Making the cut: Horse event requires strategy, precision

When compared with most of the events that happen on the dirt at the Taylor County Expo Center, cutting can seem a little sedate. The setup is pretty simple. A rider and horse wade into a small crowd of cattle and cut one off from the rest of the herd. The selected cow (or the one being "worked") instinctively wants to return to the safety of numbers, so tries to make it back to its buddies. The horse and rider are tasked with staying in the lone cow's way and keeping it apart. Given that this year's Abilene Spectacular Cutting event runs through this weekend and next at the Expo Center — just in time for college bowls and the NFL playoffs — it seems fitting that participants compare the competition to football. But cutting's origins easily predate those of pigskin. Back in the days of the open range, cutting was an essential part of ranching life. Herds from neighboring ranches would intermingle, which could make for some headaches when it came time to sell cattle of a particular brand. To pluck the right cows from the herd, a rancher needed a horse that specialized in reading cattle and making those cuts. A good cutting horse was such a valuable tool that ranchers made a point of identifying and grooming the ones that showed the best "cow sense." The transition from ranch chore to competitive sport happened, as you might expect, because of some good old-fashioned cowboy braggadocio. Cowboys from Ranch A would brag on their cutting horse, while their counterparts at Ranch B would make their own counter-boasts. A couple of friendly wagers later, a cutting duel would be on. Back to the present (and its football metaphors), Big Country breeder and competitor Meredith McCullar describes a good cutting horse as being like a good quarterback. Athleticism counts, sure, but intelligence is the biggest factor in determining which stallions and mares rise to the top. McCullar, who ranches between Albany and Baird, isn't shy about proclaiming that he has two "superstars" in the making: stallion One Big Time and mare Duals Play Time. The pair of 4-year-olds come from the same mother. After being broken in for riding their second year, the duo spent their entire third year training as cutting horses...more