Minden teen wins national competition

Monday, Dec. 27, 1999 | 9:28 a.m.

Carson High senior Stephanie Thiel and her quarter horse, Bonitas Telesis, won the amateur division of the association's World Futurity on Dec. 10 in Fort Worth, Texas.

The competition at the Will Rogers Memorial Center drew thousands of spectators. Thiel said one of the biggest obstacles in the competition was to stay calm.

"Once I went in and cut my first cow, I was OK," Thiel said.

The competition is open to 3-year-old cutting horses that have never been in competition. Thiel beat out 236 other competitors for the $20,000 in prize money and trophies.

The teen-ager, who has been competing mostly on the weekends for seven years, said the win came at just the right time. She was in a slump and not placing well in other weekend events throughout the year.

"I was getting discouraged," she admits.

She chalks up her success to her family, horse, luck and ability.

"There was a lot of good horses that could have beat me but (they) had bad luck," she said. "I didn't think I was going to win it."

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