Justcuttin news 2009 year in review

2009 The Year In Review
The last thing the equine industry needed straight after E.I was a recession, but that was exactly what we got. I can't say what effect it had on the other equine persuasions and to be honest the signs aren't that clear on what effect the downturn had on the cutting horse industry either.

Steve Felton riding Honey Dont Tell
As far as showing goes, the year started off as it finished in 2008 with large numbers of entries a constant. This trend continued up until the NCHA Futurity. The final number of entries for the futurity was a little down on last years but nothing of significance. After Tamworth however, the weekend show numbers did begin to falter. Toowoomba and Goondiwindi once again had strong numbers with Toowoomba being extended by a day. However Victoria struggled to get entries. Perhaps this was this first sign that the recession had started to bite. In the final five months of the year the figures were somewhat confusing. Some shows attracted good numbers whilst others didn't attract many entries at all. It's important to note that there were a lot more shows being held at this time of the year than in previous years and should be considered a factor.
Cameron Turner a regular on the area 5 circuit
The reality is that cutting is an expensive sport, most can't afford to show their horse every weekend. There are just under 800 people actively competing in Australia at the moment So when there are six or seven shows on in a row to choose from, naturally you're going to attend the one that will involve less travel expenses and/or the ones that offer more prize money. The subject of prize money is something that was commented on by competitors.
It seems that the general feeling is, unless there is a chance of at least winning back the cost of entering their horses, competitors are going to think twice about attending. When finances are tight generally the choice is not to attend. But this is where things got confusing. There were some shows that did offer bigger money that also didn't attract the large numbers. There are a lot of theories for why this occurred, the recession, too many shows, or maybe the wrong time of the year. If it is a case of too many shows then it may be time for all affiliates to communicate with each other and ensure that shows are scheduled without causing damage to each other. Or perhaps the futurities need to be scheduled a little bit later on in the calendar to open up a gap for more affiliate shows to be held in the first half of the year.
2008 Hi Point Mare Oaks Unchained Melody
The general consensus this year was that the NCHA are doing a good job and a lot of positive feedback came from the increase in prize money for the Nationals. An extra $15,000 was made available and now makes the attendance of this show a must if you are going for a National title. With over a million dollars in the kitty at the beginning of 2008 the NCHA was also financially in good shape. Chairman of Non Pros Ron Perel raised a few eyebrows by introducing the concept of a Non Pro Forum. This idea attracted some interest and successfully etched into the mindset of NCHA members that the establishment is run by the members and that the committee is voted in to represent the ideas of that membership. The forum knocked down a few barriers that have emerged over the years and gave everyone confidence to give their opinion without fear of repercussion. The NCHA also introduced affiliate workshops which have been reported to be a success. What the NCHA committee takes on board from these two exercises will be a matter of interest to all members in the coming year. But it would seem that the NCHA realizes the need for more support of the sport outside of the annual NCHA Futurity.
Jason Leitch and MS Fortissimo
Instant Dulce emerged as a sire of the future by having three of his four progeny entered making the NCHA Futurity Final with the fourth missing out by a point. A filly by him, Dulces Glory, took out the title. It was the second attempt by owners Rob and Colette Greer to win this futurity, and it was thanks to trainer Heath Sinclair who advised them on the purchase of this horse. Steve Felton won the Toowoomba Futurity on his horse Honey Don't Tell Watch Video. The ex WA motor cross champ outshone his more fancied competitors and blitzed the final, to the sheer joy of the crowd, riding a horse by an Australian bred Stallion, Docs Spin N Tell. The pair also won the Non Pro title at the same event. They then went on to win the Non Pro title at Goondiwindi. Corey Holden won the Gundy futurity on Currell Peptos Shadow his second title for the calendar year after he won the inaugural Armidale Open Futurity in February. Just to keep things different, Phil Dawson won the Victorian Futurity on the Lethal Lena gelding, Dee Bar Blue Lena. John Templeton won the Comet Futurity riding Lethal Ginger Cookie, a mare by another Australian bred Stallion Lethal Toy. The futurity results overshadowed the achievements of one trainer in Toowoomba. In probably the strongest Open Cutting field in years. Jason Leitch scored a 1.2.3 in the event. He rode Stallion of the year Oak and Ashes and Mare of the year Oaks Unchained Melody to equal first place and won the third spot on the mare MS Fortissimo. Watch Video
2008 Hi Point Stallion Oak N ashes
Of course 2009 will be best remembered as the year an Australian took out the US NCHA futurity. I for one wasn't surprised as in my time I have seen Australians conquer the world in many areas including the music and film industries, all it took was for us as a nation to rise above our inferiority complex. Tony Piggot “rocked the futurity” he equaled the world record score and created history. Another Aussie Geoffrey Sheehan won the limited open futurity. Everyone can now say that Australian cutting horse trainers and riders are up there with the rest of the world. The next hurdle will be for us Aussies to rise above our inferiority complex when it comes to the subject of BREEDING cutting horses. At present the idea of importing semen from the US or crossing our best mares with imported stallions is more likely to give you a better product than breeding to our Australian bred counterparts. This exercise is now making the expensive sport of cutting even more expensive, with well performed home grown and less expensive options being overlooked and wasted. Sadly in 2009 we lost two legends of the sport, Chilla Seeney and One Moore Spin. Chilla's legacy will live on through the Mr Jessie James and his offspring and of course the same can be said for One Moore Spin.
Emerging talent Brit Reeves
2009 can also be labelled as the year of the youth. In February we saw Jackson Gray and Xavier Harris become National Champions beating the older more experienced competition. This young talent is just the tip of the iceberg with many youth competitors winning events outside of the youth events including Brit Reeves who is currently leading the Senior Youth, Rookies and Sunkissed Ladies Series.
On a personal level it was a topsy turvy year with only one constant. The rise and rise of justcuttin'. This site attracted just over 81,000 visits with 501,000 odd page openings and 8.9 million hits. That's an increase of 185% from 2008. The sale barn became an extremely successful marketing tool for the sale of cutting and cow horses, appealing to Reiners, camp drafters and Stockman's Challenge competitors alike. I'm proud to say that this site attracts visitors from equine disciplines outside of cutting therefore exposing the sport of cutting to people outside looking in, rather than just preaching to the converted. This is something I will continue to strive for in 2010. Its thanks to this sites major sponsor Little Smarty Oak, and the other sponsors like Donnell Park ( home of Seligman spin), Rosevale Park (Highbrows Doctor), Robocutter, Blackgold Ranch (reyn Storm), David Rogan Saddlery, Wazza Cutter, Bremer Valley Stud (Hickory's Spoonful), Winners Circle Saddlery, Electrified Cutting Horses, Gidgee Eyes, Porta-Cut, Kimber Saddles and Trailers, Lectric Playboy, Peppy Boontown, Diamond K Quarter Horses (Whos Ya Daddy) and ranges country as well as all of you who advertised in the sale barn that keep this site alive. Of course without you the visitor this site wouldn't exist so keep coming back and thanks for your overwhelming support and words of encouragement.
Major Sponsor Little Smarty Oak
So that's it for 2009 and here we are now in 2010, I think it will be a very interesting year to say the least. As long as clubs like Eastern Falls , SQCHA, Northern Rivers , Big River and Darling Downs keep inviting me back, you'll see me peering out over a camera at a show near you. Don't worry I still have a few things I'd like to try out in the future so whether you're a loyal visitor or another website manager looking for new ideas, keep coming back and expect the unexpected.