Jamie Hays always had a love for horses, even as a young child. It all began in Jersey, a small town in Walton County where she grew up on a modest farm owned by her grandparents, Jimmy and Patty Hammond.
“We had horses, cows, dogs and cats, an occasional hog or two and a few chickens,” Hays said. “We only had grade horses that were picked up from the local sale barn. I had friends who mostly rode English. However, my love was for the Western way of riding.”
Hays did ride English on occasion, just to fit in with friends she enjoyed socializing with during the summer.
“I really began learning the art and skill of riding when I took a job one summer at a small horse farm in Covington,” she said. “Sandy and Jim Usher owned a farm off of Hwy. 142. I was about 13 years old. My grandmother would carry me early and drop me off, and I would do farm chores that included cleaning stalls, feeding and watering horses [and] helping tack up the horses. I received a small weekly paycheck, and the best part was I would receive a couple of riding lessons from Sandy each week.”
"Big things happen when you have a dream and you keep setting goals and continue to work hard to achieve those goals." — Jamie Hays
Usher was a barrel racer and an outstanding horseman. She trained her own horses and taught them how to move in sync with her legs and hands. Hays dreamed of one day having horses that were so well trained. It was an invaluable experience.
“She taught me a lot about riding and about horses, in general,” Hays said. “She would allow me to help her exercise a few of her great horses. As time went on, I continued to ride and try to improve and apply everything I had learned from Sandy. I was never interested in barrel racing. I just enjoyed riding.”
Hays was introduced to the sport of cutting at age 15 when her mother, Connie, married Roger Cato. He had cutting horses—quarter horses trained specifically for the sport. The cow-horse competition involves a cutter riding into a herd of cattle and separating one cow from the rest. The horse then becomes one with the rider and controls the cow from returning to the herd. Riders can only use their legs, with no visible cueing via the reins while the horse mirrors the movements of the cow. It is as if the horse and cow are dancing with each other. It is a judged event. Competitors have 2.5 minutes to separate at least two individuals from the herd and demonstrate control and correctness of working the cows.
“We would practice cutting every week at Ronnie Hodges Horse Farm,” Hays said. “I began showing my stepdad’s cutting horse in the youth division in 1991. I showed cutters from 1991–93, and then I went away to college to focus on furthering my education.”
Hays admits she always knew she would one day return to the sport. She graduated from the University of Georgia in 1997 and earned a Master of Medical Science degree from the Emory University School of Medicine in 2002. She then began a career as an anesthesiologist assistant at Newton Medical Center, now Piedmont Newton. Hays’ first major purchase after she entered the workforce was Toy Blaze, a cutting horse she bought from Reid Bruce of Norman Bruce Cutting Horses in Rutledge.
“I showed Blaze for many years, [starting] at the beginner level and climbing up through the ranks over the years,” she said. “Blaze is still with us, enjoying his life turned out to pasture at 29 years old. I have had several cutting horses over the years.”
Hays’ current horse is Twisted Metal, an own son—direct male child—of Metallic Cat, the stallion featured in the hit television series “Yellowstone.” He has been her main horse for the past five years.
“In 2025, we hauled for the Top 15 in [the National Cutting Horse Association],” Hays said. “This requires showing at NCHA-approved shows throughout the year, and standings are determined by the amount of prize money earned at each show. We made it in, which qualified us to show in November 2025 at the World Show that was held in Fort Worth, Texas. We are on track this year once again for the Top 15. Our goal is to show again at the World Show for 2026.”
Hays and Twisted Metal also accomplished a major milestone by qualifying for induction into the Non-Pro NCHA Hall of Fame.
“I will be formally inducted at the NCHA convention in 2027,” she said. “In 2025, I was awarded the Mary Kingsbury Amateur Sportsmanship Award during the NCHA Futurity in Fort Worth. This award is given each year to an amateur competitor who exemplifies the true spirit of sportsmanship, both in and out of the arena. I was honored to be nominated for this award by my fellow competitors from across the Southeast.” Hays remains deeply committed to the sport of cutting and loves to see new people discover it. “I am very involved with the Country Music Cutting Horse Association, an NCHA affiliate in Lebanon, Tennessee,” she said. “We strive to produce weekend cuttings that provide a fun and friendly atmosphere for all levels of competitors. Everyone has to start somewhere, and we hope [that] if they get the right start, they will continue in the sport for many years to come.”
When Hays reflects on her career, she focuses on the factors that led her to this point.
“Big things happen when you have a dream and you keep setting goals and continue to work hard to achieve those goals,” she said. “Just a small-town, country girl that grew up loving horses and had big dreams of being a true horseman one day. Here we are.”
Hays and her husband, Julius, own Triple J Farm on the east side of Newton County. She now works as an anesthesiologist assistant at Piedmont Henry in Stockbridge.
“We raise beef cattle and enjoy our horses,” Hays said. “My husband and daughter, Jessie, have both shown competitively over the years. My husband has recently retired, and our daughter is currently a family medicine resident at Northeast Georgia Medical Center in Gainesville. I’m sure once she begins her career she will be back in the show pen.”
