NCHA News

FORT WORTH – Join the National Cutting Horse Association (NCHA) in West Monroe, Louisiana, for the 2025 NCHA Eastern Nationals presented by 6666 Ranch. This exciting event will take place at the iconic Ike Hamilton Expo Center known as “The Ike.”

Event Details: 

• Date & Time: February 27 – March 8, competition begins at 8 A.M. each day.
• Location: Ike Hamilton Expo Center, 2305 N 7th Street, West Monroe, LA 71291.
• Highlight: Thanks to our generous sponsors, there will be a FREE dinner hosted on February 28^th featuring Stalekracker (Justin Chiasson), a world-famous TikTok chef with over 10 million followers!
• Admission: Admission is FREE to the NCHA Eastern National Championship. This is a family-friendly event and fun for all! Please note that dogs are not allowed in the expo center.

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

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 and 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 and qualify prior to entry. To see if you qualified, go to: https://www.nchacutting.com/events/eastern/national-championship-qualifiers. 

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, please contact Jessica Gryder at jgryder@nchacutting.com. For sponsorship opportunities, please contact Katie Udell at kudell@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 on Instagram (@nchacutting) for the latest updates.

How to Join:
Join the NCHA family here. Membership includes our magazine, Cutting Horse Chatter, with show champions, member stories, sponsor discounts, and advertising opportunities. For more information on the NCHA or upcoming events and schedules, please check out our website at nchacutting.com.

NCHA Merchandise: To shop and explore the newest NCHA fashions and gear, check out https://shopncha.com. 

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[Reprinting all or part of this press release is permitted, so long as credit is given to the National Cutting Horse Association and a link is provided back to nchacutting.com.]