Chiquita Pistol Takes Triple Crown
Chiquita Pistol claimed her place in cutting horse history July 27 by winning the NCHA Derby at Will Rogers Memorial Coliseum in Fort Worth, Texas. With prior wins in the first two jewels of the NCHA Triple Crown, the NCHA Futurity last December, and the Flowmaster NCHA Super Stakes in April, Chiquita Pistol became the first horse since 1984 to sweep the Triple Crown, and the first mare ever to accomplish that.

Ridden by 29-year-old trainer Tag Rice of Buffalo, Texas, Chiquita Pistol's Triple Crown triumph came on the eve of the 42nd wedding anniversary of her owner, Wallace "Tooter" Dorman. Dorman, who is foreman for Silverbrook Ranch, Oakwood, Texas, bred Chiquita Pistol by Smart Little Pistol out of Miss Chiquita Tari, by Pay Twentyone.

To see the winning run, courtesy of Cutters' Video Magazine, [View the run (Note: Requires Windows Media Player to view)]

To relive the show day by day, check out the Daily Chatter newsletter.

Catch the Derby on Cowboy TV
DISH Network subscribers can see Chiquita Pistol in action on the tape-delayed two-hour telecast of the NCHA Derby on Friday, August 15 at 8 p.m. CDT. The pay-per-view telecast is produced by Cowboy TV who brought cutters the live telecasts of the 2002 NCHA Futurity and the 2003 NCHA Super Stakes.

There will also be six encore presentations of the show through August 31. [Schedule]

Ordering your ticket to Cowboy TV’s horse sports is easy. Order on DISH Network using your remote control or call 1-877-DISH PPV (347-4778). For free DISH Network installation, call 1-800-333-DISH (3474). Please allow sufficient time for installation prior to the event.

NCHA’s Monthly Television Show Set for August 20
Ohio’s Chuck Smith will be featured on this month’s edition of Big Moves & Hard Stops, NCHA’s half-hour, monthly television program, on Wednesday, August 20 at 5:30 p.m. Central Time.

The popular show, sponsored by Diamond Spur Ranch, can be seen on the third Wednesday of each month at 6:30 p.m. Eastern Time (5:30 p.m. Central Time) on the Outdoor Life Network, immediately preceding AQHA's popular "America's Horse" which airs weekly at 7 p.m. EST.

Western Horseman Cup update
With the results of the latest event in the series, the NCHA Derby tallied, Tapt Twice, owned and shown by Phil Rapp, is holding a narrow lead in the Western Horseman Cup with 120 points. Sweet Lil Pepto, shown by Mike Mowery for John and Dana Harrah, is second with 100 points.

In the Non-Pro competition, Mary Ann Rapp has amassed 230 points, but because she had already qualified for the Western Horseman Cup during the Spring Season, Dustin Adams is leading the Horsecity.com Summer Season with 145 points. [Standings]

The Western Horseman Cup continues through the Horsecity.com Summer Season, and the WesternHorseman.com Fall Season, culminating in a $250,000 Finals at the Augusta Futurity in January 2004.

Series Continues in Colorado
The current stop on the Western Horseman Cup trail is the UBS/Galles Pagosa Springs Rocky Mountain Championship at Pagosa Springs Colorado. The show starts today with the first go-round of the Open Derby and continues through August 14. The new show features $150,000 in added money, plus three practice pens.

Check out these links to upcoming Western Horseman Cup events, or see the complete schedule here:

On Top of the World
In the NCHA Open standings, Kyle Manion’s Hollywood Nus Bar ($26,370) has extended his lead over Widows Freckles ($19,991) and One Smart Lad ($19,446) for shows recorded through August 1. In the Non-Pro race, defending World Champion Mary Jo Milner remains in front on Red White And Boon with $47,003, followed by McKenzie Mullins with $34,754. [Standings]

The closest race of all is in the Senior Youth, where Courtney Sokol has 89 points, just one more than Tiffany Sternfels. And in the $10,000 Amateur, less than $200 separates the leader, Randy Valensin, from second-place rider John Schuler.

And a New World . . .
The World Finals is not just for Open and Non-Pro contestants any more. Horses and riders in all divisions are taking the first steps on the road to the biggest, richest World Finals in history, to be held in Amarillo, Texas, January 12-22, 2004. The $335,000-added show will feature 11 classes, with the top 50 year-end contestants in each class being eligible for the finals.

World Finals Entries
It’s likely that many cutters who are not currently ranked in the Top 50 will compete in the NCHA World Finals in January. One reason is that competitors who are in sight of the leaders will increase their efforts to qualify in the remaining months of the point year. Another reason is that if an invitation is declined or not received with the proper postmark, that will open a slot for the next competitor on the list. NCHA will continue to drop down the list in each class until we have 50 entries.

"We expect to see some great races in all classes toward the end of the season," said NCHA Executive Director Jeff Hooper. "Since we’ve begun publishing the Top 100 rankings in the Chatter and on the website, we’ve heard from many members who say they didn’t realize before that the Top 50 is within their reach." [Standings]

"Inevitably, some of those cutters who do make the Top 50 will have prior commitments that prevent them from going to the World Finals. It’s important to remember that those ‘declined invitations’ will open up World Finals opportunities for competitors who end up ranked a little below 50^th place."

In September, NCHA will send notices to all Top 100 cutters that they are in contention for the World Finals. Entry forms for the show will be published in the Chatter in October and November, and will also be mailed to Top 100 competitors.

World Finals entries must be postmarked or faxed no later than Monday, November 24, with no grace period. Entries that qualify for the World Finals will be posted on the internet on Friday, December 19.

Earnings and Eligibility
Beginning with the 2004 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 2004 point year."

Chatter Goes Online
The Cutting Horse Chatter, official publication of the National Cutting Horse Association, launched a new website, today. It includes news and feature stories, plus historical and statistical information.

"We will have selected material from the current issue of the magazine and begin to archive older stories," said Alan Gold, NCHA Director of Publishing. "Making our content more readily available can help us reach a wider audience of cutting horse enthusiasts."

"We have also begun to upload our huge library of historical information. That will give our horses and riders past and present greater recognition for their accomplishments. It will also give our members and the media a valuable research tool. This will be an ongoing project and internet visitors will find the library of information growing each week."

Special Publications
The Chatter will publish a special Guide to Cutting this fall. This will be a separate magazine packed with information about the sport which will be sent to all NCHA members in November.

"This will be a great resource for our members, and for new members coming into the NCHA," said Gold. "We’ve had a lot of demand for a single publication that contains answers to all of the most common questions people have about cutting. We’ll feature everything from the history of cutting, to tips for improving your showmanship. Our goal is to provide a great introduction to cutting, but also offer enough substance that even seasoned cutters will keep coming back to it."

High School, High Scores
Ashley Smith of Hailey, Idaho marked a three-round score of 678 and Thomas Bray of Fulshear, Texas a 666.5 to win the Girls’ and Boys’ Cutting titles, respectively, at the National High School Rodeo Association Finals in Farmington, New Mexico in July. Punch Ashley’s score into your calculator and you’ll get an average of 226 for each run.

Jody Hatchett wins AQHYA Cutting
Fifteen-year-old Jody Hatchett is relatively new to cutting, but that didn’t stop her from winning the cutting title at the American Quarter Horse Youth Association World Championships in Fort Worth, Texas on August 5. [Full Story]

Are You Still There?
The presses are warming up for the 2003 NCHA Yearbook, which will be bigger and better than ever. If you have moved or changed your phone number since joining NCHA or renewing your membership, be sure you’ve informed the Membership Department so that the directory listings in the Yearbook will be up to date. Send an e-mail to Julie Davis, fax (817) 244-2015 or call (817) 244-6188 no later than August 18.

Get in touch with Shawn McCoy to find out about new advertising opportunities in the Yearbook.

DNA/AQHA Registration
To help NCHA maintain accurate records, owners of National DNA Horse Registry Inc. -registered horses who have double-registered their horses with the American Quarter Horse Association should submit a copy of the DNA registration papers and the AQHA registration papers to NCHA.

The papers can be faxed to (817) 244-2015, or copies can be mailed to:
NCHA, Attention: Linda Smith, 260 Bailey Ave., Fort Worth, TX 76107.

For more information, contact Linda Smith (817) 244-6188.

Advertising Deadlines
Deadline for the NCHA Yearbook is August 22. The deadline for the exciting special edition Cutting Horse Chatter Guide to Cutting is September 15. Contact Shawn McCoy at (817) 244-6188 for more information.

Bill Brewer Honored as Headliner of The Year
American Quarter Horse Association Executive Vice President Bill Brewer was recognized as Headliner of the Year during a special awards banquet at the annual Agricultural Publications Summit, on July 29. The summit is a joint meeting of the American Agricultural Editors' Association, Livestock Publications Council and ABM-Agri-Council.

"I cannot think of a more deserving individual than Bill Brewer," said AQHA President Steven Stevens. "His innovation has been felt throughout the horse world and since taking over at AQHA, Bill has instituted programs benefiting nearly every member of the Association."

Todd Drummond Award Nominations Sought
Each National Cutting Horse Association affiliate may nominate one outstanding youth member for the annual Todd Drummond Award. The youth member will be recognized for scholastic achievement, extracurricular activities and cutting horse involvement.

A special committee will review all nominations and recommend a maximum of three nominees to the Executive Committee who will then chose the award winner at their fall meeting. During the 2003 NCHA World Championship Futurity the Todd Drummond Award winner will be honored and presented a custom designed trophy buckle.

The nomination deadline is September 1. Affiliates should send their nomination and supporting information to the NCHA Office, Attention Todd Drummond Award, 260 Bailey Avenue, Fort Worth, Texas 76107. For more information, contact Pam Robison at (817) 244-6188, ext. 111.

Are You Renewed?
If not, renew now and stay in touch with what is happening in the world of cutting. Now you can do it the easy way with on-line processing.

Sharp Shirts
Look sharp with a 100% combed ring spun cotton variegated ribbed golf shirt with official NCHA embroidery on left chest. Available in sizes for everyone from Tioga Territory.