NCHA
The big deal that already is the National Cutting Horse Association Metallic Cat World Championship Futurity in Fort Worth got bigger with the addition of $1 million in added money to this year’s event.
The $1 million added will be allocated between each of the futurity divisions, including the Open, Non-Pro, and Amateur classes, according to a press release.
“When the Executive Committee elected to reinvest in the Futurity in 2021, there were immediate results,” said Skip Jones, representative of the NCHA executive committee, said in a statement. “The price of horses increased at an exceptional rate and spurred increased activity across the country at all levels, causing the horse market to reach new heights. This coverage brought new people to the sport. We believe that the historic addition of $1,000,000 to our premier event will only continue to drive entries in all levels of the association to new heights.”
The Futurity is part of the NCHA Triple Crown, which also includes the Super Stakes, and the Summer Cutting Spectacular. All are conducted in Fort Worth. The 2023 NCHA World Championship Futurity is tentatively scheduled for Nov. 13 through Dec. 9 at Will Rogers Coliseum.
Since 2020, NCHA has adopted and adhered to a strict budgeting process that has proven successful and allowed NCHA to reinvest in the association for the past three years. In 2022 alone, NCHA invested more than $950,000 in total payout money across weekend and Triple Crown events and over $500,000 in awards at the weekend level.
“I am proud to be a part of the team that approved the $1 million to be added to the Futurity, knowing the impact that reinvesting in the NCHA will have across all levels,” said Barnwell Ramsey, representative of the NCHA finance committee. “We think of this as a significant step in a plan to continue investing in the weekend shows, nationals, and limited age events.”
Both weekend and aged event competitions have shown substantial entry numbers throughout the recent and current years as a result of these investments. Programs such as the NCHA National Circuit Program, NCHA Weekend, NCHA Eastern National Championship and NCHA World Finals have offered weekend-level competitors the ability to compete for more titles and added money as these programs continue to thrive.
“For a long time, NCHA was not in the position to reinvest in ourselves,” said Jay Winborn, NCHA executive director. “We are thrilled to be able to continue investing in our events by adding back to the purse at not only the Futurity but several of our other events across all levels of the sport. We are committed to the success of the association at all levels and will continue to make decisions that reflect that.”