Cowboy Class: Kit Kat Cowgirl

each division were invited from across the United States to try to qualify for the national finals.

“Qualifying was really tough, the cattle were a challenge,” Butler said. “I didn’t think I made it, I actually left. They called me and said I [made it].”

Butler has only been competing in rodear events for about three years, making him a relative newcomer in a field of veterans. He partnered on Gus with Jeremey McBride in 2020 and has been attending trials with the Border Collie ever since.

“It took us a little while to click, I ran him in a couple of other national finals and had him real close [to winning]. My mistakes cost him and finally tonight, he got it,” Butler said. “When you’re in public he likes to act like a teenager, but when you’re working stock, it’s go time.”

Gus was initially trained by Rick Morgan, and Butler said Gus’s continued education has been a group effort with McBride and others.

Champion in the Non Pro division was Mike Thompson and HP. They scored a perfect 135 and navigated the course in 5 minutes, 16 seconds, earning $7,500 for the championship.

In the Green division, Mike Collins and “Tug” scored a 135 and completed the course in 5 minutes, 5 second, earning $5,000.

With one of the fastest times of the entire evening and a perfect score, Mike Thompson and HP brought home the Non-Pro Championship, worth $7,500.

ITK KAT COWGIRL

Kelsey Thomas and Kit Kat Jerrie topped the $10,000-added Cowboy Class, presented by XIT Ranch.

Article by Abigail Boatwright Photos by Primo Morales

Kelsey Thomas has made it a habit of winning the Cowboy Class Invitational events. Since the events started in 2019, she’s captured two titles with her mare Kit Kat Jerrie. Formerly an invitation-only event, the Cowboy Class became an official National Reined Cow Horse Association class this year, and Thomas came back with “Elvira” to win her third championship title.

The class consists of rein work, cow work and modified steer stopping. To be eligible to compete in it, riders must work on ranches and livestock operations and have earned less than $15,000 in NRCHA Open and Non Pro money outside of the Cowboy Class. In addition to the $10,000 purse provided by XIT Ranch’s sponsorship, competitors vied for prizes that included a Tad Sanders custom saddle and Gist champion buckle.

“I think the Cowboy Class is a great event because it brings us back to our roots in terms of how this whole performance industry started,” said Drew Knowles of XIT Ranch to NRCHA’s “Back Gate Report.” “I think the cowboy class gives these cowboys and cowgirls a chance to show everybody just how good their using horses are and just what they can do.”

Thomas and her husband, Buddy, purchased “Elvira” (Kit Kat Sugar x Jerries Dual Legacy x Smart Little Jerry) in May of 2019 as a 4-year-old broodmare for their cow horse and cattle operation, Love Ranch, in Rising Star, Texas. In October of that year, Thomas showed Elvira at the Snaffle Bit Futurity®’s inaugural Cowboy Class and won. Then the duo dominated the Art of the Cowgirl’s World’s Greatest Horsewoman competition in February of 2020, earning a spot to compete in the 2021 Hashtags and Western Bloodstock World’s Greatest Horseman.

Even with her clear talent, Elvira fits the stereotype of the red mare, Thomas said, jokingly.

“She rules the roost. It’s just whatever makes Elvira happy, basically,” Thomas said. “She’s kind of a real quirky mare. You’ll know if she doesn’t like something, it’d be obvious.”

The mare is an asset when she enters the show pen, though.

“She’s real cowy, and she’s got a big stop, but she’s also quick,” Thomas said. “She’s fast. So that always helps going down the fence.”

The pair competed earlier in the week in the Limited Open Bridle, scoring a 149 in the cow work and a 140.5 in the reining.

“The reining is what I’ve been focused on because of that,” Thomas said. “Nelle Murphy gave me some things to work on, so I went home and worked on those things, and it worked awesome, because we won the reining today.”

Thomas said they worked on adding speed with control, which paid off. Their resulting 149.5 score landed them in first place. After the reining pattern, the duo’s first cow proved tough to work, but with a second cow, they scored a 147 and placed fourth.

“My first cow wouldn’t hardly drive down the fence, so I got a new cow,” Thomas said. “I left the box with a lot of cow, but I saw how a lot of them were getting tired, so it worked out well.”

In the steer stopping, the pair had a clean catch, scoring a 153 to tie for third place. With a composite score of 449.5, Thomas and Elvira won the class.

“I think she’s an amazing mare, and for her to add more money and accolades to her résumé was just the cherry on top,” Thomas said.

COWBOY CLASS CHAMPION

Kelsey Thomas and 2015 sorrel mare Kit Kat Jerrie topped the Cowboy Class with a composite score of 449.5. The pair from Rising Star, Texas, took home $3,500. “Elvira” was bred by Milton and Bridey Greeson and is owned by Buddy Thomas.

COWBOY CLASS RESERVE CHAMPION

RA Brown II and Lost Creek Heaven secured the Cowboy Class reserve title with a composite score of 446. The 2015 sorrel mare (WR This Cats Smart x She Cat Seven x Seven From Heaven) was bred by Wagonhound Land and Livestock LLC and is owned by Rob A. Brown of Stinnett, Texas.

Don Rich Saddlery (270) 791-6448