e-Chatter January 5

National Cutting Horse Association
260 Bailey Ave. · Fort Worth, Texas 76107
01/05/2005
E-newsletter sponsored by Chevy Trucks

Welcome to the National Cutting Horse Association's E-Chatter newsletter. We'll be bringing the latest NCHA news direct to your inbox every other week.

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Get Ready for the NCHA World Finals
The draw for the 2004 NCHA World Finals will be held January 12, with working orders posted on the internet. The show will be held in Amarillo, Texas, February 10-20, 2005.

Here's a list of recommended hotels in Amarillo.

Special jackets for all World Finals contestants will be provided by Dave Behnen on behalf of the Make A Wish Foundation.

The Race Is On in 2004
Georgia and David Husby's Flickacat, ridden by Chubby Turner, has lengthened his lead with $75,167 in the 2004 Open standings. Tim and Melissa Drummond's Lizzys Gotta Player, ridden by Robert Rust, holds second place with $31,272.

In the Non-Pro standings, six-time World Champion Mary Jo Milner holds the lead over 1999 World Champion Joe Howard Williamson, $91,883 to $81,749.

The $50,000 Amateur has Nancy Graham of Lady Lake, Florida making a late-season move into the lead with $38,984.

One of the tightest races is the $3,000 Novice, where Matt Sargood on To Short To Play is just over $300 ahead of Dual Rey Me, ridden by Jeremy Barwick and Geordie Richardson.

You can check out the latest standings in all classes online.

Fantastic Futurity
Wesley Galyean, a 21-year-old Non-Pro from Ardmore, Oklahoma, and his stallion Spots Hot dominated the Open finals of the NCHA Futurity in Fort Worth, Texas, on December 12. His brother, Beau, won the Limited Non-Pro on Double Down Merada two days earlier.

Sandy Bonelli captured her third Non-Pro Futurity on a daughter of one of her previous winners, Shakin Flo. Meanwhile, Gary Lord exited the Amateur ranks with a win on GR High Brow. Cody Hall and MH The Winning Move took the Limited Open.

Donated Peptoboonsmal Breeding Nets Youth $27,500
A breeding to leading sire Peptoboonsmal, donated by Elaine Hall, brought $27,500 this morning during Western Bloodstock's Preferred Breeders Sale. The donated breeding benefited the National Youth Cutting Horse Association. Joe Howard Williamson was the winning bidder.

Record-Setting Futurity Sales
The NCHA Futurity Sales, managed by Western Bloodstock, established several new records, with 1,086 horses changing hands at an average price of $18,030.

Share the Memories
Cutting has a rich and colorful history, with each generation of cutters building on the foundations that others laid before.
Tell us about early-day cutters who inspired you - whether it was because of their horsemanship, showmanship, determination, helpfulness, values - or whatever criteria are important to you.

We'll gather the best stories and preserve them in upcoming issues of the Cutting Horse Chatter.

Western Horseman Cup Wraps Up
The Western Horseman Cup series went down to the wire with tight races for the Open and Non-Pro qualifying spots in the Fall Season. See who qualified for the Western Horseman Cup finals to be held January 28 in conjunction with the Augusta Futurity.

Abilene Spectacular Underway
The $190,000-added Abilene Spectacular began Sunday and Travlin Ms Foxie, ridden by Bill Riddoe for Glenn and Debbie Drake, posted the top score of 222.5 in today's finals for older Open horses. The first round of 4-year-old Open competition--which is the second stop on the 2005 Western Horseman Cup trail--is now underway. The Abilene show continues through January 12.

Big Purse Increases in Place for National Championships
The Wayne Hodges Trailer Sales/Outlaw Conversions NCHA Eastern and Western National Championships will carry $12,000 in added money per class (excluding Youth classes) this spring. That is an increase from the $10,000 added per class in previous years.

The increased added money lays the foundation for the biggest shows ever. Along with new payout formulas in place at the 2005 shows, weekend cutters stand to collect some healthy checks at the shows in Jackson, Mississippi, and Ogden, Utah.

If entry numbers this spring hold steady with last year’s shows, prize money awarded at the Eastern National Championships will be $99,940 more than last year. The Western National Championships will pay out $84,895 more than last year, based on similar entry numbers.

The Wayne Hodges Trailer Sales/Outlaw Conversions NCHA Eastern National Championships are scheduled for March 7-19 in Jackson, while the Western show will be held April 28-May 8 in Ogden.

New Year's Resolution
The New Year is nearly upon us. How do you plan to make 2005 better than 2004? By hauling for the World? By losing ten pounds so your horse can show better? By making a donation to NYCHA or CIA? By volunteering to help at your local show?

Share your New Year's Resolution with us, and we may share the best of them in the Cutting Horse Chatter.

Ultimate Equine Experience Video
Bob Kingsley hosts "The Ultimate Equine Experience: Your Guide to Owning A Cutting Horse, a new, one-hour video that features professional and non-professional cutting competitors who provide expert, first-hand experience on how to get involved in cutting. How to select a trainer, purchasing a cutting horse, and what level of involvement best suits you are some of the issues addressed in this video.

You can also relive some of the great moments of cutting horse history with VHS tapes of many of the past Triple Crown events, available from the NCHA Video Library. Tapes are $29.95, plus $5.95 for shipping and handling. Call Darla Bellville at (817) 244-6188 for more information about ordering. And right now, there's a special, limited-time offer on the 2003 NCHA World Championship Futurity and 2004 Super Stakes videos together for $49.95 plus $5.95 shipping and handling.

Updated Guide to Cutting Is Coming
An updated edition of Cutting Horse Chatter's award-winning Guide to Cutting will be published this spring. Like the original edition, 25,000 copies of the information-packed publication will be distributed to NCHA members and people who want to learn more about cutting. The original Guide to Cutting received top honors from American Horse Publications, and the American Quarter Horse Association's Media and Marketing Awards.

Contact Shawn McCoy at (817) 244-6188 or (817) 980-4754 for unique advertising opportunities in the new Guide to Cutting.

Join or Renew Your NCHA Membership On-Line, the Fast and Easy Way
Check out these great opportunities:

If you have questions or need additional information about membership please contact the membership department at 817-244-6188 or email Julie Davis or Peggy Cox.

NYCHA Stallion Service Program
Members of the National Youth Cutting Horse Association are gearing up for the 2005 NYCHA Stallion Service Program. Stallion owners may donate one breeding per year per stallion to the program. Those breedings are then sold in a competitive sealed bid process. All proceeds benefit the NYCHA to support scholarships, awards, educational activities and postage for the newsletter.

To participate in the program, fill out the 2005 contract and return it to the NCHA office with a copy of the stallion's papers. If your stallion will be standing at a breeding facility, please be sure you notify them of your donation.

As soon as we receive the signed contract, we will post your stallion’s information on the NCHA website and in the Chatter. Sealed bids on available breedings will be due to the NCHA office by 12 noon on Tuesday, February 1, 2005.

Weekend Monitoring System
Guidelines for the weekend monitor system have been established.

Affiliate Spotlight
Billed as one of the first cutting clubs in Northern California, Gold Country CHA was founded in 1984 with Charlie Stultz serving as the first president. Entry fees at that time were $15 per class with cattle charges costing $5. They hold eight to ten shows each year, and they provide prizes to winners in each class at each show. This year they gave saddles to the Open, Non-Pro and Amateur High-Point winners.

Advertising Deadlines
The deadline for the February Stallion Issue of Cutting Horse Chatter is today. You need to have your World Finals Program ads in by January 10. Contact Shawn McCoy today at (817) 244-6188, ext. 160.
The Chatter's 2005 Media Kit and Rate Card is now online.

Stacy Pigott Joins the Chatter
Award-winning writer Stacy Pigott has joined the staff of the Cutting Horse Chatter as Associate Editor. She has been a regular contributor to the Chatter of profiles, show coverage and feature articles in recent years.

A Michigan State University graduate with degrees in Animal Science and Agricultural Communications, she has worked as editor at QuarterWeek Publications, and as program editor for the Q Agency since the mid-1990s. At QuarterWeek, she twice won the American Quarter Horse Association’s Sprint Award, one of the most prestigious prizes in equine journalism.

“We’re extremely fortunate to have someone with Stacy’s talent, experience and enthusiasm come on board at the Chatter,” said NCHA Director of Publishing Alan Gold.

Membership Incentives Awarded
Cutting horse enthusiasts who renewed their NCHA membership online from October 1-31 were included in a drawing for an NCHA life membership. The winner was Bonnie Knapp of Talihina, Oklahoma, who has been a member since 1997.

Another renewal incentive was offered to everyone who signed up for a three-year (2005-2007) membership by December 1. Randall Bass of Ellensburg, Washington, an NCHA member since 1997, won that drawing for a life membership.