NCHA News

FORT WORTH – Join the National Cutting Horse Association (NCHA) in Fort Worth, Texas, for the third leg in our Triple Crown events! The 2024 NCHA Great American Insurance Group Summer Cutting Spectacular will take place at the historic Will Rogers Memorial Complex in Fort Worth, Texas.

Event Details:

· Date & Time: July 13 – August 3, 2024, competition begins at 8 A.M. each day.

· Location: Will Rogers Memorial Complex, Fort Worth, Texas.

· Highlight: The Best of the West Tradeshow will be held in the Amon Carter Exhibit Hall, featuring boutiques, farm equipment, and more! The NCHA dog race is open for you to enter your furry friends on July 18th. Youth members will compete for championship titles and scholarships at the NYCHA Holy Cow Performance Horses World Finals and NCHA Foundation Scholarship Cutting. August 3rd will feature the second annual NCHA Military Cutting Competition, where select military members will learn to ride a cutting horse and then compete in the evening.

· Free Admission: The NCHA Great American Insurance Group Summer Cutting Spectacular is free to the public, including finals days. Please note dogs are prohibited in the coliseum.

Schedule: The full schedule, including each day's working order, is on the NCHA website (https://www.nchacutting.com/events/summer-spectacular).

Super Stakes History: The Summer Spectacular is held in July. It is the final leg of the NCHA Triple Crown of Cutting and is contested over 20 days. It features the NCHA Derby for 4-year-olds and the NCHA Classic Challenge for 5/6-year-olds and offers a purse of nearly $3 million. The Summer Cutting Spectacular is known as the third jewel in the NCHA Triple Crown. Running concurrently with the Summer Spectacular is the Youth World Finals, along with the NCHA Military Cutting Challenge.

What is cutting?

The term cutting refers to the act of separating one cow from a herd of cattle. The sport of cutting involves a horse, a rider, and a herd of cattle.

Cattle are herd animals. One cow will instinctively try to return to the group. Knowing that a horse and rider team will quietly ride into the herd, select and "cut" off, or separate, one cow from the group (letting the unpicked cows return to the herd behind) and then prevent that cow from rejoining the herd - until they decide to let it go. Keeping the cow separated requires incredible intelligence and physical ability on the part of the horse. Once the cow is separated, riders are no longer allowed to use their reins. Trained cutting horses are required to think on their own and anticipate and react to the cow's moves. The competition is judged based on many factors - difficulty and how well the horse anticipates and reacts. This is the only equine competition where the horse is required to think for itself.

More information on the history of the NCHA and cutting can be found on our website: https://www.nchacutting.com/members/getting-started

Qualification:

All owners and riders of entered horses must be members in good standing of the National Cutting Horse Association.

Media, Marketing, and Sponsors:

The 2024 NCHA Photography and Videography Policy applies to this event. All professional photographers and media companies not on assignment from a specific media at NCHA Events are required to apply for a private media pass and provide the accompanying fee OR be a corporate partner of the NCHA. The NCHA Business Development department has the sole discretion to approve sponsor media credentials. Please note that approved sponsors are still required to apply; however, no fee is required. Official letters of assignment are required to be submitted prior to the event. For media inquiries or sponsorship opportunities, please contact Carley Myers at cmyers@nchacutting.com.

Photos and Videos:

Photos and videos from the event can be purchased from the NCHA official videographer - Video West, and official photographer - Seth Petit Photography, at https://www.videowestpros.com.

Learn More: Visit the official NCHA website at nchacutting.com or follow NCHA on Facebook (National Cutting Horse Association) or Instagram (@nchacutting) for the latest updates.

How to Join: The NCHA offers FREE membership to new members for the first year! Join the NCHA family here. First-year membership includes a FREE online version of our magazine, Cutting Horse Chatter. For more information on the NCHA or upcoming events and schedules, please check out our website at nchacutting.com.