Jessica Cauble & Im Countin On You • Photo by Ted Petit

Cauble Squashes Nerves to Win Aboard Im Countin On You

Jessica Cauble made the most of her first show with Im Countin On You at the National Cutting Horse Association (NCHA) Western Nationals.

“I’ve known this mare her whole career and have always loved her. We’ve spent quite a few miles in the loping pen together,” said Cauble, whose husband, Brett, has the 9-year-old mare in training for owners Ted and Nancy Turner. “Nancy offered me the chance to ride her in the $2,000 Limit Rider, so I went for it.”

Cauble admitted she was so nervous heading into the first go-round aboard “Izzy” (Im Countin Checks x Ima Cuttin Monkey x Chics Smart Monkey) that it was all a blur.

“Brett helped me out before heading in and gave me tips,” she said. “I honestly can’t remember what each cow was like, but Izzy is so nice, I wanted to make sure I got the right cows cut and stayed out of her way.”

In the first go, the pair was the sixth draw of 27 total entries. Their 218 was the highest of the round and they advanced to the finals. Cauble was first to go in the finals, and the judges marked their go a 220.

“Brett picked the cows out for me and it all came together,” she said. “When I saw our score, I couldn’t even watch the rest of the class I was so nervous about the score holding up.”

When the finals was over, Cauble learned her performance was strong enough to win by 2 points and garner a $6,316 paycheck. She described the experience as a great confidence boost and described Izzy as a sweet mare who knows how to get her job done.

Michelle Moore and Cauble book-ended the class as the first and last riders. Moore was the last draw in the 10 horse finals, and she marked a 218 aboard The Gene McKown Living Trust-bred MK Manny (Smart Little Lena x MK Little Miss Trona x Little Trona) for the Reserve Championship, which paid $4,963.

The same day Izzy dominated the $2,000 Limit Rider first go, the mare also competed in the $5,000 Novice finals with Brett. She marked a 215.5 to tie for 11th and pocket $1,266.

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