Cutting is a relaxing outlet when lawyer takes a break

If Julie Beasley had her way, To Kill A Mockingbird would be required reading for Alabama lawyers.

"It should be," she said. "I love that book. I love the play, the movie."

A Montgomery, Ala., cutter, Beasley wrote her own script Saturday morning. Aboard Thee One, she marked 215 to win the $100,000 Amateur 4-Year-Old go-round at James Brown Arena.

Seth Holcombe and Sonitas Kit marked 214 to place second, while Vick Ethridge and Pepto Hickory Doc finished third (213). The top five horses with scores of 208 or better advanced to today's finals, which will be held this afternoon after the completion of the Classic Open first go.

"I'm thankful my dad let me off work yesterday to come show," Beasley said. "He usually knows where I am, and he loves my horses. As long as I get my job done, I'm OK to go out of town."

A lawyer for the Beasley Allen law firm, Beasley is currently handling 65 cases. She said showing cutting horses helps provide an escape from her job.

"It's therapy," she said. "It's just a great stress reliever."

Beasley rode horses as a child, but nothing serious. In 1999, she saw some horses as she drove by a local arena, renewing her childhood interest. Soon after, she went to buy a cutting horse and fell off the first horse she sat on.

"I didn't have a clue what cutting was," she said. "I'm slowly learning."

With work, she has little time to practice. But when her trainer, Sam Shepard, moved a few years ago from the Gulf Coast to within 35 minutes of her house, she found more opportunities to hone her cutting skills.

In 2009, she showed cutting horses two to three times a month at weekend events. She also attended a handful of major shows with limited age competitions.

"Last year, it helped me to get into more of a routine," she said. "There's just so much to think about. When you only show once a month, it's hard to get into a rhythm."

Before she shows her horse, Beasley usually receives advice from Troy Sachtleben, who works with Shepard.

"He always tells me a joke," she said. "He always tells me to breathe. He helps me to relax."

Beasley bought Thee One, a mare by Hes A Peptospoonful out of Cat N Tune, as a 2-year-old from trainer Allen Crouch. She renamed the horse to Thee One after Crouch told her he receives calls every year where someone believes they have the best horse.

Beasley said she purchased the horse because she had several outstanding qualities.

"She's really just smart on a cow," Beasley said. "She's a little, petite girl."

Reach Chris Gay at (706) 823-3645 or chris.gay@augustachronicle.com.

From the Saturday, January 24, 2010 edition of the Augusta Chronicle