For Immediate Release

December 12, 2001

From the NATIONAL CUTTING HORSE ASSOCIATION

Contact: Amy Vorhes

817.244.6188 ext. 113

(Fort Worth, TX) -- Amateur competition continued into Round Two on Wednesday, December 12 at the National Cutting Horse Association's 40^th Annual World Championship Futurity.

While cutting began at Will Rogers Memorial Coliseum at 8 am, the NCHA was experiencing global exposure as NCHA President Lindy Burch took part in the Olympic Torch Relay through downtown Fort Worth.

In the arena, the names of people and horses to watch became more evident in the Amateur division. James Vangilder, who rode his mare, Meradas Clone, for 219 points in the first go, got every bit as much from his horse in the second go for another 219 points. Vangilder is from Jackson, Missouri, and advances to the Amateur Semi-Finals with 438 points.

Also scoring 219 points in Round Two of the Amateur was Mel Turner of Coppell, Texas. Turner rode a stallion called Instantly Smart, an SR Instant Choice son out of Smart Than Most by Smart Little Lena.

Leading the way, however, was Round One winner Kathleen Hauenstein riding Justa Swinging Miss. Hauenstein, of Santa Ynez, Claifornia, followed her first go score of 222 points with another 216.5, making for the highest two-round total in the Amateur at 438.5 points.

Forty-five pairs of rider and horse will continue on to the Amateur Semi-Finals, which begin December 13 at 10 am. Each of those entries accumulated the required 420 points for advancement.

What began on November 27 as 1,453 entries for the 2001 NCHA World Championship Futurity have now been pared down to 166. From there, the field will be dropped to 60 cutters who will ride for the largest portions of the $2.76 million purse.

The National Cutting Horse Association's 40^th Annual Futurity will wrap up 20 days of fierce competition on the evening of December 16 with the Open Futurity Finals and Champions Party thereafter where all of the show's champions will be the guests of honor.

In addition to world-class cutting, the NCHA also hosts the Cowboy Christmas Extravaganza trade and gift show, nine cutting horse sales, a Cowboy Santa, and a celebrity cutting. All of the NCHA's sponsors are on hand, including Sam's Club, Chevy Trucks, John Deere, Flowmaster, Sooner Trailers, and many, many more.

For more information about the National Cutting Horse Association, the 40th Annual NCHA World Championship Futurity, or the long list of activities that accompany the 20-day show, please call the NCHA at 817-244-6188 or visit www.nchacutting.com.