Pick of the Best!
The Wrangler Cutting Horse Futurity
Calgary, October 11 – 16, 2005
October 17, 2005
Calgary, Alberta --- Exclusive to Alberta Equine ...On-Line --- When folks say “Calgary” and “Stampede Park” in the same breath, the popular ten-day celebration of the Calgary Stampede is usually front and centre in their minds, but it’s a mindset that Rob Stirling, Chair of the Western Performance Horse Committee at the Calgary Exhibition and Stampede would like to change. “We want the public to know that we have events happening all year round, with people coming from all over to attend.”
The committee hosts three types of competition on Stampede Park, the working cow horse, team penning and cutting. “The Wrangler Cutting Horse Futurity started in the mid-1990’s, like the team penning and the working cow horse events”, Stirling explains; “you’ll see the best of the best horses and extremely talented riders working together, they’re all superb athletes in their own right.”
Cutting is a skill that’s been honed on cattle ranches all over the world. When a calf is separated from the herd, the task must be managed with quiet deliberation and efficiency. At the ranch, this allows minimal stress upon the young animals, whose natural instincts require them to herd together in order to feel safe. The same principles apply in the cutting competition. A small herd of about twenty-five yearlings is brought into the arena. The animals – mainly heifers, (females) as they show better than steers (males), are so carefully handled that spectators are not even allowed to sit near the area where they are brought in. As a horse and rider “quiets” the herd, riding carefully into it and moving the animals gently here and there, the competitors are lined up watching the animals move about. They’re checking which cows they’ll target when it’s their turn to compete in the 2:30 minute trial.
About ten minutes later, after a random draw as to the order of go, the competition begins. The three judges climb up on their high vantage points, the two turnback riders and the two herd-holders position themselves in the ring, and the countdown begins. It’s an extraordinary sight as the horse and rider approach the herd. There’s an element of stalking to the exercise, but it’s more than that; the horse and rider become an entity with an extreme focus, gliding deep into the herd and nudging several animals away from the main group. Spectators can tell almost immediately which cow the horse has decided upon, because now the talents of the horse are on display. Ignoring the other cows running back to the main herd, the horse advances upon his chosen animal. The rider holds the reins loosely, moving with the horse as they dance with the cow, back and forth in the ring, the cow spinning and ducking and weaving in an attempt to join the others. The crowd yips its approval of a good, clean cut, and then the animal is free to go. There’s time for about two more cuts, and then the judges quickly decide on a score, based upon the way the horse reacts to the cows and the challenges the cows offer to the team, as well as errors that might be made by the team.
At the 2005 Wrangler Cutting Horse Futurity, the “Futurity Open” finals on Saturday, October 15 saw, “Our champions of the future”, according to Stirling. “This is our premiere event, with a purse of $70,000. The horses in this event are three year olds, with about eighteen months of training. They’re bred for cutting, to have the skills and abilities that make them the finest of the new horses in Canada.”
This year, Cods Six Cat and rider Denton Moffat were the champions, taking home the $17,000 first prize as well as an NCHA (National Cutting Horse Association) trophy and buckle. The reserve champions were HR Hired Gun and rider Rick Hook, who were awarded $12,000 along with a sterling silver buckle.
Cutting is a team sport like no other, where valuable horses and experienced riders work together in a harmony wrought from its origins in the Old West. It’s a chance for spectators to see how the cowboy way of life continues to bring sterling values of trust, hard work, and an appreciation for the subtle interactions of horse, cow and rider into today’s rushed, mechanized world, and the Calgary Stampede Western Performance Horse Committee is proud to showcase events from Alberta’s agriculture industry. Stirling points out that almost 150 exhibitors and owners participated in this year’s Wrangler Cutting Horse Futurity, “Working Cow Horse, Team Penning and Cutting events are growing in popularity, and even with some horses from the U.S. unable to come this year because of vesticular stomatitis, this has still been a very good year for us.”
The Wrangler Cutting Horse Futurity competition finals in the Open Futurity category concluded after a week of high-spirited competition featuring some of the top cutters in North America. A total of $72,103 in prize money was presented to the winners. Open Futurity Horse Rider/City Owner/City Pay 1Cods Six Cat Denton Moffat Ron Knutson $17,016.31 Armstrong BC Spokane WA 2HR Hired Gun Rick Hook Pat & Norman Kerr $12,077.25 Louis Creek BC Kamloops BC 3Play A Short CD Dustin Gonnet Scott Wardley $7,030.04 Okotoks AB Okotoks AB 4Little Wild Wilma Gerry Hansma Gordon Roper $5,768.24 Granum AB Calgary AB 5Solanos Smart Chic Guy Heintz Brian &Vicki Braun $5,047.21 High River AB Beechy SK 6Meradas Acre Denton Moffat Denton/Binky Moffat $3,064.38 Armstrong BC Armstrong BC 7A Stylish Acre Bill Speight Bill & Elaine Speight $2,703.86 Rocky Mtn House AB Rocky Mtn House AB 8Ikes Lil Badger Loren Christianson Harvey Giese $2,343.35 Stony Plain AB Stony Plain AB 9Haida Freckle Cain Quam Doug Appleton $2,235.19 Kendal SK Indian Head SK 10Lookin At A Lena Gerry Hansma Jim & Teri Paradis $2,163.09 Granum AB Okotoks AB 11Play Mia CD Lynx Neil Stevenson Christopher Eggertson $1,802.58 Nanton AB Calgary AB 12Lights On Hickory Keith Kitchen H & L Dohan $1,442.06 Bend OR Bend OR 13Angels Smart Date Dustin Gonnet Fred Millar $1,442.06 Okotoks AB Okotoks AB 14Smart Koki Joe Brad Pedersen Gerald Cronk $1,369.96 Lacombe AB Stettler AB 15Graysan Diamond Josh Sleeman Duane Bruner $1,319.49 Yelm WA Castle Rock WA 16Keeper Lookin Cathy Anderson Larry Sushelnitski $1,319.49 Scandia AB Iron Springs AB Open Derby Horse Rider/City Owner/City Pay Hicks First Player Brad Pedersen Dr. Geoff Thomas $10,091.19 Lacombe AB Red Deer AB Pepinics Colonel Dustin Gonnet Fred Millar $7,128.64 Okotoks AB Okotoks AB Whoa Question Me Rick Hook Rick Hook $5,091.89 Louis Creek BC Louis Creek BC Non-Pro Futurity Horse Rider/City Owner/City Pay BSF Chicy High Carl Gerwien Willow Spring Ranch $7,041.25 Nanton AB Nanton AB One Smart Choice Danny Jones Danny Jones $5,069.70 Ponoka AB Ponoka AB Meradas Acre Binky Moffat Denton/Binky Moffat $3,943.10 Armstrong BC Armstrong BC Open Classic Horse Rider/City Owner/City Pay Pistols Smart Acre Elaine Speight Bill & Elaine Speight $8,160.33 Rocky Mtn House AB Rocky Mtn House AB - more - I CD Sparkle Brad Pedersen Gordon Gowdy $6,190.59 Lacombe AB Innisfail AB CDs Tough Angel Les Timmons Dennis Nolin $4,783.64 Kamloops BC Edmonton AB Non-Pro Derby Horse Rider/City Owner/City Pay Mates Special Gal David Anderson Dave & Lisa Anderson $7,356.34 Calgary AB Calgary AB Aristocrat Brat Fred Millar Fred Millar $5,044.35 Okotoks AB Okotoks AB CF Reba Brian Butlin Brian Butlin $3,783.26 Edmonton AB Edmonton AB Non-Pro Classic Horse Rider/City Owner/City Pay This Duals Ahick Bonnie Pearson R. & B. Pearson $8,150.63 Manyberries AB Manyberries AB Pistols Smart Acre Elaine Speight Bill & Elaine Speight $4,584.73 Rocky Mtn House AB Rocky Mtn House AB Play Me Again Fred Millar Fred Millar $4,584.73 Okotoks AB Okotoks AB For more information go to www.stampedeagriculture.com
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