National Cutting Horse Assoc. Membership At All-Time High

In a “down” economy, some things are still on the way up. Membership in the National Cutting Horse Association reached an all-time record high of 20,255, on November 4, 2009, according to NCHA Executive Director Jeff Hooper. “We are especially pleased to have reached this milestone in 2009, during a stressful year for the national and world economy,” Hooper said. “And with recent reports of economic growth and recovery, we expect to surpass this new record in 2010.” Cutting horse competition is the world’s richest equine arena sport. In 2009, NCHA purses exceeded $43 million, earned by members across 50 states and from 21 foreign countries. The NCHA oversees over 2,200 cutting horse events each year around the globe. For an example of the size of scope of NCHA’s major events, the “Triple Crown of Cutting” (The NCHA Futurity, Super Stakes and Summer Spectacular) will distribute over $10 million in prize money in 2009. For comparison, the Triple Crown of Thoroughbred racing (the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont Stakes) distributed $4 million in purse money this year...read more