Eastern Nationals Underway
The Wayne Hodges Trailers * Outlaw Conversions Eastern National Championships opened in Jackson, Mississippi on Monday and continues through March 18. The show's first champion is Smart Lil Jewel, ridden by Zeke Entz for Brad Spence of Collierville, Tennessee, in the $10,000 Novice class. The $3,000 Novice class will be decided today.

Keep up with all the news from Jackson in the Daily Chatter, and follow the scores in the AQHA/NCHA Affiliate Challenge online as the show progresses.

NCI Building Systems Sponsors NCHA Futurity
NCI Building Systems, Inc. will be the title sponsor of the NCHA World Championship Futurity. NCI's support of cutting's showcase event, along with purse enhancements already approved by the NCHA Executive Committee, will help raise the added money for the NCHA Futurity to $625,000 compared to $300,000 in 2005.

NCI Building Systems is one of the largest integrated manufacturers and marketers of metal building components, custom engineered metal building systems and metal coil coaters in North America.

Based in Houston, Texas, NCI Building Systems has 34 facilities located in the United States and Mexico.

What a World!
Thousands of cutting horse fans packed the Amarillo National Center Saturday night for the final round of the Open and Non-Pro divisions of the 2005 NCHA World Finals. They tuned into Rancharrah Radio to hear the expert commentary of Tom Holt and Kurt Crawford as the competition unfolded.

Bobs Hickory Rio, ridden by Boyd Rice for the James Kenney Horse Trust, marked 227 in the final round to pass the $100,000 mark for the 2005 season and be named World Champion Open Horse.

Mary Jo Milner, reunited with Red White And Boon, took the Non-Pro World Championship for a record seventh time.

Here are the 2005 World Champions:

• Open: Bobs Hickory Rio
• Non-Pro: Mary Jo Milner
• $10,000 Novice: Smart Play Who
• $3,000 Novice: Lena Brow
• $10,000 Novice/Non-Pro: Tangy Starlight
• $50,000 Amateur: Suzanne Rodoni-Silverberg
• $20,000 Non-Pro: Cody Hedlund
• $10,000 Amateur: Lisa Taylor
• $2,000 Limited Rider: Tammy Bouget
• Senior Youth: Jordan Milner
• Junnior Youth: Ty Moore

You can read about the show as it happened in the Daily Chatter newsletter, and review the Official Program of the NCHA World Finals online.

The Race Is On In 2006
CD Lights, owned by Danny Motes and Winston Hansma, has widened his lead in the Open standings for the 2006 point year.

Remember, you can keep up with the standings in all NCHA-approved classes online every week.

Victory in Vegas
Paul Hansma rode Our Little Dyno to a 225-point win for Milt and Mary Bradford worth $300,000 in the MillionHeir Classic on Sunday. The show was held in conjunction with the South Coast Winter Championship at the new South Coast Equestrian Center. Dustin Adams won the 4-year-old Non-Pro division of the MillionHeir on MH Bijous Bodee.

Tag Rice rode Memphis Futurity champ Purdy Boy Flash to his second major victory in the South Coast Derby Open finals for owners Jack and Susan Waggoner. The ubiquitous Jim Vangilder won the Non-Pro Derby on Guys Little Jewel.

NCHA Cutting Academy
The NCHA Cutting Academy, a series of grass roots cutting clinics to be held throughout the country, will be launched on April 22 in DuQuoin, Illinois. Four clinics will be scheduled annually in different locations, with the emphasis on the education and presentation of showing horses.

The inaugural NCHA Cutting Academy clinic will start off with an overview by NCHA by Executive Director Jeff Hooper, and will continue with a session on judging and rules conducted by NCHA Director of Judges Russell McCord. The afternoon session will focus on live works, with evaluations and critiques of each ride by some of the industry’s leading trainers.

Julie Davis, NCHA’s Membership Services Manager, will also be on hand to answer questions relating to NCHA membership and Non-Pro and Amateur status.

Keep Your Membership Active
March 1 is the deadline for renewing your NCHA membership for 2006. If you had an active membership in 2005, but have not renewed by March 1, you will no longer be eligible to show horses in NCHA competition, and beginning with the April issue, you will no longer receive the award-winning Cutting Horse Chatter magazine until your membership is renewed.

Triple Crown Accommodations
If you're headed to the NCHA Super Stakes, check out the Green Oaks Hotel in Fort Worth, Texas. They offer a 10% discount to NCHA members who make their reservations 60 days out, and 5% for those who make reservations 30 days out. That deal works for all three NCHA shows in Fort Worth. Call (800) 433-2174 for more information. With the recent closing of several Fort Worth area hotels, it's especially important to book your rooms early.

NYCHA Stallion Service Program
Why spend more for breeding fees if you don’t have to? All remaining breedings donated to the NYCHA Stallion Service Program can be purchased on a first-come, first-serve basis for 60% of the advertised breeding fees. To purchase any of the remaining breedings, contact Danette McGuire, NCHA Youth Coordinator at (817) 244-6188. All proceeds benefit the National Youth Cutting Horse Association.

Judge Recertification Seminars
There will be a series of Judge Recertification Seminars in 2006 held in conjunction with three major shows starting with the Eastern National Championship in March. It is mandatory that all NCHA carded judges attend at least one of these recertification seminars in 2006.

• Jackson, Mississippi – March 11, 2006
• Reno, Nevada – May 13, 2006, 1:00 p.m. (in conjunction with the PCCHA Derby/Classic/Challenge)
• Fort Worth, Texas – July, 29, 2006, 8:00 a.m. (in conjunction with the NCHA Summer Cutting Spectacular)

Horse Power Brochure Available
The American Horse Council offers a comprehensive and entertaining look at the economics of today’s horse industry in its new American Horsepower brochure. The full-color brochure is based on statistics and information from the Economic Impact of the Horse Industry on the United States study that was commissioned by the American Horse Council Foundation.

Contact the American Horse Council at 202-296-4031 to purchase copies of the brochure.

Equine ID Legislation
Three bills dealing with the National Animal Identification System have gone before the US House Committee on Agriculture in the past 12 months. The American Horse Council has established a website at www.horsecouncil.org/equineid.htm as a one-stop resource for information on this issue.

Listen Up!
NCHA Director of Judges Russell McCord and announcer Tom Holt have recorded a new audio CD that examines NCHA's contest rules. The insightful commentary can help you show your horse better and improve your scores. The price for the Rules and Regulations Audio CD is just $10.00, or $10.83 for Texas residents (to cover sales tax). There are no shipping and handling charges except for foreign orders. Visa or MasterCard are accepted. Fax your order to Holly Davis at (817) 244-2015, or email Holly for more information.

The Chatter's 2006 Media Kit and Rate Card and Advertising Contract are now online.

Join Us!
Get your NCHA membership today and receive a subscription to the NCHA's award-winning monthly magazine, Cutting Horse Chatter. You can join quickly and easily right now, just click on this link to join online. If you have questions or need additional information about membership please contact the membership department at 817-244-6188 or email Julie Davis or Peggy Cox.

Don't Miss This!
A printer's gremlin kept the following ads out of the March issue of Cutting Horse Chatter, but you can see them online right now:

• Wendy Allen Saddlery
• Bruce Cheaney Custom Saddles
• Doyle Folsum
• Gillham's Handmade Spurs
• Holy Cow Performance Horses
• MC Equine Enterprise
• Murray Leather Goods
• Pieper Ranch
• Smith Horses, Inc.
• Twisted L Ranch
• Walker Ranch

You can also relive some of the great moments of cutting horse history with VHS tapes of many of the past Triple Crown events, available from the NCHA Video Library. Tapes are $29.95, plus $5.95 for shipping and handling. Call the NCHA Marketing Department at (817) 244-6188 for more information about ordering. And right now, there's a special, limited-time offer on the 2003 NCHA World Championship Futurity and 2004 Super Stakes videos together for $49.95 plus $5.95 shipping and handling.