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John Deere/NCHA World Finals fields set
The entries are finally in for the 2001 John Deere/NCHA World Championship Finals. The World Finals begin at 7 pm on February 14^th and continue every evening through the 17^th in Houston, Texas, during the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo. The top 15 Open horses and the top 15 Non-Professional riders available will be cutting for $200,000 in added money and the last few opportunities to advance in the 2001 NCHA World standings.

This year's Open contender list includes:
1 - ROSIES LENA owned by Ken Sitton, ridden by Robert Rust; 3 - SMART N SLICK owned by R B Quarter Horses, ridden by Dan Simpson; 4 - HARRIOTT PLAYGIRL owned by Lee Garner, ridden by Allen Crouch; 5 - FRECKLES DOCTOR JAY owned by Steven Norris, ridden, by Faron Hightower; 6 - SO WILD ABOUT YOU owned by Katherine Wells MacMillan, ridden by Curly Tully; 7 - THAT COOL CAT owned by Joe Montana, ridden by Kobie Wood; 8 - J B FLETCH owned by Kelly & Donna Graham, ridden by Kelly Graham; 9 - SPECIAL LIL PLAYBOY owned by Bobby & Geneva Kennedy, ridden by Rock Hedlund; 10-CATS SUMMERTIME owned by Lawson & Heidi Hadlock, ridden by Lawson Hadlock; 11 - HOPEFLETCHLY owned by Jackie & Cynthia Bryan, ridden by Austin Shepard; 14 - SMART LITTLE JAEBAR owned by Lonnie & Barbara Allsup, ridden by Glen Blankenship; 15-PLAYBOYS GUARD owned by Gordon Dean Appenzeller, ridden by Ronnie Hodges; 16-REBAS LITTLE LENA owned by Kelly Pittman, ridden by Les Bates; 18-TRAVALENA TIMES owned by David & Georgia Costello, ridden by David Costello; 20-OH CAY LIBERTY owned and ridden by Lee Garner.

The Non-Pro riders who will be participating are:
1 - Mary Jo Milner (Red White And Boon); 2 - Joey Milner (Pappion Cat); 3 - Jim Milner (Hicapoo); 4 - Robert Brown (Olena Dually); 5 - Tim May (Hey Little Jude); 6 - Debbie Patterson (Gun Smokes Wimpy); 7 - Lee Garner (Oh Cay Liberty); 8 - Kathy Boone (Bayou Shorty); 10 - Amy Welch King (C J Sugar Lena); 11 - Heidi Hadlock (Cats Summertime); 12 - Bob Kennedy (Hes A Missouri Doc); 13 - Jerry Linaweaver (San Jo Johnie); 14 - Robert Middleton (Colonel Lil Pepper); 15 - Kelly Pittman (Rebas Little Lena); 16 - Karen Brooks (Plumbs Blaze).

Once again this year, NCHA corporate sponsor John Deere will add $200,000 to the pot of the four-day, five-round cutting. Four cutting rounds, plus the average, will pay out, providing hundreds of thousands of dollars to change up the leader board.

New twist at Chevy Trucks/NCHA Eastern Nationals
AQHA Affiliate Challenge brings team concept to show
The Chevy Trucks/NCHA Eastern National Championships will be bigger and better than ever in 2002, thanks to the AQHA/NCHA Affiliate Challenge. The challenge is a program that provides greater structure and a "team" concept to the NCHA Eastern National Championships. The cutting event will take place at the Jackson, Mississippi, Fairgrounds from March 12-23, 2002.

Each of the National Cutting Horse Association's 120 different affiliate organizations can send their top 10 competitors from 11 different classes to compete in both the Eastern National Championships and its sister event, the Western National Championships, held later in the spring in Ogden, Utah. In 2001, there were over 925 entries in the Chevy Trucks/NCHA Eastern National Championships, an event that spanned 12 days. (Full story)

Get the jump on Jackson
The absolute deadline for entering the Chevy Trucks/NCHA Eastern National Championships in Jackson, Mississippi, is February 19. There is no 10-day grace period for getting your entries in late.

And if you want to advertise in the program for the Chevy Trucks/NCHA Eastern National Championships, you need to have your material in the Cutting Horse Chatter office by February 14. The deadline for the Super Stakes program is February 28 and for the March issue of the Chatter, it's February 1. Contact Shawn McCoy for details. (Show Schedule)

Walton Family Scholarship applications now available
Applications for the new National Youth Cutting Horse Association / Walton Family Scholarships are now available. Twenty scholarships of $5,000 each will be awarded in the spring of 2002 to the top applicants who meet the designated criteria, which includes membership in NYCHA and the LEAP Program.

The application and all application guidelines are available in the Youth section of the NCHA web site, through NCHA Youth Coordinator Danette McGuire, by calling at 817-244-6188 or through area Youth Directors.

Applications are due by April 1, 2002.

Vice Presidential candidates
Don Bussey of Guin, Alabama, and Garry Merritt of King, North Carolina, have been nominated for Vice President of the National Cutting Horse Association. Ballots will be mailed to all NCHA members by April 1, and completed ballots must be returned to the NCHA office by U.S. mail no later than May 22.

The winner of the election will take office during the NCHA Convention and Annual Meeting of the Members to be held June 7-9 in Fort Worth. The Vice President serves a one-year term in that office. He will then serve a one-year term as NCHA President-Elect, and then a one-year term as NCHA President.

See the April issue of Cutting Horse Chatter for more information on the candidates.

Augusta going strong
Former NCHA Executive Director Zack Wood has seen a lot of cuttings, but he remarked that the first go-round of the 5/6-year-old Open event at this year's Augusta Futurity ranks with the best ever. No fewer than 12 horses marked 220 or better. After two rounds, Ronnie Rice on Eddie Godfrey's Squeaky Clean is in front with a score of 443.

The show continues through Saturday and you can catch a live webcast of all the action.

In results so far, Carroll Badgett and Mr Holey Chic Olena won the $20,000 Non-Pro, any age, class with a 218. Ken Warnell and Haidas Peprico won the $50,000 Amateur, any age, with a 220. Adam Koontz won the $50,000 Amateur, 4-year-old, on Yellow Rose Vandal with a 216. In a work-off, Jim O'Neil and Love A Little Devil won the $50,000 Amateur, 5/6-year-old over Glen Matlock on Instant Jazz 297. 

2002 NYCHA Stallion Service Program bids due February 8, 2002
You can support the National Youth Cutting Horse Association by getting involved in the 2002 Stallion Service Program now! Mare owners have the opportunity to purchase a breeding from a list of great stallions at a reduced price. The NYCHA has listed 128 stallions including Smart Chic Olena, Christys Acre, Smart Little Pistol, Color Me Smart, Laker Doc, Dual Peppy, High Brow Hickory, Rum Squall, Playdox, Smart Aristocrat, Little Trona, Travalena and Young Gun. Bids must be received no later than noon (Central Time) on February 8, 2002, and they must be at least 50% of the advertised breeding fee. A check must accompany each bid.

For a complete list of stallions, a bid sheet, stallion donation form, and a complete list of rules for the 2002 NYCHA Stallion Service Program, please visit the "Youth" section of the NCHA Web site or call Danette McGuire at 817-244-6188 ext. 125.

All of the winning bids go directly to the youth program to support scholarships, awards and youth activities. Support the future of cutting by supporting the next generation of cutters. Participate in the NYCHA Stallion Service Program by sending in your bid today.

Membership deadline approaching
NCHA members have until March 1 to pay their 2002 membership fees before they will be considered delinquent.

Memphis Futurity
The Memphis Futurity and Classic gets underway February 4 at the Shelby Show Place Arena with the first round of the 5/6-year-old Open. The show features $112,500 in added money and it runs through February 12. (Show Schedule)

Stock Show Season
Haulers may be getting a head start at the big Stock Shows again this year. NCHA cutting at the San Antonio Stock Show is scheduled for Wednesday, February 6 with $2,500-added Open and Non-Pro classes, plus divisions for $10,000 Novice, Novice/Non-Pro and $50,000 Amateur.

Busy weekend
Weekend cutters will have plenty of opportunities to take part in NCHA shows on the first weekend of February, with events scheduled for California, Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana and Mississippi.

DLR Ranch Cutting: Temecula, California, 2/1-2/3. Call Kathryn Webb (801) 768-0866.
Mid-South CHA Cutting: Batesville, Mississippi, 2/1-2/3. Call Gwen Coie (318) 644-5788.
South Louisiana CHA Cutting: New Roads, Louisiana, 2/2-2/3. Call Nancy Stone (225) 293-6414.
SWOCHA Championship Cutting: Corn, Oklahoma, 2/2. Call Betty J. Brown (580)343-2331.
Lone Star CHA Cutting, Athens, Texas: 2/2. Call Agnes Adams (972) 564-3233.
Muenster Cutting Horse Show: Muenster, Texas, 2/2. Call Gail Dittmeier (214) 351-6031.
North Texas CHA Cutting: Weatherford, Texas, 2/2-2/3. Call Patti Gustin (817) 309-4468.

Triangle's strong sale
A record crowd attended the Triangle Winter Classic Sale, January 18-20, in Shawnee, Oklahoma. Horses were sold to 26 states, plus Brazil, Canada, Israel and Mexico. Dox San Rose, a 1988 Peppy San Badger mare, topped the sale at $31,500. She was sold by Corbe Anderson of Shawnee to Donnie Hope of Ripley, Oklahoma.

The top 10 horses averaged $25,690 and the top 25 averaged $21,014, according to results released by the sales company.

Horse Management Workshop
Texas A&M University will host four horse management workshops in the next few months, and all horse owners are encouraged to attend. All workshops will take place at the Pearce Pavilion at Texas A&M in College Station, Texas. The $30 registration fee includes refreshments, lunch and all printed materials.

The 6^th annual TAMU Mare/Foal Management Workshop will be held on Tuesday, February 5. Then, two Performance Horse Owner Workshops will be offered on both March 26 and April 9, giving you a chance to work the program into your schedule as both of those workshops will cover the same topics. The fourth workshop, on April 23, will be for New Horse Owners.

These day-long programs involve a combination of lectures, demonstrations, and hands-on evaluation. Pre-registration forms are available from the Texas Cooperative Extension Service at 979-845-1562.