October is a hot time for Agriculture at Stampede Park. Right on the heels of the Canadian Rodeo Tour Championship and Canadian Team Cattle Penning National Finals, visitors can enjoy the 28th annual Calgary Stampede Cutting Horse Futurity presented by Wrangler, an equine ballet of grace and precision. From Oct. 15 to 20, the most talented horses and their riders will compete for $300,000 in prize money.
“This sport is really all about the athleticism of the horse,” says the Stampede’s Tracey Foster, Agriculture Events co-ordinator. “And when you watch the cutting, it’s like watching the horse and rider pair perform a technical dance when they separate a single cow from the herd.”
Derived from the word future, futurity in cutting events refers to young horses (three years of age) making their competitive debut in age-restricted classes. Plus, the futurity will attract more than 250 horse and rider teams from the ranching belt that stretches from the northern tip of the Canadian prairies to the southern reaches of the Texas Plains. Prospective buyers of cutting horses also come to view upcoming talent.
“Cutting has it roots in ranch work and is still very much alive today,” adds Foster. “Individual cattle are separated from the herd for a variety of reasons, usually to provide veterinary care.”
The competition calls upon the intelligence, training, breeding, and skill of a horse. The rider’s role is to pick a cow that will bring out the best of the horse’s skills and intuitive sense. In fact, after cutting the cow, the rider must drop the reins. Each horse and rider team has 2 ½ minutes to perform at least two cuts, but most riders try to perform three. The horse and rider teams are penalized if they disturb the herd, if the cow returns to the herd before it turns away, or if it stops challenging the horse.
All 2008 Calgary Stampede Cutting Horse Futurity presented by Wrangler events are open to the public:
• Oct. 15 to 20 at the Stampede Corral
• Performance finals Saturday, Oct. 18 at 6 p.m.
• The Horseman’s Market runs October 18 from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Click here for more information or call Tracey Foster at 403.261.0127.
