With her competitive edge, a local equestrian is riding high on the cutting horse circuit.

It’s been almost a decade since Augusta resident Jan Burch started competing in National Cutting Horse Association shows, and nothing can rein in her love of the sport.

“All I do is grin,” says Jan. “Everybody else is so serious, but I feel like I’m on a fair ride.”

In fact, at her first-ever event in 2014, she had so much fun that she had to share it after she completed her run.

“You’re not supposed to talk to the judges, but I turned to them and said, ‘Well, I had a good time. I have to go now,’” says Jan.

She hasn’t stopped grinning – or winning – ever since.

This year, for instance, she has competed in only a handful of events, but she is in the running to finish in the Top 10 of the Senior World Tour 35,000 Non-professional division. (Non-pros must own their horse and cannot receive remuneration for training cutting horses. The 35,000 figure indicates the competitors have won less than $35,000 in their careers).

Jan not only enjoys the success she has had in competition, however. She also likes meeting people at various cutting events around the country, and she is in good company as one of a number of local NCHA competitors. Others include Jeff Fehrman, president of the Area 18 Cutting Horse Association, and Mark Senn, NCHA president-elect.

‘Show Me What You Got’

For the uninitiated, cutting is a judged event in which a Western horse-and-rider pair work together to cut a cow from a herd, drive it to the center of the arena and keep it from returning to the herd.

The events consist of individual runs, which last 2 1/2 minutes. The number of competitors might range from three to 50, and 2.5 cows per rider are placed in the pen. For example, 25 cows would be in the pen for a competition with 10 people.

Riders are encouraged to cut three cows from the herd during their run, and, from a base score of 70, points are awarded or deducted based on performance.

“When you are in a competition, you have to let the horses know you’re there for them because they’re very smart,” Jan says. “You can’t put them in harm’s way.”

Currently, Jan has four cutting horses – Smokey 2, Snoopin’ Kat, I’m Struck on You and Light ‘Em Upp. However, she got her first one, Dual Badge, in 2014 when she bought the horse as an investment with a friend.

She then called horse trainer Eddie Braxton of Edgefield, South Carolina, and told him that she wanted to ride in the Augusta Futurity. She said, “I have never ridden a cutting horse, but I own one.”

He told her to come see him the next day and “show me what you got.” Proving to be a natural, she cut three cows.

Jan’s love for horses began at age 3 when she got a Shetland pony and started riding bareback because she was “too lazy to put the saddle on the horse.”

“I have always enjoyed trail riding by myself because it’s quiet. It’s good for the soul,” she says. “I had ridden my whole life, but I had never competed.”

She quickly discovered, however, that “I have a competitive edge in me.”

Her first cutting horse event, where she rode Dual Badge, was the World Congress Futurity in Ohio in the fall of 2014. This event was supposed to be a trial run for the Augusta Futurity, where Jan had planned to compete the following January.

Although a family illness kept her from entering the show, she generally competes in the Augusta Futurity, now held at the Georgia National Fairgrounds in Perry, annually.

Events are held nationwide throughout the year, and the NCHA Triple Crown in Fort Worth, Texas includes the Super Stakes in March and April, the Summer Spectacular in July and August, and the World Championship Futurity in November and December.

Jan began competing in cutting horse events with more regularity during the pandemic in 2020 when she got Smokey 2.

“During covid, he really gave us something to look forward to,” says Jan. “He’s a special horse.”

She has not competed as frequently this year as she did the past several years, but 2021 and 2022 were highly successful for her. In 2021 she finished in the Top 15 in the World Standings in the 15,000 Amateur division. (Amateurs must have lifetime earnings of less than $50,000 in cutting horse competition. In addition, these contestants may not work on a horse training facility or be married to a professional trainer.)

In the 2022 Senior World Tour, she finished sixth in the 15,000 Amateur and 10th in the 35,000 Non-pro division.

Jan takes all of her cutting horses to the events, and Braxton tells her which one to ride.

“Every cutting horse is different,” she says. “I have to do a mental checklist about the horse I’m on because all of the horses have certain tendencies.”

Commitment, Competition and Care

To be a successful cutting horse competitor, Jan says riders need to have a love of the sport and total commitment.

“You need a really nice horse and a good trainer,” she says. “You need to have good balance, and you need to be able to listen.”

She says cutting horses need good training and breeding. Before each run, riders also have to “lope,” or calm down, their horses by cantering, trotting or walking them in a ring.

“You have to get them tired because they get excited when they’re around the cows,” Jan says.

However, she never wants to tire out her horses too much. “I like mine a little fresh because I like a fast ride,” she says.

She also enjoys having the opportunity to compete.

“When you do well, you want to do it again. If you do badly, then you want to go out again and prove yourself,” Jan says.

To build a good relationship with their horses, she says riders need to “love them, care for them and groom them.”

Mainly, though, she just enjoys spending time with her equine companions, which include pleasure horses that she keeps at her barn in Trenton, South Carolina.

“I love horses,” Jan says. “I love to rub their noses. They feel like velvet.”

By Betsy Gilliland

With amenities ranging from a private fishing hole to a hidden billiards table, this Evans home is an indoor-outdoor haven.

When Evans resident William Cleveland decided to downsize his living accommodations, he knew the perfect place to build a smaller home. In fact, he could see it every day.

For 43 years he lived in a house on 30 acres of former farmland with a pond, and that small body of water played a large role in his decision-making process.

“I always thought a house would look good on the other side of the pond,” William says. “When I found out I could build it there, that was all I needed to know.”

He broke out 5 to 6 acres to build a new home and sold the remaining acreage to his daughter and son-in-law, who have a barn and an animal rescue farm on the property.

After he had made the first crucial decision about the location of his new house, he soon discovered that he had to make lots of choices during the construction process.

“When I first started building the house, I thought I could do it myself. But I quickly realized I couldn’t make all of the decisions,” says William.

His builder put him in touch with Amanda Pierce of Birdsong Design Co., and she came up with a “man’s dream house” design for the modern farmhouse where he has lived since May 2022.

Less is More

Setting the tone for the house, the front porch features cedar beams, copper lanterns, a tongue and groove ceiling and a salted concrete floor.

With dark paint on the board and batten exterior, along with lots of black, white, gray and beige tones inside, the house has a masculine feel without being overpowering.

The house also was designed with a clean and classic, peaceful and timeless look that won’t show its age.

“Having less is better,” William says.

White oak flooring runs through the first story, and William is partial to other features in the house as well.

“I love the six-paneled doors,” he says. “I like the straight lines on the doors and cabinet trim and the 45-degree angles.”

The interior color is established in the foyer, which includes a black and white rug, a black light fixture, black double doors and a gray upholstered bench. An olive tree in a basket planter is tucked in the corner.

In the living room, the white cathedral ceiling with white scissor trestles gives the space an open, airy ambiance. During the 15-month construction of the house, they tweaked the house plans to add these trestles to the ceiling.

The room also features wood shelving with black glass-front doors, a stone fireplace with a raised hearth and a wood mantel, wall sconces above a built-in cabinet and a black ceiling fan.

Furnishings include a black and beige rug, a round black metal table, two leather chairs and a couch.

With four removable tabletop pieces, the trestle table in the dining area doubles as a billiards table.

“I hadn’t played pool since college, but now I knock the balls around at night,” William says. “I use it as a pool table more than a dining table.”

A black and brass chandelier hangs above the table, where black metal chairs line each side and an upholstered chair sits at either end. Black sliding glass doors lead to the covered back porch, which overlooks the pond.

“I love all of the glass on the back of the house,” says Cleveland. “It opens up the whole house. Wherever you walk, you feel like you’re outside.”

Two wood beams in the ceiling highlight the adjoining kitchen, where the dark green island looks green, black or bule depending on how the light hits it.

Four chairs are tucked under the island, which also features two copper pendant lights overhead and a hammered copper sink. With their imperfect edges, Riad tiles on the backsplash have a handmade look.

The kitchen also includes white cabinetry with black hardware, lots of drawer space, recessed lighting and quartz countertops in a soapstone color.

Adding to the charm of the home, the kitchen and sitting room door frames are made of wood that came from an Ohio barn that was more than 100 years old. Highlighting the craftsmanship, the woodworker filled the holes in the lumber with wood plugs.

A glass door from the kitchen leads to the grilling porch, which was another addition to the original house plans. Along with the grill, the space includes deck flooring, a black wall sconce and a birdhouse.

Sunlight and Solitude

Sunlight streams through the large glass windows on two walls of the sitting room, which includes a couch and two chairs upholstered in beige fabric, a pair of soft ottomans and two glass-topped tables.

For a bit of solitude at the end of the day, William also can retreat to the master bedroom. The space features a black metal canopy bed with a linen headboard, propeller ceiling fan and white window treatments on black curtain rods. A lamp with a blue-green base sits atop each of the black bedside tables, and a chair and black floor lamp are nestled in the corner of the room.

In the master bath, the black hexagon tile flooring extends into the gridded glass shower. The shower also features matte black fixtures, a black granite shower bench and white subway tile on the walls. Two vanities, black granite countertops, black vessel sinks and wood cabinets accent the bath as well.

However, William’s favorite place to relax and unwind is the covered back porch that overlooks the pond.

This outdoor retreat features exposed beams in the ceiling, three ceiling fans, cedar columns between black wrought iron railings that matches the railing on the front staircase inside, deck flooring with the same cedar stain as the grilling porch and a birdhouse.

Adding to the ambiance, the soothing sound of wind chimes announces the presence of a gentle breeze on the back porch. Large green plants tie into the natural surroundings as well.

A black and white rug offers a finishing touch to the sitting area where plush cream-colored cushions serve as an invitation to settle on the four teak chairs and loveseat. Another rug lies beneath a round glass-topped table surrounded by four metal chairs with armrests.

“I sit on the back porch most of the day,” William says. “I like the jungle look. I see a lot of wildlife.”

With a large swatch of wetlands on his property between his house and the Savannah River, he can enjoy the company of herons, egrets, deer and wild hogs. Egrets have been known to perch on the porch railing for 30 minutes at a time.

From the back porch, William also can watch the sun set or take in the view of the trees and pastures on the other side of the fish-filled pond.

While the bass and brim “take care of themselves,” he restocks the water with catfish every 10 years. Last fall, he added 250 catfish to the pond.

“I used to like to fish,” William says. “Now I enjoy feeding the fish.”

By Betsy Gilliland

• 1 1/2 pounds ground beef
• 2 teaspoons steak seasoning blend
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 5 ounces portobello mushrooms
• 4 Swiss cheese slices
• 4 hamburger buns
• 4 lettuce leaves
• 4 tomatoes slices
• Jalapeño Aioli:
• 2 jalapeño peppers
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon fresh lime juice

Combine ground beef and steak seasoning in large bowl, mixing lightly but thoroughly. Lightly shape into four patties; set aside. Heat sauté pan over medium until hot. Add olive oil and mushrooms and cook 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and set aside.

Heat grill to medium. Add jalapeño peppers and grill 5-6 minutes. Remove and let cool. Once cool, remove stem and seeds and dice into 1/4-inch cubes. Place in a medium bowl and add mayo, salt and lime juice. Combine thoroughly; set aside.

Place burgers on grill and cook, covered, over medium heat 7-10 or until thermometer registers 160 degrees, turning occasionally. Do not press on burgers. During last minute of grilling, top each burger with cheese slice. Remove to platter to rest, and place buns, cut sides down, on grill. Grill about 2 minutes or until lightly toasted. Place burgers on bottom buns and top with mushrooms, tomato and lettuce. Spread top buns with aioli and add to burgers. Serve with extra aioli, if desired. Makes 4 burgers.

Recipe courtesy of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association