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.

Summer Stars
With the NCHA Summer Cutting Spectacular, presented by Emison Insurance underwritten by the Insurance Corporation of Hannover, entering the home stretch, Classic Challenge and Youth champs have already claimed their titles.

Teen cutter Mary Ellen Graves of Hilton Head, South Carolina, won both Amateur championships, riding Smart Bobbi Sock in the Amateur Derby, and So She Wood in the Amateur Classic Challenge. LB Cowtown Twist, ridden by Terry Hollis for Julie Wells, took the Open Classic Challenge. American Country Countdown host Bob Kingsley, the nation's most popular disk jockey both on and off the air, won the Non-Pro Classic Challenge with Little Pepto Gal. Winners in the Cole McGee & John Roberts Youth Scholarship Cutting were Blaze Cogdell ion Shania Cee n the Junior division and Cole Rothwell on Peptotime in the Senior division.

Avid cutter Nelson Knight won the NCHA Sponsors Cutting on behalf of Springhill Suites.

Headline events coming up this week are the finals of the Open and Non-Pro Derby. Keep up with the news each day in the Daily Chatter newsletter.

Time to Buy
Western Bloodstock's NCHA Summer Cutting Spectacular Sale is set for this weekend, July 24-25, in the Watt Arena. Take a look at the consignments, complete with links to catalog pages.

Western Bloodstock will also be handling upcoming on-site sales for EE Ranches of Texas, Hillis Akin Ranch, and W.T. Waggoner Estate.

Entertainment on Tap
Dan Roberts, known to cutters for his performances during NCHA events, will play an acoustical concert for free at 7 p.m. Thursday, July 22, as part of the Guitars at the Garden series in the White Elephant Saloon's Beer Garden, in Fort Worth's historic Stockyards. It's sponsored by The Ranch 95.9 FM.

Summer Season of Western Horseman Cup Begins
The Breeders' Invitational Derby kicked off the Horsecity.com Summer Season of the Western Horseman Cup series. The standings are sure to be shuffled following this weekend's NCHA Derby finals in Fort Worth. The summer season includes aged events with more than $1.4 million in added money.

Breeder's Invitational on TV
The 2004 Coca Cola Breeder’s Invitational will be televised as a one hour broadcast on the AQHA’s weekly program America’s Horse on the Outdoor Life Network on Sunday August 1, 2004 at 6:00 pm Eastern Time. It will repeat at 2:00 am Eastern Time on Monday morning, August 2nd.

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 $42,365 in the 2004 Open standings. That figure will jump when his check for winning the Calgary Stampede Open cutting is factored in. Richard Walpole's Boonsmal Cee Lena, ridden by the late Greg Welch, and now retired in memory of Welch, holds second in the Open World standings with $26,187.

In the Non-Pro standings, six-time World Champion Mary Jo Milner holds the lead over 1999 World Champion Joe Howard Williamson, $48,707 to $37,012. Milner will be inducted into the National Cowgirl Hall of Fame this fall.

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.

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.

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

Scholarship Applications Invited
Education has always been a fundamental goal of The Fort Worth Stock Show Syndicate. The James M. “Jim Bob” Norman Scholarship Fund was established in 1984 as a permanent endowment in memory of Jim Bob Norman who was chairman of the Syndicate at the time of his death. Jim Bob was active in many youth organizations and it was his dream to start a college scholarship endowment to help young Texas men and women pursue agricultural careers.

The fund grants two $8,000 scholarships each year to Texas high school students. To find out more and see how to apply, click here.

Affiliate Spotlight
Thanks to big increases in membership, the number of shows, entries per show, and innovative prizes, the Montana Cutting Horse Association has been named NCHA's Affiliate of the Year.

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. And be sure to ask Shawn about leveraging your advertising dollar in the Yearbook & Membership Directory which will feature expanded, reader-friendly content this year.

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 Darla Bellville 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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