Debbie Crafton and SJR Diamond Luna take Non Pro Hackamore World Championship
Debbie Crafton of Ordway, Colorado was ecstatic on the morning of Febuary 18, to have not one but three horses in the finals of the National Reined Cow Horse Association (NRCHA) Celebration of Champions Non Pro Hackamore finals.
She and SJR Diamond Luna drew last in the class but placed first, taking home Crafton’s first championship of the show, as well as $4,623 and some new hardware.
“I had a lot of confidence in her. She circled really good and was really true there,” Crafton said about her reining. “She is a huge stopper and stops with a vengeance so I don’t have to worry about that.”
The pair earned a 217.5 in the rein work and were more than ready for their cow.
“That cow come out and it was a lot of cow right there. So I just made sure we stayed there long enough to kind of have it honor us and roll, because I know she can handle a lot of cow,” Crafton explained.
Debbie Crafton was extremely proud of how SJR Diamond Luna handled her cow. * Photo by Amy Olson
The pair marked a 223 down the fence to prove how much cow the roan mare can really handle. Crafton broke her own leg last fall and hasn’t practiced down the fence as much as she would’ve liked since then.
“We made a huge first turn, and then that cow come off the wall there and I could see it was going to fall away and she seen it too, so she was able to cover us up right there and take care of us and and then circled really strong. I made a bad decision on that switch but she made up for my my poor decision and got circled good,” Crafton marveled at her mare.
SJR Diamond Luna (CD Diamond x SJR Smooth Gina x Smooth As A Cat) was bred by the San Juan Ranch and now has an impressive $43,697 on her show record according to EquiStat. Crafton piloted her other horses to fifth and seventh in the class.
“Luna is a little a little more compact, and she stops really hard. She cuts kind of low on a cow, and just has a different feel going down the fence. You know, she’s she’s upright, but she’s kind of a four wheel drive to at the same time,” Crafton elaborated. “The rockstar horse, he’s a big long slider you know, maybe not quite as physical through the turn. The rebel, is more of an uphill horse. So kind of runs up hill going down the fence and all three of them are great fence horses but pretty much all different.”
Crafton explained that she loves the challenge of riding multiple different horses at each show. She also wanted to thank the NRCHA for a great show and God for blessing her with so many great horses.
Non Pro Hackamore Reserve World ChampionMyles Brown rode OverTheLegalLimitRAB, bred and owned by Rob Brown, to the Reserve Championship with a composite of 436. Brown and the gelding marked a 217 in the rein work and a 219 in the cow work to take home a check for $3,618.
Myles Brown and OverTheLegalLimitRAB * Photo by Amy Olson