NCHA FUTURITY CO-CHAMPION RIDER - STEVE BRYNE & DEE BAR ISA CATTY BLUE
Winning the NCHA Futurity is a dream come true for me ," says Professional Cutting Horse Trainer Steve Bryne . " I work everyday at getting better at training and showing cutting horses . I have been working towards this for a long time . I ’ ve never assumed that it would happen , however you just have to keep putting yourself in a position where it can happen if its meant to . Winning this Futurity means I have achieved one of the goals that I set for myself a long time ago ."
When asked , how did you rate her chances following preparation and going into the Futurity ? Steve answered , " I knew the horse had a lot of eye appeal , but she probably was not real consistent yet . She was rapidly getting better everyday for about four weeks leading up to the Futurity . I thought if I can get her through the go rounds and into the final , that she would be capable of winning if everything came together ."
Steve talked me through his winning run . " We had two cows picked that I liked , and several others that we new where fresh . I cut all the cows that I wanted . The first one was a bit soft , but it got my mare set up well , and we did enough to get my run off to a good start . The second cow was really good . I got it cut really strong and confidently and got my hand down quick . It gave us a good challenge , was fast , and kept turning into me . I got off it with 30 seconds remaining . One of the other cows that we liked was standing right on the front of the herd . I was trying hard to get it cut clean and finish off my run strong , but another heifer ran up with it and it took me a bit longer than I wanted to get the last cow cut . When my run was over , I new it was a good run , but it would have been even better if I was able to get that last cow cut clean ."
Helping Steve with his herd was Link Baumann , Dean Holden , Todd Graham and Phil Dawson . Steve says , " They have been helping me for a good while now , and are really excellent help . You can ’ t be successful without a good help team , and I am very grateful to these guys and the other people who have helped me in the cutting pen over the years ."
When asked , what was your impression of Dee Bar Isa Catty Blue during your runs ? Steve answered , " In the first round the mare was really good . She has a lot of eye appeal to the judges . She really wants to draw a lot , and she really gets away from a cow if
NCHA FUTURITY CO-CHAMPION RIDER - STEVE BRYNE & DEE BAR ISA CATTY BLUE
ARTICLE BY KYLIE R . MELROSE Photo Ken Anderson
she needs to . So in the first round my biggest challenge was keeping her up against the cow I was working . With every run she had , she got better at this , so I was able to control my cattle better with each run she had ."
Steve commented on their preparation leading up to the NCHA Futurity . " The first preworks we did was in November 2016 , however most of the preworks were during March , April and May 2017 . She was not always easy to train , and I did not start feeling really confident on her until about a month before the Futurity . She had a few muscular / skeletal soreness issues , we were trying to address during the latter part of 2016 and early 2017 . When we
got these things sorted out , she really started to improve very quickly . The last three months before the Futurity she improved with every ride she had ."
Steve commented on how he felt on the final day of the NCHA Futurity , going into the final . " I had two horses in the final . We where keeping the horses at home near Dungowan and bought them into town at about 11am on the day of the final . We just prepared them as normal . I tried not to think about the final anymore than I needed to . I was confident that both horses ( Cats Colonel was the other finalist ) where as well prepared as they could be and that we just had to go show them as best I could ."
" Dee Bar Isa Catty Blue was bred by Link and Chris Baumann from Werris Creek , NSW . Phillip Smith from Lazy K Quarter Horses purchased her from them as a yearling . He asked me to train her for the NCHA Futurity . I started with her in September 2015 and she has pretty much been with me ever since ," said Steve .
Steve mentioned his support team and what they mean to him . " Training and showing cutting horses is a team sport . You cant do this on your own . From the horse owners to the herd
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holders and turn back guys , the lopers , farriers , vets , cattle suppliers and more ."
My wife Claire is always there looking after the horses health and well being . She tells me what she thinks , keeps our home and our barn looking great . Tessa Foley works for us and she loped Molly for the last 12 months and right through the Futurity and did a really good job . My help team Linc Baumann , Phil Dawson , Dean Holden and Todd Graham were incredible . They have been helping me for a while now and I think they know my strengths and weaknesses quite well . David Banks and Iconoclast Equine Support Boots have been supporting me for a long time for which I am really grateful for . Thanks to the people who give me cattle to train my horses , especially Mark Ranger from Moonabah . A big thank you to Lazy K Quarter Horses , David and Sarah Spong , Nicole and Guy Monvoisin , Peter and Marianne from Hazeldeen Quarter Horses for entrusting their horses with me and my family to prepare for the cutting pen , Cameron Peoples and my brother John for looking after the horses feet and my sister in law , Danielle Byrne for her veterinarian expertise and support ."
Steve recalled the reaction of the horses owners and breeders after the NCHA Futurity win . " They where all extremely excited . They all came down into the arena at AELEC after the final had finished . There where lots of photos , a few beers and wines , my family was also there including my Dad and my three brothers Dave , Mark and John and their family ’ s ."
When asked , what are your goals as a trainer ? Has the NCHA Futurity Champion title given you more confidence as a trainer ? Steve responded , " My goals as a trainer are to be consistently competitive in the cutting pen , constantly training good Futurity horses and to be honest with the people around me . I strive to get the horses trained while showing them respect at the same time . I want them to be able to keep their dignity through the training process . I want them to have respect and have confidence in me at the end of the day . I try to be honest with everybody around me and I expect them to be honest with me . That goes for my family , friends , employees , horse owners , everybody . Some people like being around me , and some people don ’ t . And that ' s fine , that ' s how its meant to be ."
September • October • 2017 • The Australian Quarter Horse Magazine • Page 19