In the news . . .
Augusta Futurity Mercuria World Series champions
Dont Look Twice, 2011 NCHA Horse of the Year, posted an Augusta Futurity record of 231 points, as she captured the Mercuria World Series championship with Phil Rapp, the winning-est rider in Augusta history.
George C Merada, shown by John Wold for Furst Ranch, scored 225 points for the title of reserve champion of the Augusta Mercuria World Series.
Kaitlyn Larsen, 22, had an angel on her shoulder as she scored 224 points on Laredo Montana for her first major championship win in the Mercuria NCHA World Series Non-Pro finals at Augusta.
Mary Jo Milner and Smooth As A Zee scored 222 points to claim the Non-Pro reserve title.
Zack T. Wood Jr. statue
A life-size bronze of former NCHA Executive Director Zack Wood, one of the great leaders who helped to make our organization what it is today, found its home in the NCHA office in Fort Worth, TX.
The bronze, sculpted by Kelly Graham and originally unveiled at the 2011 NCHA Futurity, will welcome visitors to the NCHA office. Next time you are in Fort Worth, be sure to come by and say hello to Mr. Zack.
You will find the names of all of the donors, who helped the NCHA Foundation make this project possible, around the base of the statue. Learn more at nchafoundation.org and make a donation today.
Enter the NCHA Eastern National Championships now
February 9 is the deadline for entering the 2011 NCHA Eastern National Championships to be held in Jackson, Mississippi March 5-17.
For the 2011 National Championships, cutters must only have paid an entry fee and ridden to the herd at least once in a class during the 2011 point year in order to be eligible to enter that class at the National Championships.
The show features $20,000 in added money in each of 10 classes, reasonable entry fees, special activities, the ever-popular junior and senior youth classes and youth team cutting and much more, so get your entries in by the February 9 deadline to make sure you're in the draw. Download the entry form here.
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This episode features the turnout from phase one of the NYCHA Stallion Auction and congratulations to Katy Keenie for winning the voting section of Bob Kingsley's Country Top 40 Future Star contest. |
Get the latest news on nchatv.com Watch the week's top stories in the time it takes to show your horse on 2:30, the NCHA News show. This video, and an entire library of cutting horse action, can be found at nchatv.com |
NCHA Futurity 50 has big economic impact
The 50th NCHA Futurity, conducted at the Will Rogers Memorial Center in Fort Worth on November 21-December 10, had a record-breaking impact on the North Texas economy, according to an independent study by Grotta Marketing Research.
Participants and spectators at the show in Fort Worth, Texas spent more than $22 million during the event, a 68% increase over the previous year. The money NCHA will be eligible to receive through the Texas Major Events Trust Fund will increase a similar amount, to an estimated $1.4 million.
Special events like the Neiman Marcus Futurity Champions Cup and a major marketing campaign promoting the Futurity’s 50th edition contributed to the big numbers.
“Futurity 50 proved once again that cutting continues to be the world’s most exciting horse sport,” said Jeff Hooper, executive director of the National Cutting Horse Association. “The economic impact for the state of Texas through the participants and fans at Futurity 50 will have direct benefits for future shows through the Texas Major Events Fund.” Read more . . .
Grace Ranch to sponsor Youth World Finals
The National Cutting Horse Association welcomed Grace Ranch as its newest corporate sponsor on January 1. Grace Ranch will be the title sponsor of the new NCHA Youth World Finals in 2012 and 2013, and will host a Cajun Cutters Party at the XTO Energy NCHA Super Stakes.
Chris and Staci Thibodeaux's Grace Ranch of Jennings, Louisiana, is the home of 2007 NCHA Futurity champion and 2008 NCHA Horse of the Year High Brow CD (pictured). Ridden by Austin Shepard, High Brow CD made a dramatic return to competition in November when he marked a 230 in the NCHA Futurity Champions Cup.
"The National Cutting Horse Association is proud to work with Grace Ranch to promote cutting," said NCHA Executive Director Jeff Hooper. "Chris and Staci Thibodeaux have offered generous support for the new Youth World Finals format and other family-oriented activities." Read more . . .
The National Cutting Horse Association's medication rules and guidelines have been adopted to protect and prolong the health and welfare of the great horses exhibited in the cutting events. The NCHA believes that the safety of horses is a priority issue. To help promote horse safety, the organization will conduct random testing for medication and drugs at the 2012 NCHA-produced Triple Crown events.
To find out more, see:
The January issue of Cutting Horse Chatter is online, featuring coverage of the 50th NCHA Futurity, the Neiman Marcus Futurity Champions Cup, the 2011 Mercuria NCHA World Finals, and much more.
As always, the online edition of The Chatter is presented by Waco Bend Ranch.
2012 NCHA World Finals slated for 10 classes
Beginning with the 2012 point year, a World Finals for 10 NCHA-approved classes will be held in conjunction with the NCHA World Championship Futurity at the Will Rogers Memorial Center in Fort Worth. Additionally, the two NCHA Youth classes (Junior and Senior) will have their own World Finals to be held each year in Fort Worth during the NCHA Summer Spectacular.
The Open and Non Pro classes will continue to have their World Finals in the existing format, with four working go rounds plus a non working finals. Each of those divisions will have $100,000 in added money, with a $3,000 entry fee.
The new World Finals for the other eight NCHA approved classes will be held for the Top 15 in each class (only inviting the Top 15 at the end of the point year, not "dropping down" to offer a chance to compete to those who did not finish in the top 15 during the point year). The World Finals for these eight classes will consist of two go-rounds (to be held in the Watt Arena) plus a non-working finals. Read More...
San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo
The San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo will be the second stop in the 2012 Mercuria NCHA World Series of Cutting.
- February 10 – 11 (Fri – Sat): San Antonio, TX (with San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo) Entry Form.
- February 24 – 25 (Fri – Sat): Houston, TX (with Houston Stock Show & Rodeo) Entry Form.
The Mercuria NCHA World Series of Cutting offers an international calendar of shows for horses of any age competing for $50,000 in added money at each stop. The Open and Non-Pro divisions both offer $25,000-added purses. See the tentative Mercuria NCHA World Series calendar for 2012 here.
Reno to host Western Nationals
The National Cutting Horse Association has announced that one of the organization’s premier events, the NCHA Western National Championships, will be held in Reno, Nevada in 2012. Dates for the show are April 28 – May 8, 2012.
The Western National Championships feature each of the 12 NCHA-approved weekend show classes, and offers a total of $200,000 in added money. The Western Championships typically bring approximately 1,000 entries, with participants coming from the entire Western and Central United States and Canada. The show was previously conducted in Ogden, Utah and is moving for the first time since its inception in 1995. Read more . . .
A day to remember
If you weren’t there, buy the DVD. If you were there, you’ve probably already placed your order to savor the moments in the Neiman Marcus NCHA Futurity Champions Cup, on Saturday, November 26, including:
All-time winning Futurity champion Buster Welch, 83, scoring 221 points, as the last rider to the herd on 2011 NCHA World champion Bet Hesa Cat.
Spencer Harden, 82, saddled with Parkinson’s disease, but cutting like the champion he is, with an open Futurity championship and three non-pro Futurity championships.
Dennis Funderburgh, 77, co-champion of the 1964 Futurity, acing the senior division with 223 points on Peppys Shorty Nino. Read more . . .
Order the Neiman Marcus NCHA Futurity Champions' Cup DVD now.
DVD will be available December 9.
Visit NCHA on Facebook
The National Cutting Horse Association is now on Facebook the world's fastest growing social networking website. You can sign up for free to keep up with the very latest news in the world of cutting. Follow this link.
