12/04/2002 E-newsletter sponsored by

Western Horseman Cup unveiled
The Western Horseman Cup, an exciting new program that will recognize and reward top aged event competitors to the tune of $250,000, was unveiled yesterday in Fort Worth, Texas.

William Morris III and NCHA Executive Director Jeff Hooper told cutters how the innovative program organizes existing aged events across North America into seasons, culminating in a quarter-million dollar showdown to be held at the Augusta Futurity in January 2004.

Morris, whose Cowboy Publishing Group publishes Western Horseman and Quarter Horse News, said, "I think this is one of the most exciting things that has happened in this industry in a long time. Here is a tremendous example of something the NCHA is doing for all of the shows throughout our nation that have $10,000 in added money or more, in bringing together a year-round world championship show with $250,000 of extra added money at the end of the season."

Read about the announcement and the full details of the program.

Members Open House
An open house for NCHA members will be held at NCHA's new offices, 260 Bailey Avenue, Fort Worth, Texas during the 2002 Chevy Trucks / NCHA World Championship Futurity on December 13 from 11:30 am to 4:30 pm. Please stop by on December 13 for hors d'oeuvres or any weekday that you're in the area.

NCHA Futurity underway
Martin Sharron's Smart Oh Cay, ridden by Graham Amos, set the pace with a combined score of 438 after round two of open competition at the Chevy Trucks NCHA World Championship Futurity which got underway November 27. Today's action sees the first round of Non-Pro competition .

Keep up with all of the news as it happens by reading the Daily Chatter newsletter. You can also watch the action live on the internet .

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 $2,777,597.

There will be a host of social events during the Futurity, including:
Hall of Fame & Awards Party
Saturday, December 7 at 6 pm in the Round Up Inn. The Hall of Fame & Awards Party will recognize the Hall of Fame members and the 2002 Zane Schulte Award winner will be announced. Everyone invited, dinner provided, cash bar. This event is co-sponsored by Merrill Lynch, Quarter Horse News and Western Horseman.

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. Please RSVP to Julie Davis or Peggy Cox in the Membership Department.

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.

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!

Celebrity Cutting to Benefit Cancer Care and NCHA Charities
Join your friends at the 2002 Celebrity Cutting on December 6 for a star-studded evening of great cutting, live country & western music, an auction and lots of fun presented by Americredit.

The 8^th Annual Celebrity Cutting will be held the evening of December 6 during the 2002 Chevy Trucks / NCHA Futurity at Will Rogers Memorial Coliseum. The Celebrity Cutting is a one of a kind, one night only opportunity to watch some of the nation's best celebrity cutters while supporting two great causes - Cancer Care and NCHA Charities.

Guests will include Kix Brooks, Lynn Anderson, Clay Walker and many more. Plan to join us for a live "Celebrity Concert" at the Celebrity Shindig afterwards, too. For more info and ticket orders visit www.celebritycutting.org

Sore Muscles and Joints? You need Dromeo for those aches and pains. Deep penetrating, topical analgesic gets to where you need it fast. Proceeds benefit NCHA Charities.

Chevy Truck to be given away at Futurity
Everyone (18 or older) who purchased a 2002 NCHA membership was automatically entered in a drawing to win a new Chevy Duramax Diesel crew-cab truck. At the beginning of the NCHA Futurity, one hundred names were drawn at random to remain eligible for the truck. Each day, five names are drawn at random for elimination from the list. [ Final Pool ]

On December 15, the day of the NCHA Futurity Open Finals, only five names will remain. Each of those people or their representatives will receive a key fob, and the one with the key that unlocks the truck will get to take it home.

NCHA Futurity will be Featured on Cowboy TV pay-per-view on 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 25 horses that earned the right to compete in the Open Finals. The telecast will show highlights from the Non-Pro and Amateur cutting finals earlier in the week. Go to Dish Network channel #456 to order.

Futurity Sale Sessions Set
Western Bloodstock has listed horses consigned to their Futurity Sales by lot order as a service to prospective buyers.

Internet show coming
NCHA Internet Access, a monthly program of cutting horse highlights and features is about to make its debut. The program, presented in part by Dean Sanders' Diamond Spur Ranch will be hosted by Shelly Burmeister and Chubby Turner.

In a first for the equine industry, the program, produced by Affinity Online Media , can be downloaded by subscribers to their home or office computer without the need for a broadband connection.

There will be demonstrations of the new program at the NCHA Futurity, and more details will be posted on the NCHA website this week.

Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce & North Texas Champions Club Stallion Service Benefit Auction
You are invited to attend the Stallion Service Benefit Auction Sunday, December 15 beginning at 9:30 am in the John Justin Arena. Western Bloodstock and the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce have teamed up to offer 2003 breedings to some of cutting's best stock. These breedings have been donated by their respective stallion owners and will sell to the highest bidder with all proceeds benefiting the North Texas Cutting Champions Club, a non-profit extension of the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce, with the sole purpose of ensuring that the National Cutting Horse Association's "Triple Crown of Cutting" remains in Fort Worth. Stallion breedings will sell in alphabetical order. Buyer will be responsible for the chute fee and all normal and customary mare care and veterinary expenses. Please join us for this important event.

You've got to laugh
Cutter Toons , the eagerly awaited cartoon book by renowned artist Jerry McAdams will be available at the NCHA Futurity December 11, just in time for Christmas. McAdams' cartoons with a cutting edge are a popular feature of the Daily Chatter newsletter at NCHA shows.

Down to the wire
Mary Jo Milner of Southlake, Texas is making a solid bid to win a record fifth NCHA Non-Pro World Championship. With results of most of the point year's shows compiled, Milner has earnings of $79,712, putting her more than $10,000 ahead of her son, Joey Milner, with 1990 Non-Pro World Champion Lee Garner in striking distance in third place.

In Open competition, 2001 World Champion Rosies Lena, owned by Don Mullins and ridden by Robert Rust and Jay Mac Rust, holds a narrow lead over Quixote Mac, owned by David Behnen, and ridden by Don Pooley. You can see all the latest standings on the NCHA website. [ Standings]

Breedings to Top Stallions Support Youth
Breedings to leading stallions Laker Doc, Dual Rey, Smart Aristocrat, Mr Skyline Peppy, Color Me Smart, Young Gun and Chula Dual have been added to the all-star list supporting NYCHA's Stallion Service Program .

This 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.

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 Cowboy Christmas Extravaganza during the NCHA Futurity to help the National Youth Cutting Horse Association. During this time, one percent of all sales 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
More and more NCHA members are discovering how easy it is to renew their membership with on-line processing . On December 2, Stefan and Karin Den Hartog of The Netherlands filed the one-thousandth on-line membership transaction since the service was instituted a few months ago.

And right now there is an extra incentive to renew your membership. If you sign up for a three-year membership (2003-2005) by March 1, 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).

Life membership winner
Bubba Lyles of Ridgeland, Mississippi won a life membership to the National Cutting Horse Association. His name was selected at random from a group of 581 NCHA members who submitted a three-year membership renewal prior to the November 15 drawing for a NCHA Life Membership.

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 February Stallion Issue of the Cutting Horse Chatter is January 1. Call Shawn McCoy at (817) 244-6188 or (817) 980-4754 for more information.

Houston Hotel Arrangements
If you're planning to attend the Houston Livestock Show cutting competition or the 2002 John Deere/NCHA World Championship Finals in Houston in February, you ought to start making your hotel arrangements now!

The following hotels have room blocks for the NCHA:

Holiday Inn Astrodome
8111 Kirby Drive
Houston, TX 77054
713-790-1900

Radisson Hotel Astrodome Convention Center
8686 Kirby Drive
Houston, TX 77054
800-552-0942

Equine Industry Vision Award
Nominations are being accepted until January 1 for the annual Equine Industry Vision Award, which will be presented at the American Horse Publications Seminar in on June 20, 2003. The award recognizes outstanding leadership, creativity and meritorious contributions in the equine industry.

Anyone is eligible to be nominated, or to nominate a candidate for the Equine Industry Vision Award and nominees may include individuals and/or organizations. Candidates may be considered for a single outstanding visionary achievement or for sustained outstanding contributions that have made a profound impact on the equine industry. Visit the AHP website for more details.

Change Our Address
Just a reminder to everyone that the new address for the NCHA is:
260 Bailey Avenue, Fort Worth, Texas 76107
Please make sure and change the information in all of your address books, etc, so that your mail will get through in a timely manner.

NCHA's telephone numbers, extensions and fax numbers remain the same in the new office, as well as staff e-mail addresses.

Director Consent Forms
Anyone who would like to give consent for their name to be included for Director Elections must sign and return their consent form to the NCHA office by December 15, 2002. All members who meet the requirements for Directors, and who give their permission to be named on the ballot, will be included on the election ballot sent to NCHA members in Districts having elections this year.

A director consent form and listing of those director districts with openings for the 2003 election can be found on page 448 of the December Chatter.