(Fort Worth, TX) — 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.

The City of Jackson, Mississippi, has been home of the Eastern Nationals cutting for 21 years. The 2002 show will be another 12-day cutting, and will bring some 900 to 1,000 cutters and their families to the metro Jackson area. Past figures credit the Chevy Trucks/NCHA Eastern National Championships for bringing an economic impact to the city of $8 million.

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 will only 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, which paid out $274,635 in 2001, all entrants in the show will also compete on behalf of their local NCHA Affiliate.

Points will be awarded for both participation and for 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.

While the NCHA cutters are in Jackson, they will be treated to a "Taste of Mississippi" celebration, hosted by Governor Ronnie Musgrove. The evening meal is offered by several of the area's top restaurants, and is often graced by the presence of state and local decision-makers. The annual NCHA Fish Fry is another highlight on the busy schedule of events. It is always a full evening -- the group of cutters and their families eat over 400 pounds of catfish, catch up with friends, and dance well into the night while waiting to see who will be the lucky person to pull home a new Sooner three-horse trailer.

The public is welcome to come out and see what the sport of cutting is all about at the Chevy Trucks/NCHA Eastern National Championships. Admission is free to watch the top cutting horses and riders from across the eastern United States.

The NCHA and Horsecity.com have developed an interactive, educational site about the sport. Visit and learn more at www.horsecity.com/NCHAcutting/nchacutting.shtml. For more information about the sport of cutting, the Chevy Trucks/NCHA Eastern National Championships, the AQHA/NCHA Affiliate Challenge, or the National Cutting Horse Association, please contact the NCHA at 817-244-6188 or visit www.nchacutting.com.