Ione, CA (June 2, 2023): The PCCHA is excited, yet saddened, to announce the retirement of Phil Benadum Jr. after serving his fellow trainers, non-pros, and amateur cutters over the course of the past fourteen years. Phil, a Dave McGregor award winner, PCCHA Futurity and Derby Champion, was an active cutting horse trainer who grew up under the tutelage of two of the greatest performance horse trainers, Jack Adams and Bill Freeman. 

“It has been my honor to work with and serve my friends in the cutting horse world for the past decade.” Phil said. “We have seen huge changes in the industry over the years but one thing that I am proud of is the PCCHA Cutters are still breeding, raising, training and showing some of the best horses in the world at all levels.”

June 1st, 2023 was Phil’s first day of retirement but he knows the Association is in good hands going forward.

“Tami Rodman has been instrumental in the success of the PCCHA over the years.” Phil declared. “Without her and Debbie [McGregor] there is no way I would have been able to do my job as Executive Director. Tami is a great friend, a steward of the industry, and she is going to do a fabulous job as the interim ED of our Association.”

Tami Rodman comes from the rodeo side of the California horse world, namely team roping.

“We grew up team roping in California. This is kind of where it all started and I had no idea that I would end up working with the cutters.” Tami said with a smile. “My good friends, Cathy Cook and Barb Greer planted the seed that I’d be a good fit with the PCCHA and in April of 1996 I was hired. I’ve been here since then.”

The PCCHA was and is still the second largest cutting horse association next to the NCHA and was founded shortly after the inception of the National Cutting Horse Association.

“I have great memories of listening to Modine Smith’s stories when she was running the association out of her kitchen..” Rodman says. “She would share such great stories and even though I didn’t grow up a cutter, she instilled in me the passion for this sport and most of all the love for the people who show their horses in our association.”

Tami is a team roping competitor herself and loves the western way of life, the competition of cow versus horse, and the values that horsemen and women share. She has seen the evolution of western competitive sports across the board and recognizes the growth in other competitive disciplines and, also the high level of trainers, competitors, and horses that the west coast has produced over the years.

“Of course, we all know Texas is the primary hub for cutting right now, but it is great to also see that so many of the top trainers in the world grew up in the PCCHA. It is also nice that a few times each year, during the PCCHA Derby and Futurity, many of our old California friends come back and show. We get to tell great stories, share new ones, and those trainers and owners also bring their friends from out of state and that is what makes our big shows so successful.” Rodman added.

The PCCHA is in good hands, with a strong board of directors, great leadership, and an eye on the future. With the Reyzin The Cash Derby right around the corner, entries are already way up and Tami Rodman is excited to see what the rest of 2023 holds.

“Phil isn’t leaving us cold turkey.” Tami laughed. “He is retired, yes, but we talked him into a little contract labor during the RTC Derby. It is going to be a big one and entries in the four-year-olds is already way over last year’s numbers.”

With Rodman at the helm and the support of the board and her good friend, Phil, the PCCHA is poised to have a successful and strong showing in 2023. Although politics and fuel prices have done their best to push every horse and cattle raiser out of the state, the west coast Cutters have stayed extremely resilient and those that have left continue to come back to support the PCCHA shows with more horses each year. The state of the PCCHA is strong and collectively the PCCHA would like to welcome the new interim Executive Director, Tami Rodman.