Growing up on a farm, Kirkland Gruber's special time came every weekend.

On Sunday afternoons after church, he'd hop on his horse and ride along the countryside, through the woods. Usually, he'd meet up with some friends on their mounts.

"We just loved horses, but we weren't able to go do any competition," he said. "We may have had some racing down a dirt road on a Sunday afternoon. We just did it for fun."

Gruber's still riding in the dirt, and now he's competing indoors at an event close to his home in St. George, S.C., about two hours from Augusta.

"This is my show," Gruber said. "If you do good here, all your friends are here to see it. Everything's always so nice. That's why we like it here so much."

Gruber will have another chance to impress his friends today. Atop KG Imyahuckleberry, Gruber marked 213.5 on Thursday in the first go-round of the Futurity Non-Pro competition at James Brown Arena.

The top 38 horses with scores of 209 or better advanced to today's second go, which begins at 9 a.m. The finals will be held Saturday night.

Kelle Earnheart and Smooth An Boon won the go-round with a score of 217.5. Arthur Noble and ARC Kitty Kitty Bang Bang finished second at 216.5, while Brad Wilson and Rose Colored Cat placed third (216).

Gruber advanced the lone horse he has in the event. He has eight horses back at his place, including another he thought about entering in this competition. Trainer Zeke Entz told him KG Imyahuckleberry was progressing faster than Stylish Playdate.

"I don't know which one will be the better of the two," Gruber said. "(Entz) thought this one would be better this week. And I only wanted to show just one."

Gruber, who's married with four adult children, got involved in cutting horses in 1988 when a friend put him on one. A few months later, he attended the Augusta Futurity.

"We've been hooked on it ever since," said Gruber, who won the 1994 Amateur For 4-year-olds.

For 32 years, Gruber's been working in the logging business. He said he has little time to travel throughout the country and show cutting horses. He doesn't ride at home, and he keeps his competition horses with Entz.

"I want to get back into riding," he said. "When we got involved with it years ago, we rode years ago with friends. But as time went on, I just got busy."

TODAY AT THE FUTURITY

The second go-round of the Futurity Non-Pro will begin at 9 a.m.

At 7 p.m., the inaugural Champions Challenge Open competition will be held. The event, which will feature past Open champions, will be a one-round final. The Non-Pro portion will follow.

From the Friday, January 30, 2009 edition of the Augusta Chronicle

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