Kaitlyn Larsen, Laredo Montana Earn Second Non-Pro World Series Win

Kaitlyn Larsen, 23, Millsap, Texas, and Constance Jaeggi, 22, Weatherford, Texas, finished as Champion and Reserve Champions during a Mercuria/NCHA Non-Pro World Series of Cutting finals Friday in Columbus, Ohio.

Competing against a field that included seven-time and three-time National Cutting Horse Association World Champions, the daughter of NCHA Non-Pro Hall of Fame Rider Billy Martin won her second Non-Pro World Series title this year. She won with a 223 aboard Laredo Montana (Light N Lena x Little Memory Maker x Peppy San Badger), a 7-year-old gelding bred and owned by her dad.

As a 4-year-old in July of 2009, Laredo Montana carried Billy Martin, 69 at the time, to a Derby Non-Pro win at the NCHA Summer Spectacular cutting in Fort Worth, Texas. Kaitlyn Larsen’s go-to horse the past two years helped her earn $10,334 with Friday’s win, which took place at the site of the 2012 All American Quarter Horse Congress.

Kaitlyn narrowly missed last fall’s season-ending 2011 NCHA Non-Pro World Finals in Fort Worth, Texas. She’s a lock to make December’s 2012 event. Largely thanks to her Ohio win, plus a January Non-Pro World Series win at the Augusta Futurity in Augusta, Ga., both with Laredo Montana, she’ll head to Fort Worth ranked no lower than third heading into this year’s season-ending any-age show.

Larsen, already a career earner of more than $355,000 as a cutting rider, boosted her 2012 earnings in the NCHA Non-Pro any-age division to about $67,000 with Friday’s win.

Jaeggi finished as Friday’s Non-Pro Reserve Champion with a 220 aboard 2005 stallion Dual R Smokin. Her father, Geneva, Switzerland, businessman and cutter Daniel Jaeggi, owns Dual R Smokin (Dual Rey x Smokin Pepto x Peptoboonsmal). Dual R Smokin has earned nearly $200,000 during his standout career. He has competed well with both Jaeggis during many Non-Pro events, and with his trainer, Chubby Turner, Weatherford, Texas, during frequent Open competition.

Constance Jaeggi, ninth in the 2012 Non-Pro standings as she headed to Ohio, probably clinched a berth at December’s NCHA Non-Pro World Finals by adding $8,158 to her prior season earnings totaling $21,286.

Seven-time NCHA Non-Pro World Champion Mary Jo Milner, Southlake, Texas, and three-time Non-Pro World Champion Joe Howard Williamson, Archer, Texas, ended up tying for third-place at the Ohio event with a pair of final-round 215 scores.

Competing exclusively with her 7-year-old gelding Smooth Asa Zee this season, Milner headed to the show leading all Non-Pro any-age riders in earnings this year with $66,941, She added $4,879 to that total. Smooth Asa Zee (Smooth As A Cat x Zee Dually x Dual Pep), a horse Mary Jo’s husband, Jim, purchased for her late last year from Slate River Ranch, Weatherford, Texas, has carried her to all of those earnings at 66 shows this year. Smooth Asa Zee has earned about $340,000 so far during his continuing cutting career.

Williamson, ranked No. 8 in this year’s Non-Pro standings heading into mid-October, also gave his chances of making the season-ending Top 15 riders a big boost by tying for third. He marked a final-go 215 to pick up $4,979 aboard his go-to horse, 2005 gelding Woodys Bad Boy (Nitas Wood x Nimble Jazzy Lee x Jazzy Joe Lena).

The NCHA Non-Pro World Finals, including Open and Non-Pro divisions and events in eight other divisions, will take place Dec. 4-6 and Dec. 8 in Fort Worth, Texas.