e-Chatter July 7

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.

Greg Welch Passes Away
Former National Cutting Horse Association President Greg Welch, 51, of Millsap, Texas, died of cancer July 4 in a Fort Worth hospital. A lifelong cutting horse enthusiast, Welch was one of a handful of trainers to win the sport's two most coveted prizes, the NCHA Futurity and the the NCHA World Championship.

A member of the NCHA Riders Hall of Fame, Welch rode the winners of more than $3.8 million in the cutting arena, and at the time of his death was ranked second in the 2004 NCHA Open standings, riding Richard Walpole's Boonsmal Cee Lena.

Productive NCHA Convention Wraps Up
Hundreds of NCHA members met in Arlington, Texas, June 25-27 for a productive NCHA Convention. You can see pictures from the convention and review the standing committees' recommendations online.

Don Bussey of Guin, Alabama stepped into the Presidency. Mike Mowery of Millsap, Texas, is the President Elect and Bill Riddle of Ringling, Oklahoma, is the Vice President.

Edley Hixson Jr. of Deridder, Louisiana, was returned as an at-large member of the Executive Committee. Newly elected to the Executive Committee are Randy Chartier of Marine City, Michigan; James Hooper of Decatur, Alabama; and Bronc Willoughby of Nocona, Texas.

Summer Cutting Spectacular Gets Underway
The NCHA Summer Cutting Spectacular, presented by Emison Insurance underwritten by the Insurance Corporation of Hannover, began yesterday at Will Rogers Memorial Coliseum in Fort Worth, Texas. The show features the 35th edition of the NCHA Derby, the NCHA Classic Challenge, the Cole McGee & John Roberts Youth Scholarship Cutting, and the NYCHA Convention. The popular NCHA Sponsors Cutting, in which staunch supporters of NCHA get to take their turn in the saddle, will be held Friday, July 16, immediately following the day's last go-round.

Time to Buy
Western Bloodstock has scheduled the NCHA Summer Cutting Spectacular Sale for the final weekend of the show, July 24-25, in the Watt Arena. Take a look at some of the consignments, complete with links to catalog pages.

Membership Milestone
On June 30, membership in the National Cutting Horse Association reached an all-time record of 15,552, exceeding the total year-end membership number achieved in 2003.

Wayne Hodges Trailer Sales/Outlaw Conversions Join NCHA Sponsors
Wayne Hodges Trailer Sales/Outlaw Conversions will be the title sponsor of the 2004 NCHA Eastern and Western National Championships, to be held in Jackson, Mississippi, and Ogden, Utah, respectively, next spring.

Based in Weatherford, Texas, and Wasco, California, Wayne Hodges Trailer Sales specializes in custom-made 4 Star Trailers. Their custom living quarters models are constructed by Outlaw Conversions.

Pennzoil Sponsorship Announced
Pennzoil has been named "Official Motor Oil of the National Cutting Horse Association." “We are excited to launch Pennzoil as the Official Motor Oil of NCHA,” said Jim McCormick, Shell Lubricants Vice President. “We believe in the sport of cutting and are proud to align with it the Number 1 branded motor oil in America.”

The agreement includes sponsor support at all six of NCHA’s major shows. Competitors and spectators will recognize the familiar yellow signage at Fort Worth, TX, Jackson, MS, Amarillo, TX, and Ogden, UT throughout 2004 and 2005.

J.T. Fisher Dies
NCHA Riders Hall of Fame member J.T. Fisher of Graham, Texas, died July 3 at age 81. Fisher, who started breaking horses for West Texas rancher Leonard Proctor after World War II, secretly trained a remuda horse for cutting and wound up third in his first show behind two of the best horses of the day, Jessie James and Skeeter.

"The horse had never been off the ranch and I had never been to a cutting in my life," Fisher recalled four decades later. "I didn't even know they had rules. I just knew what a horse was supposed to do."

Fisher went on to campaign great horses such as Mr. Holey Sox, Chickasha Mike, Chickasha Dan, and Vegas Boy.

Lucchese NCHA Weekend Breaks Records
The biggest cutting of the year, Lucchese NCHA Weekend, turned out to be the biggest cutting ever. Total entries were up 9% compared to last year (6,689 vs. 6,136). The average entries of 115 per day in 2004 also showed a 9% gain from the 105.79 average entries per day in 2003 The total purse distributed on NCHA Weekend was $541,142.81 in 2004, an all-time record and up 16.6% from 2003 total purses distributed.

More than $5,500 in awards were presented at each show, including Lucchese boots, youth scholarships, boot bags, Stetson hats, EQ Solutions products and certificates for one ton of Purina feed. There will be major coverage of NCHA Weekend in the July issue of Cutting Horse Chatter. Here's a photographic review including pictures you won't see anywhere else.

Futurity Tickets
Time is running out for Tier 1 and Tier 2 NCHA Futurity tickets.

Chevy Truck Giveaway
Everyone over the age of 18 who purchases a National Cutting Horse Association membership in 2004 will have a chance to win a new Chevy Duramax diesel crew-cab truck. In addition, each time you win a check in an NCHA-approved event during the 2004 point year, you will be automatically entered again in the drawing.

"Because sponsorships are designed to benefit the entire organization, we wanted to make sure that every member had at least one chance to win a new truck," said Clay Murray, NCHA Director of Marketing and Media. "When we implemented a similar giveaway in 2002, we had more than 76,000 names in the drawing. It gave us an opportunity to entice new members to the sport while recognizing existing members for their ongoing participation. It's not every day that you get to hand someone the keys to a $47,000 truck."

Join Now for a Chance at the Truck
You can join the National Cutting Horse Association online right now.

Dates Set for NCHA World Finals
The 2004 NCHA World Finals will be held in Amarillo, Texas, February 10-21, 2005. The schedule includes two weekends of competition.

The Race Is On in 2004
Georgia and David Husby's Flickacat, ridden by Chubby Turner, has a solid lead with $36,469 in the 2004 Open standings. Richard Walpole's Boonsmal Cee Lena, ridden by the late Greg Welch, holds second with $25,148.

In the Non-Pro standings, six-time World Champion Mary Jo Milner holds the lead over 2003 Reserve World Champion McKenzie Mullins, $42,213 to $33,256. Mullins is also leading the Junior Youth standings.

Futurity Payment Due
The fourth payment of the NCHA Futurity for both Open and Non-Pro entries must be postmarked no later than July 12. The amount due is $400.

Anonymous Donor Provides $40,000 to NYCHA Scholarship Fund
For the second year in a row, an anonymous donor has provided the Cutters In Action/NCHA Charities Foundation with $40,000 to be awarded as scholarship money for the 2004-2005 school year.

The recipients of the scholarship money will be selected based on financial need and academic achievement. The review process has begun for 2004 scholarships. The deadline to apply each year is June 1. This year’s winners will be announced during the National Youth Cutting Horse Association Convention held in Fort Worth, Texas, July 9-12.

“The donor was aware of the NYCHA/Walton Family Foundation scholarships and wanted to contribute to the project,” said Danette McGuire, NCHA youth coordinator. “The individual wishes to remain anonymous as his purpose in contributing is to support the youth rather than for the personal recognition.”

Affiliate Spotlight
Georgia's Peach State Cutting Horse Association has five shows scheduled for 2004 at the Walton County Agricultural Center. Grady Wilmot is president of the affiliate, Tom Kerlin is vice president, and Karen Walton is secretary/treasurer. The youth advisor is Aggie Joseph.

Need a Guide?
If you're an NCHA member who needs another copy of the popular Guide to Cutting that mailed with the January issue of Cutting Horse Chatter, or if you're not a member and you want to find out more about cutting, help is just a click away. The 64-page magazine is packed with information for cutters of all levels of ability.

Advertising Deadlines
The deadline for advertising in the September Truck & Trailer issue of Cutting Horse Chatter is August 1. Contact Shawn McCoy at (817) 244-6188, ext. 160, to reserve your space.

Cutter's Cap
Don't get caught with any old cap this summer. Get Kati's six-panel twill zig zag cap with vinyl strap and metal closure in back. One size fits all, and it comes in white/navy, white/forest, white/burgundy, khaki/navy, and khaki/black from Tioga Territory.

Watch It!
You can 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. Contact Rebecca Brian 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.

Earnings and Eligibility
Beginning with the 2005 point year, horse and rider earnings gained in non-NCHA competition will be considered in determining eligibility for restricted classes.

"In the past, it has been possible for a horse to show extensively outside of NCHA and still be eligible for our novice classes," said NCHA Executive Director Jeff Hooper. "We are working with Equi-Stat and other organizations, such as the American Cutting Horse Association and the Australian Cutting Horse Association, to recognize non-NCHA earnings for eligibility purposes beginning with the 2005 point year."

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