You are here:

NCHA News

About

Produced Events

Local Shows and Events

Membership

Judges

Youth

NCHA ANNOUNCES MODINE SMITH AWARD WINNERS

Nov 27, 2023, 12:30 PM by National Cutting Horse Association

Winners of the Modine Smith Humanitarian Award, Heather Todd and Charlie Israel.

FORT WORTH – The National Cutting Horse Association is excited to announce the winners of the Modine Smith Humanitarian Award, Heather Todd and Charlie Israel. The Modine Smith Award was established in 2012 to honor those who carry on the legacy and characteristics of Modine Smith, a long-time member of the NCHA.

Heather Todd joined the NCHA in 2018 and grew up loving horses and wanting to be involved with them in any way possible. Although her family was not involved with horses, Todd found a way to be around them and purchased her first horse as soon as she was old enough to drive and had saved up the money. “Around the early 2000’s I was involved in cutting just a little bit…then in 2019 got back into cutting and have been knee-deep ever since,” said Todd. Todd and her husband are mainly weekend haulers but have also had a few futurity horses. “I have always loved everything about the organization [NCHA] as a whole. I love the hauling mentality; putting 10 months of your life into something and seeing it come to fruition is really cool,” explained Todd.

A member of the NCHA since 2016, Charlie Israel is 71 and still enjoys showing. A lifelong cowboy and horse enthusiast, Israel grew up traveling to his grandfather's farm as a child to be around his cattle and horses. “I subscribed to the Quarter Horse journal when I was about 9 or 10 and of course there were articles about Buster Welch and Matlock Rose cutting horses so naturally I went to the cuttings. It was really fascinating to me,” said Israel. Growing up, he worked and learned the sport of cuttings at various ranches. “Cutting can be pretty difficult, and you start to question your sanity on the weekends when it's really difficult and it takes people like Modine Smith to keep you going” explained Israel. “I try to be an encourager at anything I do in life.”

“The NCHA is honored to award Heather Todd and Charlie Israel with the 2023 Modine Smith Humanitarian Award,” said Jay Winborn, NCHA Executive Director. “It is people like these that encourage and promote the sport of cutting.”

To learn more about the National Cutting Horse Association, visit nchacutting.com.