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Show | | | py, ALN reese eee a You may drop off any of Yes, ‘And it’s springtime. springtime Easter and annual brings of course the Easter egg hunt at the Heber City Park. _ The April hunt 14 at scheduled 11 for am. will include an Easter bunny who is available for photos. Children ages 2 to 10 are invited to participate in the hunt. The only materials _ needed are a basket or bag to stash the retrieved goodies in. Vickie Weyandt, organizer of the event, stresses -promptness. y ane S done and over within a valuable asset and volunteers are also needed to help at the event. Call the Chamber of Commerce by April 6 for information. Weyandt is quick to point out one such group that has given immeasurable towards this event. time | “A majority of the work was done by the Search and Rescue. Much of the success is due to them,” she said... Many members of the Search and Rescue will be on hand the day of the hunt. So go ahead, let the kids nected to a gentle snaffle bit and leads him into the arena. Once he’s facing off the mechanical Senti—who claims to have not known what a halter was prior to meeting Steve—is exercising Somebody’s Sprat Brat, an excitable, green horse with a lot of potential, in one end of the arena. She speaks admirably of Steve and his love of the sport. Moonstar, the Siamese barn cat, rolls in the dirt, impervious to the danger. Steve’s fierce competitive drive has mellowed - along with his horse sensibilities. The first few years of competition, the Urrys let the trainers do whatever they wished to get results—even if it meant using cruel methods to make the horses perform. Now, the Urrys consider themselves “cutters with a cause” and theyve found the kindness they demand in their trainers, including Heber’s Jim Hicks. Wanting solitude, they no longer have boarders or breeding operations. “In the beginning, trainers took us for a ride. We had too many horses—more than 30—and it was not fun anymore. We went to every show, every weekend,” Steve said. “Now, we spend a indulge. Let them eat that lot of time learning. When we were competing hollow chocolate bunny, that heavily we were being pilots but not knowing mysterious marshmallow— what was going on with the horse. Now it is peep. Watch them fall in their about what I can do for them, not what they can new Easter outfits on the wet - do for me.” grass. Remember springtime — The sport of eiine is growing at a bor when you were a kid? wg t neck speed, inflamed by involvement by it great? es celebrities such as Joe Montana and Christie Brinkley. It combines the finesse of reining, the horse mirrors the cow’s movement. Although cutting originated on working ranches, the sport has grown into a billion-dol- lar sport. NCHA shows-award nearly $20million annually. In 1952, the World Championship awarded $8,000. Last year’s champion, Bet Yer Blue Boons, won $85,000. _ “It’s expensive,” Urry said. “When you start seeing lifestyles of the rich and famous showing cutting horses, it’s tough for good ole country boys like us.” While the Urrys aes only have three horses i in full-time training, all their horses have valuable bloodlines, and the family is focused on breeding for a champion and heating up the competition schedule. They travel mostly to shows in the mountain states, although California, Nevada and Texas hold top dollar competitions. Steve and Senti plan to compete on five horses. Steve has big plans for Playboy, including the World Championships. But he won't forgo his values for vanity. “We are a bit unorthodox in that the horse is number one and the competition is number two,” Steve said. “As competitive as I am, I need to make it work. But if I can’t make it to the World Championships with the position that the horse is number one, I'll be done.” “Could he win? That’s the luck of the draw,” Steve said, rubbing a knee, which was kicked and subsequently was blown. “There are a lot of variables that don’t exist in any other equine events. You could have the best training and the best horse, and one nasty cow and it's all over. That’s cutting.” a email: kirsten@wasatchcountycourier.com ) way. renowned Doc line, and has $30,000 National Cutting Horse Association (NCHA) wins under his, er, girth. His worth exceeds most homes. Steve mounts Playboy, grabs the reins con- i washed his car in the drive- _ is part of the ty. The horse must do more than perform—he must be smart. In cutting, the horse and rider work together to separate a cow from the herd without disturbance or getting too close. The rider must loosen his hold on the reins and allow the horse to maneuver without aid. Instinctively, a good Lt already horse movement. of Commerce by April 12: Time, of course, is always has athlete. The local gift certificates, or cash. warmer, neighbor he’s an cow, the quiet gelding comes alive, lightning fast turns on haunches mirroring the cow’s these items to the Chamber your prais- ing of the gelding’s championship wins. Playboy doesn’t look like a halter horse, but community, the Chamber of Commerce has called for volunteers: to help supply the plastic eggs, wrapped candy, the soil, the air is getting perhaps calmly Nai? beginning to poke through Forse: fi are Quarter “ crocus sorrel Po. hunt is free of charge to the again. The B41. ee minutes,” she says. _ Although the Easter egg of year centration and keen sense of the cow’s mentali- stands in his stall, unaffected by Steve’s -~ ‘t's that time 360-degree spins and sliding stops, with a con- FROM nine-year-old 28, 2001 LN WME Meee cap? 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