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Youth HOF: Mattie Dukes

Jul 19, 2020, 16:57 PM by National Youth Cutting Horse Association

Mattie Dukes is inducted to the Youth Hall of Fame

Mattie Dukes is inducted into the Youth Hall of Fame

Mattie Dukes is the daughter of Kevin and Melissa Dukes of Weatherford, Texas. She was born in Scottsdale, Arizona, but has spent most of her life in Weatherford. She graduated salutatorian in her class from Grace Christian Academy and is attending Texas Christian University studying a degree in communications with a minor in psychology.

Mattie comes from a long line of horseman… both parents have world championship titles in multiple events. Mattie started out riding the AQHA all around horses and had success early on winning her first world championship at the age of seven, with an old palomino gelding named Doc’s Answered Prayer. She went on to show quite a few other horses to top titles until she was introduced to the cutting at age ten by Lindy Burch. Since then it’s been a whirlwind roller coaster ride. Her first cutting horse was a seventeen year old brood mare out of the pasture named CS Twisted Suzy, in which she made the scholarship finals on in 2013. Her second horse was another brood mare out of the pasture who had never been shown. Her name was Reys Play… better known as Erma. Erma came out of no where and at the ripe old age of twelve started her cutting career. Mattie just missed the world finals by one point that year but did win the Dixie National out of 40 horses.

Her next horse, One Time Player, came from Craig and Sasha Thompson. The team made the NCHA Top 15 three years in a row, Scholarship finals in 2017, were AQHA high point winners in 2016, won the youth and the $25,000 novice non-pro at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, and were AQHA world and reserve world champions. Mattie says that “Player is her once in a lifetime horse.” Her most recent horse, Sho Nuff Hot, also came from Craig and Sasha Thompson. Mattie and ‘Houdini’ in just one year and only a hand full of shows made the NCHA top 15, were top five at the AQHA youth world, won the youth at the Waco West Texas Futurity, and won the Greg and Whitney Welch Scholarship cutting.

Mattie not only has been involved in the arena, but also in leadership. She became an area director at thirteen where she served for three years. She then became the NYCHA Vice president and President for the last two years.

Mattie says, “she never imagined that first day she went to Lindy’s that she would ever end up where she is today!” She feels so blessed to have been able to have the life she has had with her family and horses and especially cutting horses. The experiences, the friends, and memories will be a part of everything she does going forward. Being inducted into the Hall of Fame in such an honor and truly a dream that she has always had.

To close, Mattie would like to thank her whole family… her mom and dad, brother- Clay, her grandparents and Sharon Beach who have been all across the country to shows with her and have been her biggest fans the whole time. She also wants to thank all of her help though the years, Lindy Burch, Craig and Sasha Thompson, Johnny Mitchell, Kory Pounds, Tom Dvorak, Sam Rose, Todd Crawford, Joe Howard Williamson and all the many others who have sat in her corners over the years. Mattie wants to especially thank her Lord and Savior for allowing it all to be possible.

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