11/06/2002 E-newsletter sponsored by

Down to the wire
There was a photo finish for Horse of the Year honors as a single point separated the top three contenders following the final scoring event of the season, the Pacific Coast Cutting Horse Stakes at Burbank, California last weekend.

By taking the reserve championship in the open competition at the Pacific Coast show, Little Pepto Gal, owned by Crystal Creek Ranch and trained by Matt Gaines, tied at 62 points with S&S Farms' Smart Lil Scoot, ridden by Roy Carter. However, the Horse of the Year rules provide for earnings to be used to break ties, and Little Pepto Gal's $263,626 in aged event earnings gave her the edge.

Freckles Lena Boon, owned by Hope Justice, finished the year with 61 points, after taking the reserve championship in the non-pro competition of the Pacific Coast Cutting Horse Stakes.

Little Pepto Gal is a daughter of Peptoboonsmal and the Doc O'Lena mare Freckles O Lena. Her season included wins at the Bonanza Cutting and the Brazos Bash, a reserve championship at the Memphis Futurity, and a third in the NCHA Futurity.

NCHA moves into new home
The new National Cutting Horse Association headquarters opened for business on Monday, November 4 at 260 Bailey Ave., Fort Worth, TX 76107.

NCHA's telephone numbers and extensions and fax numbers remain the same in the new location, as do e-mail contacts for staff members.

The new facility enables the NCHA staff to serve members more efficiently. It is less than one mile from Will Rogers Memorial Center where the NCHA Futurity, Super Stakes and Summer Spectacular are held.

An open house for NCHA members will be held during the 2002 NCHA Futurity December 13 from 11:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Please stop by on the December 13 for hors d'oeuvres or any weekday that you're in the area.

Plan your Futurity trip
With the NCHA Futurity just a few weeks away, cutting enthusiasts can see what's going on at a glance with the on-line Futurity schedule .

Futurity frenzy
It's almost Futurity time again! This year's Futurity has several new additions to the lineup that will make it even bigger and better than ever. [ Complete story ]

Chevy Trucks will have a large presence at this year's premier event for limited age cutting horses. For one, Chevy Trucks is the title sponsor of the 2002 World Championship Futurity. The added money for the event is $345,000 with an estimated total purse of $3,000,000.

There will be a host of social events during the Futurity, including:

Thanksgiving Day
Yes, we will be cutting at the NCHA Futurity on Thanksgiving Day. NCHA will provide a Thanksgiving meal in the Backstage club from 11:30 am to 2 pm. Come join in and celebrate the holiday with the cutting family.

Kick-Off Concert
Something new and exciting for the 2002 Chevy Trucks / NCHA Futurity is a Kick-Off Concert that will take place on Saturday, November 30. Mark Wills will be the featured entertainment. The concert and the party will be held in the Watt Arena. This is a free event, and the public is invited to attend. Celebrate the fun of the Futurity with all of your friends!

Trainer Party
Saturday, December 7 at 6 pm in the Round Up Inn. The Trainers Party will recognize the Hall of Fame members and the 2002 Zane Schulte Award winner will be announced. Everyone invited, dinner provided, cash bar.

Life Member Party
Thursday, December 12 at 6 pm in the Three Bar Saloon inside the Exhibit Hall. All life members are invited, and encouraged to attend.

Champions Party
Come and party with the stars at the conclusion of NCHA Futurity Open Finals on Sunday, December 15. The lineup includes the awards presentation, music by Tommy Alverson (Una Mas Cerveza and many, many, more), dancing, hors d'oeuvres, and a cash bar. Tickets will be available at the door.

Goodnight Gala
Former NCHA Executive Director Zack T Wood will be honored at the Charles Goodnight Gala Monday, December 2, Renaissance Worthington Hotel, with entertainment by Martina McBride.

Santa Claus
Forget the mall ... see Santa Claus at the exhibit hall during the NCHA Futurity! Santa Claus will be dressed in his cowboy finest and ready to have his picture taken with your family on December 7, 8, 14 and 15 from 10 am to 8 pm. Don't forget your wish list!

Chevy Truck to be given away at Futurity
Everyone (18 or older) who purchased a 2002 NCHA membership has been automatically entered in a drawing to win a new Chevy Duramax Diesel crew-cab truck. In addition, each time an NCHA member won a check in an NCHA-approved event during the 2002 point year, he or she was entered again in the drawing.

From this group, a final pool of 100 names will be randomly drawn at 10 a.m. on November 27. These names will be published on the grounds of the NCHA Futurity and posted on the NCHA website.

Each afternoon, five names will be randomly drawn to be eliminated from the final pool until only five names are remaining on December 15, the day of the NCHA Futurity Open Finals. Those five people must be present at Will Rogers Memorial Coliseum, or arrange for a representative to be present for the give-away that evening. The five finalists will each receive a key fob, and the one with the key that unlocks the truck will get to take it home.

NCHA Futurity to be featured on Cowboy TV pay-per-view through DISH Network
Cutting horse fans all over the country can watch the 2002 NCHA Futurity live from their own homes

Even if you can't make it to Fort Worth, Texas for the NCHA Futurity, you can see all of the action live from your own home. The NCHA and Cowboy TV will air live coverage of the Chevy Trucks/NCHA World Championship Futurity Open Finals on December 15 at 8 pm EST from Fort Worth. Viewers will be able to see for themselves the intelligence, beauty, skill and incredible athleticism of the 20 horses that earned the right to compete in the Open Finals. The telecast will highlight from the Non-Pro and Amateur cutting from their finals earlier in the week.

Futurity sale sessions set
Western Bloodstock has listed horses consigned to their Futurity Sales by sale session as a service to prospective buyers.

Coast is clear
Matt Gaines rode Crystal Creek Ranch's Tess My Grit to a six-point victory in the Pacific Coast Futurity in Burbank, California on November 3. The CD Olena gelding marked 222 to earn $39,991.

Carl Gerwien of Alberta, Canada took the Non-Pro title on Smartest Little Oak. He came to California fresh from wins in the Idaho Futurity and the Lammle's Western Wear Futurity on Smartest Little Oak.

AQHA reviews white rule
Members of the American Quarter Horse Association will vote at their convention in March on a recommendation from the Stud Book & Registration Committee which would remove restrictions on white markings on parentage-verified American Quarter Horses.

Stocking stuffer
NCHA logo merchandise makes a great Christmas gift. The cutter in the house will be delighted to find a pewter keychain with calf and cutter picture in the stocking over the hearth on Christmas morning. It's one of many NCHA items available from Tioga Territory.

Breedings to top stallions support youth
Breedings to leading stallions Smart Lil Scoot, Quixote Mac, Dulces Smart Lena, Kit Dual, Kodo, and Doc Per have been donated to NYCHA's Stallion Service Program .

The program benefits National Youth Cutting Horse Association activities, while giving stallions greater exposure on the web and in the Cutting Horse Chatter.

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 go towards NYCHA scholarships, awards, activities and postage for the newsletter.

To participate in the program, fill out the 2003 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, please 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 noon on Thursday, February 6, 2003.

NCHA Night at the Races
Last year several hundred cutting horse enthusiasts turned out for NCHA Night at Lone Star Park in Grand Prairie, Texas. The popular promotion is back this year. All NCHA members are invited to gather for a night at the races on Saturday, November 9 to catch some of the world's fastest American Quarter Horses competing in the $20,000 JEH Stallion Station Handicap, plus ten other great races.

And there's great food in Lone Star Park's Silks Dining Room, the largest restaurant in the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex.

Call Karla Reeves at (972) 237-1143 no later than Wednesday, November 6, to reserve free tickets and seating in the Silks Dining Room. Gates open at 5:00 p.m. and the first race starts at 6:35 p.m.

Cuttin' Capital Celebration
Red Steagall and special guests will provide the entertainment at Campbell Health Foundation's Cuttin' Capital Celebration at the Radisson Plaza Hotel in Fort Worth, Texas on Friday, November 8, starting at 7:00 p.m. The evening of dining and dancing will benefit Campbell Health System's Emergency Department in Parker County, Texas.

The fundraiser will feature a live auction headlined by a 2003 breeding to leading sire Peptoboonsmal donated by Elaine Hall. There will also be a silent auction.

Individual tickets are $150, and a portion of that is tax-deductible. For more information, call the Campbell Health Foundation at (817) 599-1188 or visit their web site .

Brumbaugh's for Youth
Brumbaugh's Leather Gallery will donate a portion of their sales between November 15 and December 15 to NYCHA. Stop by the store in West Fort Worth (817.244.9377) or at their booth in the Coors Light Tradeshow during the NCHA Futurity to help the National Youth Cutting Horse Association. During this time, one percent of all (up to a total of $2,500) will be donated to NYCHA. The holiday season is a great time to buy that leather couch or southwestern rug you've always wanted. Brumbaugh's Leather Gallery is a proud sponsor of the National Cutting Horse Association.

Renew on-line
With on-line processing , it's easier than ever to renew your NCHA membership for 2003.

And for a limited time there are extra incentives to renew your membership now:

* Sign up for a three-year membership (2003-2005) before November 15 and your name will be entered in a drawing for one Lifetime membership, valued at $750, in addition to the drawing below.

* Sign up for a three-year membership (2003-2005) by March 1 and you will be entered in a drawing for a Sam's Club Gift Certificate, valued at $1,000.

Because of the already low rate for NYCHA members, youth memberships are not eligible for these special incentives.

Attention Amateurs
Just a reminder that 2003 Amateur cards are held at the NCHA office until after the point year has closed. If you have renewed for 2003 and have not received your new card, don't panic, it will be mailed in late December.

Advertising opportunities
The advertising deadline for the January issue of the Cutting Horse Chatter is December 1. Call Shawn McCoy at (817) 244-6188 or (817) 980-4754 for more information.

Ranch Tours
The Weatherford, Texas, Chamber of Commerce will host the Tour of Champions December 3- 4, 2002. You will visit state-of-the-art veterinary facilities, ranches and see some of the most successful Cutting Sires in the World. While traveling in a luxury touring bus you will have a chance to shop at many of Weatherford charming shops. Cost of the day tour is $25 per person. Buses will depart at 9:00 am from Will Roger Memorial Center and return at approximately 4:00 pm. Lunch is included. For more information contact the Weatherford Chamber of Commerce at 817.594.3801.