The NCHA World Championship Futurity (NCHA Futurity), originally established in 1962, is an annual
cutting horse
A cutting horse is a stock horse, typically an American Quarter Horse, bred and trained for cutting, a modern equestrian competition requiring a horse and rider to separate a single cow from a herd of cattle and prevent it from getting back to th ...
event, or limited age event, that is hosted by the
National Cutting Horse Association The National Cutting Horse Association (or NCHA) is a non-profit equestrian organization headquartered in the US. Their primary purpose is to promote and sponsor cutting events.[cutting
Cutting is the separation or opening of a physical object, into two or more portions, through the application of an acutely directed force.
Implements commonly used for wikt:cut, cutting are the knife and saw, or in medicine and science the scal ...]
horses, and the first jewel in the
NCHA Triple Crown
The NCHA Triple Crown comprises three major cutting horse aged events beginning with the NCHA Futurity for 3-year-olds, followed by the NCHA Derby for 4-year-olds, and NCHA Super Stakes for 5-year-olds. All three events are held at the Will Rogers ...
, which also includes the annual
NCHA Super Stakes
The NCHA Super Stakes is the second jewel in the National Cutting Horse Association's annual Triple Crown. It is held in April following the November/December NCHA World Championship Futurity and a few months before the NCHA Derby, which is held d ...
held in April, and the
NCHA Derby
The NCHA Derby is the final jewel in the National Cutting Horse Association's Triple Crown; the first being the NCHA World Championship Futurity followed by the NCHA Super Stakes. The NCHA Derby is open to 4-year-old horses of all breeds, and offe ...
held during the NCHA Summer Cutting Spectacular. Initially, the two main divisions of the NCHA Futurity were the Open and Non Pro, but over time an Amateur division was added.
As of 2022, owners are allowed to enter an unlimited number of eligible horses in the Open division, but once the horses are named, a limit is placed on the number of horses a single rider can show. Both the Non Pro and Amateur are based on the rider, with limits on the number of horses they can show.
The NCHA Futurity is traditionally held each year at
Will Rogers Memorial Coliseum in
Fort Worth, Texas
Fort Worth is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Texas and the 13th-largest city in the United States. It is the county seat of Tarrant County, covering nearly into four other counties: Denton, Johnson, Parker, and Wise. According ...
, which has been the venue for the Futurity since its inaugural event in 1962.
The total Futurity purse in 2014 was $3.8 Million. Phil Hanson of Weatherford, Texas riding Classy CD Cat won the Open Championship and $200,000 in prize money plus other prizes that included a custom
western saddle
Western saddles are used for western riding and are the saddles used on working horses on cattle ranches throughout the United States, particularly in the west. They are the "cowboy" saddles familiar to movie viewers, rodeo fans, and those who ha ...
, a
Jim Reno
Jim Reno (1929–2008) was a bronze sculptor who focused his artistic abilities on western themes and famous horses, such as Secretariat. Reno's most notable sculpture is titled ''Secretariat—31 Lengths'' which is on display at the National Mu ...
bronze trophy, boots, a leather recliner, and a gold buckle.
In contrast, the total purse for the 2021 NCHA Futurity which was held November 17, 2021–December 11, 2021 was $4,160,381.80, with 2,379 Entries, and $600,000 in added money. John Mitchell riding "Janie Wood" won the Open, earning $241,340.31, and Christina Galyean Cox riding "Playful Metallic won the Non Pro, earning $63,186.87.
References
External links
National Cutting Horse Association (U.S.)
National Cutting Horse Association
{{equestrian-stub