November 8-23, 2013, Oklahoma City

Senior Cutting

George C Merada takes home senior world championship after winning junior in 2011.

by Larri Jo Starkey
The American Quarter Horse Journal

For the second year in a row, George C Merada has made Furst Ranch’s breeding program proud.

On November 12 at the AQHA World Championship Show, “George” won the senior cutting world championship with John Wold of Argyle, Texas. It was a repeat performance of sorts – George and John won the junior cutting world championship in 2011.

George C Merada is a 2006 sorrel gelding by Cats Merada and out of Lenas Stylish Bunny by Docs Stylish Oak. George was bred and is owned by Furst Ranch of Bartonville, Texas, where John has been training since June 1996.

“We raised him at the ranch,” John said. “He’s done a lot of winning. He’s going to be in the top 15 at the open during the (NCHA World Championships at the) Futurity this year. He’s got little brothers and sisters that are all super duper, but he’s the first one out of his mama.”

George’s dam, Lenas Stylish Bunny, is a 2001 sorrel mare by Docs Stylish Oak and out of Lenas Playboy Bunny by Freckles Playboy. John knew Lenas Playboy Bunny and said Furst Ranch likes Docs Stylish Oak mares as broodmares. Lenas Stylish Bunny was a top prospect when she was injured, so Furst Ranch bought her as a broodmare.

On November 12, her first son proved his worth with a spanking performance that scored a 224.5 from the judges in Oklahoma City. He entered the herd sixth in the working order.

“I was real excited that my black mott was left, and I cut her first,” John said. “She drove up real good and turned around and acted like she was going to really take hold, but she loped around and didn’t really get hold, so I amped it up and cut a bit more risky cow for a second cow. She made us go get in the dirt and get it on, and I think we scored a lot of points there.

“On our third cut, we were coming up, wanting to finish with our hand down, flat doing it, and it was a good fresh black cow.”

That was good enough for the win, John’s second of the day after he also claimed the world championship in junior cutting.

“It’s pretty special, and we’re going to take a photo of all of them together, the three horses we brought to the show and made the finals on,” John said. “One had hard luck, but that’s the way it goes. Cutting is chickens one day and feathers the next.”

John’s herd help was Guy Woods, Sean Flynn, Josh Townsend and Phil Rapp, who rode last year’s senior cutting world champion to a third-place finish for owner Waco Bend Ranch. Dont Look Twice is leading the year-end open standings for the National Cutting Horse Association and remains popular with spectators.

“We’ve been showing against her all year,” John said. “You just kinda have to put that out of your mind. She’s just really hard to beat. She’s a great horse, and she has a great following, and she deserves all of it, but I have a pretty great horse, too.”