|
For immediate release Oct. 17, 2011 Bergen, Davis Earn Results - With Tom Balding Bits & Spurs Duo place first, third at 2011 Snaffle Bit Futurity Reno, Nev. - Todd Bergen claimed his second Open championship and a $100,000 prize at the National Reined Cowhorse Association Futurity, ended Oct. 2, 2011. The rider piloted Shiners Dun Juan to victory with a 657.5-point score in an event that tests the versatility of both trainer and horse in cutting, reining, and cow work.
Bergen came off the injured list to ride for the title. Just days before the competition, he suffered a concussion and cervical sprain that kept him off horses until the event got underway. Despite lingering pain, Bergen rallied to an exceptional performance on Shiners Dun Juan, owned by Janiejill Tointon. Sharing the podium were Boyd Rice, who took reserve honors on Moonstruck Pepto, and 2009 winner Snaffle Bit Futurity winner Zane Davis, who finished third in the field of 25 Open finalists. Davis, a relative newcomer, and Bergen, a veteran with more than $1 million in NRCHA earnings, share the distinction of both being from Montana (though Bergen now calls Medford, Ore., home, Davis lives in Whitehall, Mont.), and both train and ride using Tom Balding bits & spurs. Davis rode Stylishnfancy owned by Dallan and Codyann Jeppesen of Rexburg, Idaho, to third-place honors at the Futurity, the most prestigious event in the annual reined cowhorse calendar. He earned a composite score of 653.5, just half a point below reserve champ Boyd Rice. Davis and the horse's owners cashed a $58,000 check for the victory. We at Tom Balding congratulate Bergen, Davis and all the top trainers who use our products. Exceptional results take exceptional attention to detail - that's one reason why the winning champions in the equestrian world look to Tom Balding for the best, longest-lasting and most beautiful performance bits and spurs in the business. "Tom Balding is meticulous in his finish work and how he builds his bits and spurs...they hold up very well," said Bergen. "I don't care what business you are in, trying to constantly improve and see what works is important. Tom is constantly trying new things, always changing. His craftsmanship is second to none." For information on Tom Balding Bits & Spurs, contact Leigh Vineyard at 800-672-8459. |
