. Kleinhaus has earned about $10,000 as a cutter thus far.



Dustin Gonnet
Gonnet wins second Open title
One day after winning Monday’s Open finals at the Four Sixes Ranch/National Cutting Horse Association Western Nationals in Ogden, Utah, with another horse, Canadian cutting trainer Dustin Gonnet guided 7-year-old mare Christinas Blue to a $10,000 Novice Open title on Tuesday and a $5,618 champion’s check as the frequently successful duo finished with a 219.5.

Christinas Blue (Mecom Blue x SR Instant Christina x SR Instant Choice) and Gonnet won a Derby Open title at the Canadian Cutting Horse Futurity in mid fall of 2008. They also teamed up to win a Classic Open title at the Canadian Super Stakes last summer.


Ron Patton, Nanton, Alberta, Can., has owned the blue roan mare since December of her 2-year-old season. The horse has earned more than $46,000 during her standout career. Michael Schraeder, Tomball, Texas, bred and originally owned Christinas Blue. Wrigley Ranches, Weatherford, Texas, bought the mare as a late yearling and sold her to Patton.

Peptos Promise (Peptoboonsmal x Clays Little Cash x Cash QuixoteRio) and Todd Bimat, Orland, Calif., finished as $10,000 Novice Reserve Champions with a 218. The 2003 gelding, owned by Nicole Carson, San Mateo, Calif., qualified for Amateur and Non-Pro finals with Carson at last year’s Western Nationals. The horse had previously earned $106,579, according to Equi-Stat records.



Eric Wisehart
$2,000 Limit Rider

Eric Wisehart, 25, Fort Collins, Colo., a young horse trainer who earned the first $381 of his cutting career with two checks in 2010, and 4-year-old gelding Hot Shots dominated the $2,000 Limit Rider finals on Tuesday with a 219 to secure a championship title and $5,309.

Wisehart bought Hot Shots (Spots Hot x Smart Disco Day x Smart Little Lena) in December of his 2-year-old season. Hare Quarter Horses LLC, Malin, Ore., bred and originally owned the horse. Wisehart and Hot Shots won the $2,000 Limit finals by five points on Tuesday, after finishing one point off the first-go lead Monday with a 215.

Seven of 12 Western Nationals divisions have now been completed. The Four Sixes Ranch/2010 NCHA Western Nationals, features any-aged horses and riders that qualified during cutting events last year. The event at Ogden, Utah's Golden Spike Arena continues through Sunday, when it ends with $50,000 Amateur and Non-Pro finals.


Dustin Gonnet
CD Graceful Dual/Dustin Gonnet Win Open
CD Graceful Dual and Cayley, Alberta, Can., cutting trainer Dustin Gonnet followed a first-go 220 with a 219 during Monday’s finals in Ogden, Utah, to win a Western Nationals Open title and $5,833.

The 2003 gelding (CD Olena x Graciela Dual x Dual Pep), owned by Rod MacDonald, Kamloops, British Columbia, Can., finished seventh in the Amateur at the same event last spring with MacDonald in the saddle. Winston Hansma, Weatherford, Texas, bred CD Graceful Dual.


The horse is a prior career earner of $180,255. He picked up more than $160,000 during his 4 and 5-year-old seasons with previous trainer Clint Allen and prior owner Julie Wrigley, both of Weatherford, Texas, sharing the rides.

Royally Smart Cat (High Brow Cat x Royally Smart Fancy x Smart Little Lena), a 1999 stallion ridden by Todd Bimat, Orland, Calif., finished as Reserve Champions with a 218.5 after narrowly making the finals with an opening-round 215.5. Jerry Erwin, Ridgefield, Wash., owns the 12-year-old horse, bred by Jack and Susan Waggoner, Bridgeport, Texas. The horse is a prior career earner of $164,237, according to Equi-Stat records. Equi-Stat is a statistical division of Cowboy Publishing Group.



Josh Sleeman
Ho Chi Minnie/Sleeman Win $3,000 Novice
Five-year-old mare Ho Chi Minnie (Cat Ichi x Haida Ho x Haidas Little Pep) and Josh Sleeman, 36, a trainer based in Rainier, Wash., won Sunday’s $3,000 Novice Open finals with a 221 to earn $5,098, while Sleeman and 2006 mare Patty La Cat also finished third with a 219.

Scatter (High Brow Cat x Sandina x Peppy San Badger), a 2005 stallion ridden by Wilton, Calif., trainer Brent Erickson and owned by Orangevale, Calif., veterinarian Jean Metzler, finished as $3,000 Novice Open Reserve Champions with a 220.

Lonnie and Barbara Allsup, Clovis, N.M., bred Scatter, a stallion Erickson guided to a third-place finals finish in the same division at last year’s event. The horse previously earned $13,253, primarily while competing at smaller any-age shows.

Double Dove Ranch, Benbrook, Texas, bred Champion Ho Chi Minnie. Duane Brunner, Castle Rock, Wash., has owned the mare since the middle of her 2-year-old season. Sleeman and Ho Chi Minnie have competed consistently well at small any-aged shows. They also they reached two Open limited-age finals during the mare’s 4-year-old season.

Patty La Cat (High Brow Cat x Patty La Dual x Dual Pep) earned $18,347 in 2010 as a 4-year-old while competing in many Open limited-age and any-age events with Sleeman. The mare, owned by Jim and Luana Wriglesworth, Sandy, Ore., debuted by making the 2009 National Cutting Horse Futurity Open semifinals with Sleeman to earn $10,000.



Carly Chiarelli
Chiarelli Wins Senior Youth

Carly Chiarelli, 15, Basalt, Colo., and High Yield CD won a Senior Youth Championship on Sunday with a final-round 218, easily topping a pair of 215 finishes.

The daughter of cutting horse owner and breeder Eugene Chiarelli won Youth and Amateur titles at the 2009 Western Nationals. Carly could possibly match or top her accomplishments from two years ago as this year’s show continues.

Denise Tortorice, Pueblo West, Colo., owns High Yield CD (CD Olena x Missin A Gun x Young Gun), a 2000 gelding bred by Ronald and Adrienne Pietrafesco, Elbert, Colo. The horse had earned $9,884 through the end of 2010, according to Equi-Stat records.

Chiarelli earned nearly $85,000 as a cutter in 2009 and 2010, at ages 14 and 15. The teen rider had earned $158,179 in her young career heading into her 2011 season.


Kate Gerla
Gerla Wins Junior Youth

Kate Gerla, Busby, Alberta, Can., and My Own San Lena won the Junior Youth finals on Sunday with a 215 finish.

Gerla, a career earner of $1,130 heading into this year, won four Youth titles and finished as a Reserve Champion twice while competing at small shows with the 9-year-old mare.

Alan and Ria Gerla, Busby, Alberta, Can., own My Own San Lena (My Own League x Pepinics San Badger x Pepinics Master), a prior earner of $52,195. At last year’s Western Nationals, the mare made the Open finals with Dustin Gonnet and the Non-Pro finals with Al Gerla.



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