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Welcome to the
Extreme Cowboy Association
We are excited about 2009 and the many fun filled and
exciting Extreme Cowboy Racing events that are on the
schedule. The formation of
EXCA has been an thrilling and challenging adventure!
Many people have worked tirelessly to create an association
that you will be proud to tell your friends about.
This is the latest issue of your monthly newsletter,
The Brave Horse.
You will receive it each month electronically around the
middle of the month.
The Brave Horse
will be full of
interesting stories,
EXCA event results, point standings, human interest
stories about
EXCA members and Tips and Tales from our founder, Craig
Cameron. We encourage you to communicate your
suggestions for stories and ideas that will make
The
Brave Horse fun, better and more informative.
The Brave Horse
the best
newsletter in the equine world. Please forward your
ideas and suggestions to Bill Hull at
bhextremecowboy@gmail.com.
EXCA 2009
As the old saying goes, “Time flies when you’re having fun!”
It’s hard to believe that our first season concluded following the 2009 EXCA World Championship.
The fist year
of the Extreme Cowboy Association is under our belts and in
the record book. The hardest part of flying is to get
off the ground and I will say that it has taken considerable
effort by many to get the EXCA up and going but the
Association is now on the way to becoming the fastest equine
rowing equine sport in the industry.
As you know,
the EXCA is divided into 15 different Regions nationwide.
While some of the Regions are starting slowly, other Regions
are heavily saturated with great events and enthusiastic
competitors. The Association is undergoing lots of
changes while in its infant stage which means growing pains
and rule changes to fine tune this great new sport.
The EXCA World
Championship which was held November 13 - 15 in Topeka,
Kansas was a huge success. 103 competitors from 23
states traveled across the country for the prizes, money and
World Titles. 100% of the entry fees were paid back to
competitors as heated finals were played out with 2 go-rounds
in each Division: Young Guns, Youth, Novice, Ride Smart,
Non-P and Pro. The top riders fought it out for
buckles, money, titles and prizes in a tough final 3rd round
where World Champions and Reserve World Champions were as
follows:
Young
Guns:
World
Champion: Samantha Lebbin from Michigan
Reserve World
Champion: Alysha Hardy from Massachusetts
Youth:
World
Champion: Jake Glidewell from Missouri
Reserve World
Champion: Obbie Schlom from California
Novice:
World
Champion: Susan Morris from Louisiana
Reserve World
Champion: Lisa Rehberger from California
Ride
Smart:
World
Champion: James Best from Illinois
Reserve World
Champion: Frances Jones from Texas
Non -
Pro:
World
Champion: Tracy Pinson from Florida
Reserve World
Champion: Scott Nowlin from Kansas
Pro:
World
Champion: Lee Hart from Kansas
Reserve World
Champion: Kelly LeBlanc from Michigan
We wish to
give a big thanks to all of our sponsors and to our premier
sponsors Purina Mills and Colt
Firearms. Sponsor participation helped to
make our first World Championship a great success!
There was also
a Directors meeting after the Championship with
representatives from most of the 15 Regions. We
discussed rule changes and future plans for the coming year
to make 2010 bigger and better.
I wish to
thank all competitors, members, clubs and volunteers for all
your help throughout the last year and coming year.
Have a Merry
Christmas, Happy New Year and keep those horses tuned up and
I will see you on the course for another Extreme Cowboy
Year!
Ride Tough
Ride Extreme
Craig Cameron
EXCA Membership Renewal Discount!
Send in your
membership renewal before December 31st and save $10.00
on your 2010 EXCA membership. You can renew online
or mail your membership to the EXCA office at P.O. Box 50,
Bluff Dale, Texas, 76433. It makes a great Christmas
gift for your family and friends!!
EXCA - An All Breeds Association
As the old
saying goes, "the proof is in the pudding". During
2009, we said that all breeds were welcome and encouraged to
compete in EXCA Extreme Cowboy Racing.
The 2009 EXCA
World Championship showcased multiple breeds that included
Tennessee Walking Horses, Arabians, Mustangs, Thoroughbreds, Mules,
Ponies, Grade horses, paints and quarter horses. The
judge Cam Schryver recognized the excellent
performances by all of the breeds that were in the
competition. The "proof is in the pudding" was that a
Tennessee Walking Horse took home the Non - Pro World
Championship and a spotted Saddle Horse took home the Youth
World Championship. The Youth Reserve World
Championship
went to a Mule.
With the 2010
EXCA competition right around the corner, we again encourage
and invite all breed of horses, ponies and Mules to
come to the party!
EXCA Youth and Young Guns - Classy Young People!
What a
pleasure it was to have so many classy young members of EXCA
at the 2009 World Championship! Our young members
"cowboyed and cowgirled up" in a fantastic display of
horsemanship and sportsmanship as each of them gave it their
very best. We are so proud of you and honored to have
you in the Extreme Cowboy Association. Our
appreciation, respect and congratulations are extended to
each of you!
Keep riding
hard, ride smart and we look forward to seeing you again in
2010.
Craig Cameron
EXCA In the News!
Extreme Cowboy competition has
inaugural World Championships
 Robin Bond shines as California's top finisher
From Horsetrader staff reports - December 3rd, 2009
Issue -
Cover Story
TOPEKA, Kan. — Before last
February’s Equine Affaire in Pomona, trainer Robin Bond of
Rancho Dos Palmas ranch in Vista heeded encouragement of her
clients: enter the Extreme Cowboy event.
She did, and nine months after
being bitten by the Extreme Cowboy bug, she found herself
Nov. 15 just a point shy of being World Champion in the
Professional Division of the first Extreme Cowboy Race World
Championships.
“I thought I was going to win
it, but I didn’t count my chickens,” said Bond, whose 389.25
final total on Jose’s Perfection trailed Lee Hart of Kansas
(390.25) and Kelly LeBlanc of Illinois (389.5). “I was going
up against the group of guys who I’d never seen ride
before.”
She also was the only finalist with two horses in the Top
10. In addition to third place on “Chapo”, a 12-year-old
Quarter Horse gelding owned by Ricardo Cruz, Bond also
finished in 10th on Zan’s Bar Two, a 9-year-old Quarter
gelding owned by Ann Laddon, owner of Rancho Dos Palmas.
In all, 26 professionals
competed in their division–one of five divisions of riders
that also featured Young Guns (ages 7 years to 11), Youth
(12-17), Non-Professional, and Ride Smart (over 55).
Two of Bond’s clients earned
national recognition with Top 10 finishes in their
respective divisions: Lisa Rehberger of Point Loma in the
Non-Professional and her 16-year-old daughter, Carly
Bowerman in the Youth. Mom and daughter both rode Trinket.
“You have to have a horse that
lopes well, that responds to cues properly, that does trail
obstacles,” said Bond, who broke into riding as a girl with
hunters and jumpers , then moved to eventing before joining
the Navy. Upon ending her service in 1992, she found work
with horses under Sandy Arledge at Far West Farms in Del
Mar, where she stayed for 10 years.
Robin Bond and Jose's
Perfection, a 12-year-old Quarter Horse gelding owned by
Ricky Cruz, take third place in the first Extreme Cowboy
Association World Championships.
“I owe a lot to Sandy for this particular event
because I watched her over trail obstacles for 10 years,”
said Bond, the western trainer at Rancho Dos Palmas about
3-and-a-half years. “She helped me understand how to get a
horse comfortable over trail obstacles. You want to take
your horse in there, and you want to do it slow and you want
to do it correct, and you want them to be comfortable. Then,
as they get more comfortable, then they put the speed on
almost by themselves.”
At Rancho Dos Palmas, Bond
does reining, some reined cow horse, and lately ranch
roping. Her rapid rise in the fledging sport of the Extreme
Cowboy Race combined with the surging popularity of the
sport has provided focus for her future.
“At the Equine Affaire where I
did my first Extreme Cowboy race, I handed out a lot of
business cards–and every card that I handed out, somebody
called on,” she said. “That was really rare, and that’s what
determined my path for the next several years. There there’s
a call for this, and I’m good at teaching it. That’s my main
focus, getting people started in the Novice and the Non-pro
level of the Extreme Cowboy race.”
The Extreme Cowboy Race events
are designed to challenge both the rider and horse to
overcome a series of obstacles. The number of obstacles
crossed, overall horsemanship and speed with control are the
basis for scoring participants.
It is mandatory for all the
participants to be members of the Extreme Cowboy
Association. The registration process is still open for the
riders of all ages and for all the breeds of horses & mules.
Western-style clothing and tack is a must for all the
participants.
Another Californian, Bill
Cameron, rode I’ll Cowboy Up to take fourth place in the
Extreme Cowboy Association World Championships with a 377
total score.
For complete show results,
visit the Web site:
http://bit.ly/excaworld2009
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