They came, they conquered, and they were warriors.
The following Day 1 of the NSBA Riders Cup classes on Tuesday in conjunction with the 2020 Arizona Sun Circuit AQHA show, the NSBA Foundation hosted the Cowboy Ninja Warrior Crisis Fun Fundraiser in Wendell Arena.
Seven intrepid teams tackled a series of obstacles designed to test their agility and stamina in a timed event, while raising money for the Crisis Fund through an auction to the highest bidder. The course included a block jump, hay bale carry, ring swing, sand bag carry, tire run, balance beam and crawl before a sprint to the finish.
In the end, Whats The Pattern team from Arizona, which included Kaitlin Bowen, team captain, and members Nicole Herr, Steve Rishman, and John Anderson were named the champions of the contest. They had a composite time of 299.34 with Nicole Herr earning the fastest women’s time of 60.09 seconds. The team also saw Steve Rishman with an 87.12 time, Jon Anderson with 70.33, and Kaitlin Bowan with 81.80.
Earning the award for fastest male in the contest was Micah Hanson, who smoked the course in 47.99 seconds for Hinely’s Hercules team. Madison Summers, who was on the Team G team from Oklahoma, earned the True Grit award.
The event also saw a head-to-head exhibition competition between trainers Kelly McDowall and Gil Galyean on a modified course.
The Cowboy Ninja Warrior contest raised $22,600 with $13,560 for the NSBA Crisis Fund. Susan Knapp purchased the winning team, earning a check for $9,040.
The NSBA Riders Cup continues on Wednesday with Trail, Horsemanship, Equitation, Western Pleasure and Hunter Under Saddle classes.
