Norah Stone and Pretty Kat leave NCHA Eastern Nationals with Junior Youth Win

Following in her family’s footsteps, Norah Stone clinched the Junior Youth win at the National Cutting Horse Association (NCHA) Eastern Nationals presented by the Four Sixes Ranch Sunday, March 3, 2024 at the Ike Hamilton Exposition Center Arena in West Monroe, Louisiana on Pretty Kat (Kit Kat Sugar x Bets Pretty Sue x Bets CD). The duo scored seven points higher than the reserve champion team with a 221.

In the first go, they scored a 222. Coming into the finals fifth in the working order, Stone knew she had been preparing mentally for that moment. After getting the nerves out, the team went to work.

“Leading up to the show, I was kind of mentally preparing myself for how I was going to ride her. If there was anything she could do wrong, I wanted to be able to prevent it. Walking into the pen, I was thinking, ‘I need to cut clean and be smart.’ Sometimes, we can get a little bit overreactive, so I was making sure I kept calm,” Stone said. “My first cut went really well, and my first cow was awesome. After that cow, I was able to stop and take a breather, because my adrenaline was running. In my second cut, I was cutting my cow, and there was a cow that was in my way; so I had to figure out how to work around it. That cow was mostly working in the middle, so I just let her do her thing because she can do plenty on her own. Then, I quit that cow, cut my third cow and did the same thing.”

The eight year-old red roan mare bred by Kobie Wood and owned by Larry Cooper came back to Pilcher Performance Horses in 2023 after not getting along with a previous owner. Stone’s mother Olivia Pilcher and step-father Nick Pilcher have also found great success in the cutting horse industry, which is extremely beneficial to the 14-year-old cutter from Madison, Indiana.

“I have been showing cutting horses for a while, and my mom recently married Nick Pilcher, so I’ve ridden with him since I started. My mom also shows, so it’s nice to have both of them there to support me. When I get home from school, I go to the barn and work on things I need to work on, so I’ll be ready for a show,” Stone said. “Whenever I am showing, I can hear all of them cheering, and that’s the best feeling to have people supporting you.”

Stone appreciates the environment when competing at NCHA shows, especially in the youth classes; and this win is a boost of confidence moving forward in her career. Looking ahead, she hopes to finish in the top 15 in the Junior Youth division and work on her horsemanship to become a better rider.

“It is so cool seeing all the youth kids loping and getting their horses ready in these youth classes. It’s obviously competitive, but it’s not a mindset that’s competitive. It’s friendly, and we all cheer for each other,” Stone explained. “Going into it, I was kind of worried about how I was going to get along with this horse, and I wasn’t sure how I well I was going to do because I hadn’t shown in a little bit. This win kind of proves to me that if I put my mind to it, I can do it.”

Finishing second, Turner Pierce and Acrerey (Dual Rey x Bob Acre Molly x Bob Acre Doc) scored a 214, followed by Georgia Hoffman and Smart Bobby Rey (Dual Rey x Smart Bobbi Sock x Bob Acre Doc) with a 213.5.