Off and running with the 2002 AQHA Affiliate Challenge program at Eastern

84 affiliates will take part in second year of program in Jackson

(Fort Worth, TX) — One of the most unique pieces of the American Quarter Horse Association’s Affiliate Challenge program with the National Cutting Horse Association is the fact that the challenge awards points not only for excellence, but for participation, as well.

The nature of the Chevy Trucks/NCHA Eastern National Championships is traditionally competitive, yet fun for the whole family at the same time. The AQHA/NCHA Affiliate Challenge program has proven itself to enhance that feeling. The Affiliate Challenge format encourages affiliates to send as many entries as they can to the Jackson cutting. In addition to the individual competition, all entrants in the show will also compete on behalf of their local NCHA Affiliate.

The program, which distributed $54,000 directly into NCHA affiliate clubs across the country, was a great success. In the program's first year of existence, entries at both the Eastern and Western National Championships rose nearly six percent.

Points are awarded for both participation and excellence of performance. The affiliates whose members accumulate the highest scores will receive cash prizes of up to $7,500 with a total of $27,000 to be awarded at each of the Eastern and Western National Championships.

Last year’s winner at the Eastern National Championships, the North Mississippi CHA, is off to an early lead with 670 points based on entries for this year’s show. The 2003 edition of the Eastern National Championships has 84 affiliate organizations competing for that $27,000. That money is intended to supplement and strengthen those clubs by way of allowing them to produce more shows, offer better awards, do more promotions, and so on.

For the first time ever, entries at the Chevy Trucks / National Cutting Horse Association Eastern National Championships have topped 1,000. A record 1,005 contestants will vie for a share of the $288,391 purse in the big show which opens in Jackson, Mississippi on March 11. The annual cutting will continue through March 22, with cutting beginning every day at 8 a.m.

The National Cutting Horse Association is made up of over 14,000 members across the United States with a wide range of backgrounds. The sport of cutting has roots in Western ranching traditions, where good horses were a necessity for everyday ranch work and cattle handling. From cowgirls to CEOs, from firefighters to professional football players, the common ground is often in the cutting arena. Each year more than 1,400 NCHA-approved events are held throughout the country with more than $28 million in prize money awarded.

To learn more about the National Cutting Horse Association and the sport of cutting, call 817-244-6188 or visit www.nchacutting.com.