NCHA Members Hall of Fame was established in 1977 by the National Cutting Horse Association (NCHA) to honor those members who have demonstrated "through their own efforts and those of the horses they raise" over a period time, their dedication to the sport of cutting, as well as their outstanding and unusual contributions to the NCHA's basic mission in promoting the sport of cutting. [1] In addition to their Member's Hall of Fame, the NCHA established the following: Non-Pro Hall of Fame, NCHA Rider Hall of Fame, NCHA Horse Hall of Fame, Youth Hall of Fame and Horse of the Year. [2]
The Republican Study Committee (RSC) is a study group of conservative members of the Republican Party in the United States House of Representatives. As of 2021, the Chairman of the RSC is Representative Jim Banks of Indiana.
Joe Reed (1921–1947), often known as Joe Reed P-3, was a Quarter Horse racehorse from the early days of the American Quarter Horse Association that became an influential sire with the breed.
Sugar Bars (1951–1982) was a Quarter Horse racehorse and stallion who sired many Quarter horse race and show horses.
Poco Lena (1949–1968) was an outstanding cutting mare, and dam of two famous Quarter horse cutting horses and stallions: Doc O'Lena and Dry Doc.
Doc O'Lena (1967–1993) was a Quarter Horse stallion, a champion cutting horse and a sire of champion cutting horses. He was inducted into both the AQHA and NCHA Halls of Fame, as was his dam Poco Lena. He was the 1970 NCHA Futurity Open Champion, followed by his full brother, Dry Doc, who won the title in 1971. As a sire, Doc O'Lena earned recognition as the first futurity champion to sire a futurity champion when Lenaette won the title in 1975. He also sired Smart Little Lena, the first horse to win the NCHA Triple Crown.
Cutter Bill (1955–1982) was a Quarter Horse stallion and the 1962 National Cutting Horse Association (NCHA) Open World Champion cutting horse with record earnings for the year. He also won the 1962 American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA) Honor Roll cutting horse award which made him the first horse to have won both the NCHA and AQHA awards in the same year. Cutter Bill was owned by the flamboyant Texas millionaire Rex Cauble who in 1962 decided to campaign Cutter Bill with Sonny Perry in the saddle showing him. In order for Cutter Bill to compete in as many shows as possible that year, Cauble flew Cutter Bill and three other horses on his private jet to various shows.
The Amash–Conyers Amendment was a proposal to end the "NSA's blanket collection of Americans' telephone records", sponsored by Justin Amash and John Conyers in the US House of Representatives. The measure was voted down, 217 to 205.
Smart Little Lena was an AQHA registered Quarter Horse, an NCHA Triple Crown Champion cutting horse, and sire of champion cutting horses. He was inducted into both the AQHA Hall of Fame and NCHA Horse Hall of Fame. He was sired by NCHA Futurity Champion Doc O'Lena and out of the mare Smart Peppy by Peppy San, who was the first NCHA World Champion to sire an NCHA World Champion.
Matlock Rose, born Berry Matlock Rose (1924–2008), was a professional horse trainer for over 60 years. He established a reputation as an all-around cowboy and trainer of champions. Rose was often described as stonefaced, a man of few words, but long held the respect of his peers. He was referred to as a trainers' trainer, and considered a legend. He trained multiple AQHA world champions, five NCHA world champions, was inducted into the American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame in 2001, as well as both the NCHA Rider Hall of Fame and the NCHA Members Hall of Fame. The first famous cutting horse he trained was Jesse James and many other great horses followed but he was best known for training Peppy San and Peponita.
Louis M. Pearce Jr. was an American businessman and rancher known for leading the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo.
Jim Reno (1929–2008) was a bronze sculptor who focused his artistic abilities on western themes and famous horses, such as Secretariat. Reno's most notable sculpture is titled Secretariat—31 Lengths which is on display at the National Museum of Racing at Saratoga Springs, New York. He was also commissioned in 1973 by Secretariat's owner Penny Chenery (Tweedy) to sculpt a life-size bronze of the horse for the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Kentucky. Reno also sculpted Dash For Cash, cattleman Charles Goodnight, Comanche Indian Chief Quannah Parker, and many other depictions of legendary people and horses.
Frank Merrill began his career in the quarter horse industry in the 1970s when he moved to Purcell, Oklahoma. During his 50+ year career as a Quarter Horse breeder and exhibitor, Merrill accumulated numerous championship titles in several different disciplines, including halter horse competition, horse racing, reining, cutting, working cow horse, and calf roping. Two of the horses he showed, Royal Santana and Miss Jim 45, were inducted into the AQHA Hall of Fame in 2000 and 2012 respectively. In 2013, he was inducted into the American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA) Hall of Fame, and is a past president of the AQHA. He is an AQHA director at large, a director of the National Cutting Horse Association (NCHA), a trustee of the United States Equine Foundation, and a director of the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum.
Fay Owen "Buster" Welch was an American cutting horse trainer and inductee into the NCHA Members Hall of Fame, American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame, National Cutting Horse Association Riders Hall of Fame and Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame. Buster was chosen as the recipient of the 2012 National Golden Spur Award for his "outstanding contributions to the ranching and livestock industry".
Tap O Lena (1990—2015) was a bay Quarter Horse mare, a champion cutting horse and a dam and granddam of champion cutting horses. She was bred, trained and shown by NCHA Rider Hall of Fame and NCHA Non-Pro Hall of Fame inductee Phil Rapp of Weatherford, TX who rode her to win 15 major NCHA aged event championships. Rapp's wife Mary Ann also showed the mare, and won 2 more non-pro championships, including the 1997 Non-Pro World Champion. Tap O Lena was inducted into the NCHA Horse Hall of Fame with lifetime earnings of $450,639.33 in cutting horse competition. She was bred to Dual Pep and produced Tapt Twice, earner of $279,457 and sire of cutting horses that have earned over $1.3 million.
National Cutting Horse Association (NCHA) Rider Hall of Fame was created and perpetuated to honor outstanding riders who have demonstrated their ability to exhibit the athletic prowess and inherent cow sense of the cutting horses they have shown competitively in NCHA sponsored or approved contests. The updated criteria established in 2016 includes:
Kay Floyd was an American horse breeder who was the first woman ever to win two NCHA Futurity championships, albeit in the Non-Pro division. She also earned the title of 1988 NCHA Non-Pro World Champion, and in 1991 was inducted into the NCHA Rider Hall of Fame - Non-Pro Division. Floyd owned the stallion, Freckles Playboy (1973-2003), sired by Jewel's Leo Bars by Sugar Bars out of Gay Jay by Rey Jay, and bred by Marion Flynt. As of 2013, Freckles Playboy ranked 3rd on NCHA's list of all-time leading sires and maternal grandsire sires of champion cutting and performance Quarter Horses with offspring that have earned $24.56 million in NCHA competition. Among his champion offspring were Playfulena, the mare Floyd rode to win the 1987 NCHA Non-Pro Futurity, and Playboys Madera, the mare she rode to earn the title of 1988 NCHA Non-Pro World Champion.
Freckles Playboy was a sorrel Quarter Horse stallion sired by Jewel’s Leo Bars by Sugar Bars out of Gay Jay by Rey Jay. He was bred by Marion Flynt, and trained and shown in cutting horse competition by Terry Riddle. Freckles Playboy was the 1976 NCHA Futurity Co-Reserve Champion, placed 3rd in the 1977 NCHA Derby, and won the title of 1977 AQHA World Champion Junior Cutting Horse. In 1979, he developed navicular syndrome ending his career as a cutting horse.
Marion Flynt was a cattle rancher and owner of the Square Top 3 Ranch in Midland, TX., home to many legendary horses including two foundation cutting horse sires, Jewel's Leo Bars (Freckles) and Rey Jay. Flynt was known in cutting horse circles as "Mr. Cutting Horse". He holds the record as the longest serving president of the National Cutting Horse Association (NCHA),, having served a total of 12 years. Flynt was inducted into the NCHA Members Hall of Fame in 1977. He was the owner of Marion’s Girl, a 1948 bay Quarter Horse mare and twice NCHA World Champion Cutting Horse, trained and shown by Buster Welch.
Jewel's Leo Bars (1962–1978), commonly known as "Freckles", was a sorrel American Quarter Horse stallion sired by Sugar Bars, out of Leo Pan by Leo. He is considered to be one of the early cutting horse foundation sires, most notable for his influence on the performance horse industry. He was owned by Marion Flynt and stood at stud at Flynt's Square Top 3 Ranch in Midland, Texas, the home of "many legendary horses". In addition to being a notable foundation cutting horse sire, Freckles also competed in three different disciplines—racing, halter, and cutting—earning an AQHA Register of Merit in Cutting, Halter Stallion points, and a National Cutting Horse Association (NCHA) Certificate of Ability.
Al Dunning is an American horse trainer specializing in western performance horses. He has trained multiple world champions in reining, cutting, working cow horse, halter, and all-around. His most famous horse was Expensive Hobby. He was inducted into the Arizona Quarter Horse Association Hall of Fame in 2016.