Team Green: The American Performance Horseman
Team Green: The American Performance Horseman
Team Green consists of Casey Deary, Lindy Thorn and Chris Dawson. PHOTO: Becky Newell
February 15, 2023 | News and Publications , Showing , Showing , Showing | The American Quarter Horse Journal , The American Quarter Horse Journal , Showing , Showing , Showing , Reining , Reined cow horse , Cutting
By Becky Newell
Bless her heart, cutter Lindy Thorn has been paired with two comedic partners – Casey Deary and Chris Dawson – for The American Performance Horseman. At the Teton Ridge Media Day in February for The American Performance Horseman, Casey and Chris had an answer – funny or serious – for every question thrown at them by the members of the press. Even their serious responses veered off into hilarity.
When asked about how the arena size was going to affect how they prepare their horses, Chris said, “I'll make sure that I kind of measure that out just to get a feel of where those circles are going to be. Because that's one thing when the arena's a little cattywampus, your circles can get affected.”
Casey interjected: “Can you spell cattywampus?”
Chris: “C-A-D-D-Y-W-A-M-P-U-S. Cattywampus.”
Casey: “There has got to be a T in there somewhere.”
That had the media looking up the correct spelling of cattywampus and derailed the whole conversation.
Lindy, with a little bit of a “deer in the headlights” expression was reserved, but thoughtful, with her answers. “On the cutting end of things, I think the only thing that I see with the setup is that my preparation is just to get drove up way up in that pen. And that's the only thing that I see that I'm going to prepare for. But that's just like any other cutting.”
When the questions turned to things like their last Google search, superstitions and guilty pleasures, Casey and Chris’ comedy show took off again. Casey’s guilty pleasure? Coffee. All the coffee. Chris’ guilty pleasure? Blue Bell vanilla ice cream. Lindy? “Seriously, I’m thinking,” she said. “I’m not trying to be a twit. Can we come back to this one?”
Chris: “Hey, she’s not telling anybody that she has posters of Casey and me.”
Lindy: “Yeah, no.”
But when it comes down to the competition, these three are all business and have complete faith and trust in one another and their horses.
Reined Cow Horse: Chris Dawson
LTE: $1,420,979
The Perrin, Texas, horseman has two AQHA reserve world championships in junior working cow horse. Showing in the AQHA all-around helped Chris hone his skills as a showman and helped lead him to his true calling, the reined cow horse industry. In 2013, Chris made his biggest mark thus far in the industry aboard a stallion named Travelin Jonez, also known fondly as “TJ”. That year he won four National Reined Cow Horse Association majors aboard TJ, catapulting him into the rankings with the best in the business. In 2014, he was the open reserve champion at the NRCHA Snaffle Bit Futurity. Chris, who is married to Team Blue member Sarah Dawson, is taking CSR Lay Down Sally and Reyzinette to The American Performance Horseman.
CSR Lay Down Sally
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CSR Lay Down Sally and Chris Dawson (Photo by Carolyn Simancik, courtesy of Teton Ridge) |
2011 bay mare (Dual Spark-Look At Her Glo by CD O Cody)
QData earnings: $181,596; 2017 AQHYA boxing world champion; 2014 Snaffle Bit Limited Open Futurity champion
Breeder: Circle Star Land & Cattle Co.
Owner: Meredith Graber of Weatherford, Texas
“CSR Lay Down Sally is a mare who seems to rise to the occasions,” Chris says. “The louder it is, the more the crowd’s into it, the better. She seems to like it. Now that being said, we might go in there and it might completely trip her trigger. There's no way to know. But like I say, historically speaking, she has always kind of seemed to rise to the occasions. The louder it gets, the better she gets.”
Reyzinette
2014 sorrel stallion (Dual Rey-Sheza Shinette by Shining Spark)
QData earnings: $77,890; 2019 AQHA reserve world champion in junior working cow horse; 2023 NRCHA World's Greatest Horseman reserve champion
Breeder-Owner: Holy Cow Performance Horses of Weatherford, Texas
Reining: Casey Deary
LTE: $3,447,969
An AQHA Professional Horseman from Weatherford, Texas, Casey Deary has won two AQHA world titles and one reserve world championship in reining, has 362 AQHA performance points and lifetime National Reining Horse Association earnings of $3,447,969. Casey began competing in NRHA in 1996; today he is ranked No. 4 in the NRHA Leading Lifetime Riders. Casey has won the NRHA Futurity three times. He also won the National Reining Breeders Classic in 2020 and the NRHA Derby in 2022. Casey has been one of the few elite riders to qualify and compete in The Run for a Million every year since its inception in 2019 and is already qualified for the 2023 event. Casey loves coffee, struggles with keeping his false teeth in his mouth (ask him for stories) and hates technology.
Down Right Amazing
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Down Right Amazing and Casey Deary (Photo by Waltenberry, courtesy of NRHA) |
2017 sorrel stallion (Colonels Smoking Gun-Shesouttayourleague by Walla Walla Whiz)
QData earnings: $224,251; 2022 NRBC Open Classic reserve champion; 2022 Run for a Million Open Reining Shootout champion
Breeder: Curtis Performance Horses of Weatherford, Texas
Owner: DAG Ventures LLC of Crowley, Texas
Ten Thirty
2018 sorrel stallion (Gunnatrashya-Dainty Little Step by Wimpys Little Step)
QData earnings: $369,060; 2021 NRHA Futurity Open Level 4 champion;
Breeder: Brooke M. Wharton of Fort Worth, Texas
Owner: Rancho El Fortin of Del Rio, Texas
Cutting: Lindy Thorn
LTE: $670,724
In 2022, Lindy Thorn became the first woman to win the coveted National Cutting Horse Association Futurity Open Championship since Kathy Daughn marked a 229 aboard Royal Fletch to take the 2000 event. Lindy was riding Phil N Dangerous and is the third woman to win the NCHA Futurity: Lindy Burch was the first when she piloted Mis Royal Mahogany to victory in 1981 and Daughn won it twice (The Gemnist in 1985 and Royal Fletch in 2000). Lindy Thorn grew up in California where her mother, Winnie Rivinius, trained western pleasure horses and hunter jumpers. Lindy took a western pleasure horse with her to Murray State University in Kentucky. While in college, she worked out of a local barn and rode a lot of different types of horses. She wanted to get into reined cow horse or cutting, though, and a woman she’d ridden a lot of horses for pointed her in the direction of NCHA Riders Hall of Fame member Allen Crouch in Mississippi. After college, Lindy also worked for trainer Tommy Marvin. Lindy is taking Lil Maddy Rey and the mare’s son, Phil N Dangerous, to The American Performance Horseman.
Lil Maddy Rey
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Lindy Thorn and Lil Maddy Rey. (Photo courtesy of NCHA) |
2012 sorrel mare (Dual Smart Rey-Miss Madelines Cat by High Brow Cat)
QData earnings: $184,128; 2022 NCHA Unlimited Amateur champion; 2022 NCHA second leading dam;
Breeder: Clark Brewster of Tulsa, Oklahoma
Owner: Misty Greeson of Bartlesville, Oklahoma
“I really want to show her, I mean, she has been through it,” Lindy says. “She's 11 years old now. So I mean she has been there, done that, and she's going to be easy to prepare. My 4-year-old? I'm just hoping that I don't have to go there, because I want to save him for the aged events. I really want to show the mare because she means a lot to me and she changed my program. She taught me what a cowy horse was.”
Phil N Dangerous
2019 sorrel stallion (Hottish-Lil Maddy Rey by Dual Smart Rey)
QData earnings: $333,671; 2022 NCHA Open Futurity champion
Breeder-Owner: Misty Greeson
The American Performance Horseman, which will be held at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, will be broadcast on Teton+ on March 10. Use promo code AQHA23 to save 25% on tickets at www.americanrodeo.com/events/american-horseman.