NCHA World Championship Futurity Underway

The National Cutting Horse Association’s most exciting competition of the year, the 2007 NCI Building Systems NCHA World Championship Futurity, is taking place Nov. 25 through Dec. 16 at the Will Rogers Memorial Coliseum in Fort Worth, Texas. There are more than 1,700 entries competing for the largest payout to date: $4.2 million.

For many, the NCHA Futurity represents the beginning of a successful career in the show-ring: Young equine athletes will make their professional debut over the course of this 22-day event. The Open Champion takes home $250,000 and the title of NCHA Open Futurity Champion. In addition to cash prizes, the Futurity champions receive awards from participating sponsors.

The 13th Annual Celebrity Cutting Event, presented by the Careity Foundation, was held Friday, Nov. 30 in conjunction with the Futurity. Proceeds from this event provide funding for a variety of supportive clinical services for cancer patients in the local area. The event featured national and local celebrities, including Sunny Burgess, Tanya Tucker, Trent Willmon, Dan Roberts, Lynn Anderson, Dr. William (Bill) Jordan, Justin McBride and Betty Buckley. For information and photos, visit www.celebritycutting.org.

The 17th Annual Charles Goodnight Gala honoring the Green Family Ranches and introducing the NCHA Hall of Fame inductees will take place at 6:30 p.m. Dec.10, 2007 at The Renaissance-Worthington Hotel. Entertainment will be provided by country music star, Brad Paisley. For more information, visit www.charlesgoodnightgala.com.

Western Bloodstock will host cutting horse sales Dec. 9 through Dec. 16. Several sessions will be broadcast live on RFD-TV. The Preferred Breeders Sale Session 1 and the Western Bloodstock Invitational Yearling Sale will be live at 5 p.m. Dec. 12. On Dec. 15, XTO Energy’s Million Dollar Stallion Parade will be live at 8 a.m. The NCHA Futurity Select 2-year-old sale is at 9:30 a.m. Horses for all levels of riders and cutting events will be available at this sale. For more information, visit www.westernbloodstock.com.

If you can’t catch all the action in person, the 2007 NCI Building Systems NCHA Futurity finals will be broadcast live on RFD-TV Dec. 16. This special three-hour live telecast of the Open Finals begins at 6:30 p.m. (CST) and will also feature highlights from the Non-Pro and Amateur Finals. For more information, visit www.nchacutting.com.