Wes (19) with Buster in the chuck wagon tent while they were branding cows at Buster’s ranch 20 years ago.
From bits and saddles, to working a cutting horse in a round pen, to helping start the NCHA and hosting the first futurity, Buster Welch made cutting what it is today.
“Anybody that has [ridden] a cutting horse has been influenced by him whether they know it or not,” $9.1 million earner Austin Shepard said of his good friend Welch, who passed away June 12th, 2022 at his Abilene home at 94 years old.
Best buddies – Lance and Cade as youths killing time at a horse show.
After slingin’ dirt and cashing checks in the cutting horse youth and non-pro classes, childhood friends and successful showmen, Lance Cooper and Cade Shepard are now beating the pros at their own game!
They both handed in their non-pro cards one day apart after their wins in the Summer Spectacular Derby last year. Shepard had won almost a million dollars and Cooper was approaching a half a million when they became open riders.Keep On Reading!
Sam Shepard loved learning. It’s perhaps the reason he came to cutting later in life as a cutting horse trainer and was able to enjoy almost $2.5 million worth of success in the show pen. But it wasn’t just his training prowess that made him a name in cutting, it was his decency and love of people that really established his reputation.
Shepard was diagnosed with a rare condition called Amyloidosis. He passed away September 15th this year at his home in Verbena, Alabama at the age of 74.
His son, Austin Shepard, described his dad as a very well rounded person. He was well read, passionate about education, and a talented horse trainer. Shepard traveled the world because of cutting horses and was always interested in people from all walks of life. Austin said his father lived a full life.
You could say renowned trainer Bill Riddle did a thorough job cleaning up during the awards ceremony at the 2015 National Cutting Horse Association Convention.
But he didn’t have a broom and trash bags in his hands, he had a microphone!
A long-time ambassador for the sport, Bill was the emcee for the Banquet night that saw 23 people and 3 horses inducted into the NCHA Hall Of Fame.
Cleaning up? You ask?…. They were Bill’s own words about the theme behind this year’s inductees. He told the audience of more than 400 people that the NCHA really wanted to make sure they had no glaring gaps in their Hall Of Fame of people who had been inadvertently passed over and those who had given their time, energy and ideas to cutting, the association and helping others.
It was the mighty efforts of three men, Sam Shepard from Verbena, Al, James Hooper, Decatur, Al, and Chubby Turner, Weatherford, Tx, that were recognized with the Association’s highest honors, the Members Hall of Fame.
Others were inducted for their competition achievements, but even some of those had been overlooked in decades past, like Milt Bennett, Jim Calhoun, Greg Ward and Jim Gideon to name four open riders who have since passed away.
Bill told a story or had personal connection on almost every cutter inducted and spoke warmly and openly about his friendships with the three Member honorees: Sam, James and Chubby.
Cutting Horse Training Online caught up with Bill on the last day of the convention, who told us what a joy it was for him to honor all those people. Press play to watch.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=E_RJdVWZQlw%3Frel%3D0
Bill Riddle has been showing, training and teaching cutting for more than 30 years. He has amassed lifetime earnings in excess of $4-million and given clinics around the world.
If you are interested in learning more about cutting, showing, training and riding, click on the button below to get a free video on show tips from five futurity winners!
Did you attend the awards ceremony? What did you learn about those inducted that you never knew before? If not do you know anyone back in the day you think should be named in the Hall of Fame also? Let us know what you think by posting your comments below….
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