MONTANA CUTTING HORSE ASSOCIATION “Never Won a Buckle”

NWAB Class Winner – Congratulations! When did you start riding? I have been riding since before I can remember. I started out just sitting in front of my parents and then got my first horse when I was really little.

When did you become interested in cutting? I have shown reined cow horses since I was eight, so I have been cutting in those events since then. I became interested in making a drop your hand cutter so I could compete in the high school rodeo cuttings.

When did you start competing in cutting? I started out with the high school cuttings as a sophomore. The cutting in Dillon was my first MCHA show.

Have you ever ridden in any other events? I train and show reined cow horses and try to show as much as I can all summer and fall.

Who has influenced you in cutting? Through the high school cuttings, Kathy Foote, John Seymour and Laurie McGuane have been a lot of help. Karla Camp has also helped me out a lot with my horse. My parents have also encouraged me to keep working at it.

What do you like best about cutting? For me, it has been the challenge of getting a finished horse that I can drop my hand on. With my cow horses, I always have at least one hand on the reins, so I have really had to learn how to get things right and teach my horse the correct way to do things. Also, everyone has been very nice and supportive so each cutting is always a blast.

Tell us about your horse: What is his/her name and how old? My horse, Gem’s Jack, is seven years old.

Who is the sire/dam? His dam is a daughter of Doc Bar Gem. His sire is Zans Diamond Skipper, who is a grandson of Zan Par Bar.

Do you have a nickname for your horse? Jack

Is there anything interesting about your horse that you would like to share? He is really big for a cutting horse. He is 16 hands, so he kind of stands out at the cuttings. I have had several people want to buy him as a head horse but he would rather be a cutting horse.

Who trained your horse? I trained my horse to cut. My dad started him as a two year old and showed him when he was four at a few reined cow horse shows. I took him over when he was five.

Are you riding with a trainer? I do not ride with a trainer on a regular basis. I have taken lessons from Karla Camp and also done cow horse clinics.

Do you have any advice for beginning cutters? No matter what happens, always keep a good attitude. It takes time for everything to come together and you are going to have some bad runs. Just keep going and it will eventually work.

Tell us about you: Where do you live now? I am from Three Forks. This fall I will be moving to Missoula to go to college.

Where are you originally from? Three Forks.

Do you have a job and what do you do? I work for the CA ranch in the spring. My dad day works for the CA so I have spent a lot of time doing ranch work for them. I also give fiddle lessons.

Do you have any other hobbies? I play the fiddle. I also rodeo, which I will continue in college, and show cattle in 4-H. I also do a lot of academic work. I recently graduated with a 4 point GPA and was the class valedictorian.

Do you have a family? My parents are Marc and Lola Brogger and my younger sister is Abigail.

If yes, do they ride also? My entire family spends most of their time riding. My sister will start high school cutting and rodeo this fall.