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| NCHA
helps APHA create perfect conditions for cutters
Money
and pride on the line at APHA's 2001 World Show
cutting competition
FORT WORTH-If you're a Paint
Horse cutter and up to the challenge of earning
big money at this year's American Paint Horse
Association (APHA) World Championship Show,
be sure to enter the Cutting Challenge competition.
This year's Challenge event features $10,000
in added money.
Cutting competition rounds
out the APHA World Show, scheduled June 24-July
7 at the Will Rogers Equestrian Center in Fort
Worth, Texas. Riders who register before April
15 pay a discounted entry fee.
A part of the First USA Challenge
Series, the competition will include the 3-Year-Old
Cutting Challenge and 4-Year-Old Cutting Challenge,
with $5,000 added to each. Preliminaries for
both events begin July 6 at the Will Rogers
Coliseum, with the finals taking place in the
same arena on July 7.
At the 2000 APHA World Show, 39 cutters earned
gross paybacks of $29,250 in the 3-Year-Old Cutting
Challenge, with the winner taking home $7,313.
In the 4-Year-Old Cutting Challenge, 28 competitors
shared gross paybacks of $21,500, with the first-place
finisher earning $5,375. |
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This year, the APHA World Show will continue
to offer cutting competition as part of its cattle classes.
Senior cutting classes are scheduled for July 6, while Amateur
and Junior cutting classes are scheduled for July 7, all at
the Will Rogers Coliseum. Entry deadline to avoid late fees
is May 15. Contestants in these events will also be eligible
for added-money awards.
By holding cutting competition during the
final two days of its World Show, APHA is able to take advantage
of world-class equipment and facilities provided by the National
Cutting Horse Association (NCHA). In preparation for its Summer
Cutting Spectacular, set for July 12-29, NCHA prepares the
arena during the final days of the APHA World Show.
NCHA goes to great lengths to provide an
ideal foundation for cutting horse competition, trucking in
special base dirt and raking sand into layers on the arena
floor. In addition, NCHA sets up special elevated stands near
the center of the arena floor so judges have the best possible
view of the action. An electronic scoreboard is brought in
that displays detailed information on the competition.
"Our relationship with NCHA over the
years has allowed us to set up the best environment possible
for Paint Horse cutting competitors," said Jim Kelley,
assistant executive secretary of the American Paint Horse
Association. "The conditions you find at the cutting
horse competition at our World Show are second to none."
NCHA Show Manager Dave Brian has also been
happy with the relationship between the two associations.
"Because of the tight schedule between our move-in dates
and APHA's move-out dates at the arena, this helps us get
our show started on time and helps APHA with its cutting competition,"
he said. "It has worked out well for both of us."
"It's a win-win situation," Kelley
added, "with cutting horse competitors coming out on
top."
For more details about cutting competition
at the APHA World show, call (817) 834-2742, extension 773.
For a complete 2001 APHA World Show schedule and other valuable
information, visit www.aphaworldshow.com.
More about APHA
The APHA was founded in 1962. By that year's end, early association
members had recruited 150 fellow Paint Horse enthusiasts and
registered 250 horses. By the end of 2000, APHA had enrolled
more than 100,000 members and registered nearly 593,000 Paint
Horses.
The Fort Worth-based non-profit association employs 165 people
and maintains an operating budget of more than $15 million
for activities worldwide.
For more information about APHA or APHA programs, call
(817) 834-2742, ext. 788, or log on to www.apha.com. |
