Eastern National Championships around the corner
The Wayne Hodges Trailers * Outlaw Conversions NCHA Eastern National Championships are set to open March 10 in Jackson, Mississippi. More than 900 entries have poured in for the $120,000-added event which runs through March 21. You can see the working order online right now. Besides the cutting action, there will be the Taste of Mississippi on March 11, Catfish Dinners on March 13 and 19, and the Youth Team Cutting on March 14.

March Chatter is online
The March issue of Cutting Horse Chatter, the special Youth issue featuring the Junior and Senior World Champions, is now online.

Western Bloodstock announces additional sale day for 2008 NCHA Super Stakes Sales - April 18 & 19
Western Bloodstock’s 2008 NCHA Super Stakes Sale has been extended to two days. The event is scheduled for Friday, April 18, and Saturday, April 19, at 9:00 AM each day in the Watt Arena. An exciting offering of 3-year-olds, trained cutting horses and broodmares, as well as a limited number of select yearlings and 2-year-olds will be selling. A final Schedule of Events and the On-Line Catalog will be available soon. Continue to check westernbloodstock.com for the most up-to-date listing of horses and information.

2008 NCHA Cutting Academy Grass Roots Clinics scheduled
Four NCHA Cutting Academy clinics are planned for 2008. The series of grass roots clinics are designed to increase the working knowledge of NCHA rules and improve showmanship in the arena.

• Session I of the Cutting Academy includes segments on understanding rules, equine nutrition plus information on membership, amateur and non-pro status and more. The cost, which includes a light breakfast and lunch, is just $25 at the door.
• Session II features live work critiques with some of the industry's leading experts. Cost for Session II is $150, with prepayment required.

Here's a schedule for the upcoming clinics, sponsored by Purina Mills:

• April 25, Hershey, Nebraska, featuring NCHA Director of Judges Russell McCord on "Understanding Rules and Judging," plus live works insights from trainer Ernie Beutenmiller, Jr of Union, MO.
• September 19, Clarksville, Arkansas, featuring NCHA Director of Judges Russell McCord on "Understanding Rules and Judging," plus live works insights from a leading trainer in our industry.

Watch for upcoming information on clinics in Region 2 (Nevada/Arizona) and Region 4 (Ohio). Contact Julie Davis (817) 244-6188 at the NCHA office for information and reservations.

Economic Stimulus Act helps horse industry
President Bush's recent signing of the Economic Stimulus Act included some good news for the horse business.

Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo cutting begins Monday
AQHA cutting kicked off the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo on Monday, and NCHA competition continues through Sunday, March 9. You're likely to see World Champions in several divisions at one of the nation's biggest stock show cuttings.

The race is on in 2008 . . .
The 2008 point year is building up steam with tight races in most divisions. Here's a look at all of the leaders:

SouthPoint, MillionHeir shows underway
Phil Rapp and Redneck Yachtclub won the MillionHeir Derby at the South Point Equestrian Center in Las Vegas, Nevada on Saturday. Bill Riddle won the South Point Derby on Glenn and Debbie Drake's Miss Stylish Pepto. You can watch a live webcast and announcer Tom Holt's twice-daily updates on NCHA Cutting Edge News. The show concludes with finals in eight events tomorrow.

Save on breeding fees
Save 40% on this year's breeding fees and help support the youth association by purchasing your 2008 breeding through the NYCHA Stallion Service Auction. Many great breedings are available including Abrakadabracre, Blue Duck Okie, Bobs Freckle, DJ Tracker, Dual Peppy and Freckles Fancy Twist. You’ll pay only 60% of the advertised breeding fee. All remaining breedings will be sold on a first-come, first-serve basis. All proceeds go to support youth scholarships, awards and activities. For more information, contact Danette McGuire, NCHA Youth Director at (817) 244-6188.

Buffalo Ranch supports NYCHA with stallion fees
S.David Plummer’s Buffalo Ranch is helping the NYCHA by lots and lots -- Lots Of Acres, that is. For the 2008 breeding season, Buffalo Ranch will donate 100% of Lots Of Acres’ breeding fees to the NYCHA scholarship fund. All breeding fees from outside mares will be earmarked for youth scholarships, with a minimum guaranteed donation of $50,000 per year.

"We are extremely excited to have Buffalo Ranch's support of the youth scholarship program," said NCHA Youth Coordinator Danette McGuire. "Their generous donation will enable us to help even more youth members as they enter college and continue their educations."

Lots Of Acres is standing the 2008 season at Buffalo Ranch in Farmington, Utah. The Bob Acre Doc son was a finalist at the 2002 NCHA Open Futurity, and has lifetime earnings of $57,269. His first foals arrived in 2006.

Membership
Renew now for 2008 and if you plan to compete in the Amateur or Non-Professional classes, don’t forget to complete your Amateur/Non-Pro Application.

Town & Country Foods launches fund-raising program
Town & Country Foods will donate $50 to the National Cutting Horse Association for every order placed by an NCHA member. Town & Country is the nation’s largest all-natural and organic in-home grocer. They deliver to your home all-natural, prime and choice, aged, restaurant-quality meats, flash-frozen and individually vacuum-packed, produced from Nebraska, Iowa and Colorado. They also offer Cascadian Farm’s organic vegetables and non-farmed sea-foods from Orca Bay.

Many consumers, faced with retail supermarket grocers, are frustrated with the high costs and low quality. By taking the building out of the equation, Town & Country can feed you high quality, nutritionally dense foods for $2-3 a portion.

Find out how a food consultant can deliver to your home about a week's worth of free meats, without obligation, then custom build a menu for your family and explain Town & Country's food system. Visit Town & Country's website at townandcountryfoods.com, watch the movie on the home page, then call them at 1-877-602-4774 to get started eating better food, delivered… at a better price.

Order your NCHA Limited Edition Winchester Rifle today!
The heritage of the Cutting Horse and the NCHA have been preserved in this high-grade, museum quality Winchester Model 94. The receiver is embellished with engravings and the high-grade stock is uniquely checkered for this rifle. A spectacular blend of nickel and 24-karat gold perfectly highlights the fine and graceful movement of a cutting horse working in a herd of cattle and the depictions are embellished with a 24-karat rope scroll. The Winchester's hammer and bolt are polished and jeweled with the edition number from 1 to 100 engraved on the bolt. For more information, call NyeKass Arms, LLC at 866-NKA-GUNS or click here.

Farmvet.com offers discount
NCHA's newest sponsor, FarmVet.com is offering NCHA members a 5% discount on products offered on their website. With access to over 50,000 products, an extensive equine pharmacy, the highest level of customer service, and fast shipments, FarmVet.com can get you what you need, when you need it.

Introducing the Sire's Get, All Foals Report
Order this report for an in-depth look at a breeding stallion. This report includes the following information:

• 3-generation pedigree of the subject
• The stallion's detailed NCHA show record, including all major limited age event placings
• Summary of the stallion's foals, performers, and their all-time and current-year earnings
• AQHA Alliance earnings for the subject horse
• List of all of the stallion's AQHA-registered foals, with their dam's and dam's sires, plus their NCHA earnings.

You can order all these reports right now from the official (NCHA/AQHA) web site by selecting the Purchase Reports option at the top of the page.

Rules resources
The NCHA Judges Department has a variety of resources to help members become better cutters. You can order these CDs and DVDs today:

• The acclaimed Inside the Judges Stand DVD, presented by Peptotime and Justin Insurance, in which judges score and discuss live performances.
• Judges Rules and Guidelines DVD, a must for everyone who shows.
• Understanding the Rules CD, the perfect soundtrack as you haul to your next show.
  

NCI Building Systems sponsors NCHA Futurity
With a website for cutters, NCI Building Systems, Inc is the title sponsor of the NCHA World Championship Futurity. NCI Building Systems is the leading integrated manufacturer and marketer of metal building components, custom engineered metal building systems and metal coil coaters in North America. Based in Houston, Texas, NCI Building Systems has 44 manufacturing facilities located throughout the United States, in Mexico and in Canada.

Get covered
A khaki cap from Tioga Territory is great for displaying your cutting pride! It has a sandwich bill that reads "NCHA" with NCHA embroidery on the bill. The back velcro strap also reads "NCHA".