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Marion and Burch Honored
Rancher and philanthropist Anne Marion of the 6666 Ranch and former NCHA President Lindy Burch of Weatherford, Texas, will be honored at the Fort Worth Business Press' Great Women of Texas Award Dinner November 5 in Fort Worth.

Marion has been named the recipient of the Great Women of Texas Award. Burch is being recognized as a Texas Woman of Influence.

Watch the Futurity Live on DISH TV
The National Cutting Horse Association, in conjunction with Cowboy TV is planning to present a live, pay-per-view telecast of the 2003 NCHA Futurity on DISH Network. The show will start at 7:00 p.m. CST on Sunday, December 14. You must be a DISH TV subscriber to view the telecast, and will be able to order the broadcast through your DISH remote control. Call 1-877-DISH-PPV (347-4778) for DISH TV installation.

Watch Big Moves & Hard Stops November 23
Award-winning author, rancher and cutter Tom McGuane of McLeod, Montana will be featured on the next edition of NCHA's monthly television show, Big Moves & Hard Stops. The popular show, sponsored by Diamond Spur Ranch, will air Sunday, November 23, on the Outdoor Life Network at 4:30 p.m. CST.

Cutting Horses and Horned Frogs
NCHA will be showcased on Saturday, November 15 during Texas Christian University's Western Heritage Day Celebration in Fort Worth, Texas. Several cutting demonstrations will take place from 11 a.m. until the 2 p.m. kickoff of the TCU vs. Cincinnati football game. The demonstration will be held in a special arena just east of the TCU Amon Carter Football Stadium. If you’re in the area, please stop by.

Aged Event Action
Triple Crown winner Chiquita Pistol, ridden by Tag Rice for Tooter Dorman, marked a 226 to win her sixth major title of the season at the Music City Futurity.

At the Suncoast Futurity, Winston Hansma and CD Lights followed their Brazos Bash win with a 229-point run in the 4-year-old Open. It marked a career high score for Hansma.

At the Southern Futurity, Tracy Barton marked a 221.5 on Gary Rosenbach's Sixes CD to take the 3-year-old Open honors in Jackson, Mississippi.

And in the west, the Pacific Coast Futurity is underway, with the first round of Non-Pro Futurity competition scheduled for this morning.

Western Horseman Cup's WesternHorseman.com Season Underway
In the Western Horseman Cup championship cutting series, Jack and Debra Furst's Cats Merada, ridden by John Wold has taken the lead in Open competition with 120 points, for shows up to and including the Southern Futurity.

Benjie Neely of Lyons, Georgia, holds a slim lead in the Non-Pro standings with 180 points, earned on Little Lacey and Tronas Chex. Skip Queen is following with 170 points earned on Smart And Dark and Squeakys Playboy.

On Top of the World
In the NCHA Open standings, Hollywood Nus Bar ($41,613), ridden by Robert Rust for new owner David Plummer, remains in first place, while Young Guns Babe, ridden by Rust and Terry Riddle, has moved into second with $27,206 for shows recorded through October 24. In the Non-Pro race, defending World Champion Mary Jo Milner remains in front on Red White And Boon with $74,555, followed by McKenzie Mullins with $51,272. [Standings]

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. All 11 class champions will receive a custom-made M.L. Leddy's trophy saddle. All 11 reserve champions will be awarded a pair of Cutter Series Lucchese boots.

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 Amarillo 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 it has 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.”

Entry forms for the show are published in the Chatter in November, and will also be mailed to Top 100 competitors, or they can be downloaded from the web.

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.

World Finals History Online
Winners of the NCHA Open and Non-Pro World Finals are now listed on the Cutting Horse Chatter’s new website. The listings include links to detailed results of each event.

Wine and Food Event
Janet Trefethen, owner of Trefethen Vineyards in Napa, California (makers of Cutting Horse Vineyards wines), and Tim Love, owner and chef at Lonesome Dove Bistro, will join together for a special dinner to be held at Ronnie's Fine Wines and Specialty Foods, 2701 South Hulen Street, Fort Worth, Texas on Monday November 3 at 7:00 p.m.

The dinner will consist of a four-course meal prepared by Tim Love, with each course paired with one of the Janet Trefethen's wines. Cost for the evening is $85.00 plus tax per person. For reservations, contact Craig at Ronnie's 817-927-0101.

Seventy Oaks Ranch Sells
Kay French's Seventy Oaks Ranch, Weatherford, Texas, sold in three parcels for a total of $2.7 million on October 23. A partnership made up of Bennie Martinez of Sierra Oak Ranch, Porterville, California, Jim Holmes and Gail Holmes, both of Longmont, Colorado, paid just over $2 million for 239 acres of the property, including an equestrian center, barn, pens and an indoor arena. The sale was conducted by J.P. King Auction Co.

Final Payments Due
The grace period on final payment of $1,000 for the 2003 NCHA Futurity is tomorrow, October 30. Contact Janie Strotheide for more information.

Online Membership Renewal Incentive
Renew your NCHA membership online before October 30, and you will have a chance to win a Life Membership, valued at $750.

NYCHA Stallion Service Program
Members of the National Youth Cutting Horse Association are gearing up for the 2004 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 2004 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, 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 Thursday, February 5, 2004.

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.”

"White Rule" Compromise
AQHA President Steve Stevens encourages members to contact their directors regarding a proposed compromise to AQHA's rules regarding white markings, and other matters, prior to next year's AQHA convention.

Deadlines
Get your ads in for the December issue of Cutting Horse Chatter by November 1. Call Shawn McCoy at (817) 244-6188 for more information.

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 delivered free to all NCHA members.

For unique advertising opportunities in the Guide, call Shawn McCoy at (817) 244-6188.

Get a Room
It's time to start thinking about room reservations for the 2003 NCHA World Championship Futurity. Tell the Green Oaks Hotel you're an NCHA member to receive a discount off the regular guest rate. Phone 1-800 433-2174.

Help CIA Help Cutters
Cutters In Action is seeking items for its fund-raising auction to be held Friday, December 7, at the Trainers Party during the NCHA Futurity in Fort Worth, Texas.

If you can help the organization, which helps cutters in need, contact Auction Coordinator Angela Strittmatter at 817-341-8197.

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 at (817) 244-6188.

Denim Deal
With cooler weather coming, it's a good time to order a Schaefer's long denim saddle jacket with NCHA cutter embroidered on bottom left pocket flap from Tioga Territory.

Purses Enhanced for 2004
The National Cutting Horse Association will increase purses at its showcase limited-age events beginning in 2004. Winners of selected events will be guaranteed substantial sums, and finalists in the Open Division of 2004 NCHA Futurity will receive at least $20,000, if certain conditions are met.

“This additional purse money will help ensure that the remarkable growth we’ve been experiencing continues,” said NCHA Executive Director Jeff Hooper.

The new purse structure will guarantee $75,000 to the winner of the NCHA Open Derby, beginning in 2004. The winners of the open competition in the Super Stakes Classic and the Summer Spectacular’s NCHA Classic/Challenge will each be guaranteed $50,000. The Super Stakes Open Gelding class will carry a $20,000-added purse and will guarantee $10,000 to the winner. The winner of the 2004 NCHA Futurity Open Finals will be guaranteed $200,000 in purse money and the last-place finisher in the 2004 Futurity Open Finals will be guaranteed $20,000, (based on 70 horses advancing to the semi-finals, and 25 horses advancing to the finals). NCHA Open Futurity semi-finalists will share in a guaranteed purse of $490,000.

“We’ve already increased added money for weekend cutters from $200,000 at the NCHA World Finals to $335,000 added to the expanded 2003 World Finals to be held in Amarillo next January,” said Hooper. “These increases for our premier aged events help us balance growth and continue to build momentum in all areas of our sport.”

The purse enhancements were developed by an advisory group which included NCHA President Dick Gaines, Tom Lyons (Chairman of the Limited Age Committee); Lindy Burch, Neil Mussallem, Dave Capps (Chairman of the Promotion & Development Committee); Terry Strange (Chairman of the Finance Committee); Kathy Daughn (Chairperson of the Professional Trainers Committee); Paul Hansma, Steve Smith, Ronnie Rice, and Jimmy Eakin.