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For more information contact : Brian Hall 5182 0629 or Carol Kavanagh 5182 6995. |
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NATIONAL CUTTING HORSE ASSOCIATION
Held
every Easter at the
Port Albert Racecourse  |
|
 Introduction
The cutting horse evolved at a time when there were few fences and thousands of cattle grazed
vast areas in the Southwest of the United States in the early 1800’s. Cattlemen gathered
large herds on open plains. Individual cows had to be separated or “cut” from
the herd for branding, sending to market or driving to new sections of grazing. It was soon
discovered that the job could be performed easily and efficiently by using specially trained
horses called “cutting
horses”. The competitive nature of the cattlemen lead to the initiation of cutting horse
competitions in the mid-19th century. In 1898, the first known contest for money was held at
the Cowboy Reunion in Haskell, Texas. |
 From this a whole industry has developed with
cutting spreading to 22 countries throughout the world and individual stallions being valued
in the millions. The NCHA was formed in Australia in 1972 and is an affiliate of the American
National Cutting Horse Association. Events are held around the world totalling over $20 million
annually. Australia now exports cutting horses and trainers to the USA on a regular basis
and sends Non Professional Teams to compete overseas. Cutting has grown from its origin into a highly competitive Australian and world wide equine sport. |
