Equine
It All Started with a Horse
By Corsi Martin
Explaining the sport of cutting to outsiders can be quite complicated at times. How do you explain poetry in motion when it comes in the form of keeping a single cow from its herd for two and a half minutes? And then there is the constant reassurance that cutting does not, in fact, mean that horses are slaughtered for sport.
Perhaps a small history lesson will suffice the next time someone asks you just what the sport of cutting is all about. It all started with a horse.
Derived from western heritage in its purest form, cutting used to be a true test of a horse’s cow handling abilities. Back when most ranches operated on an open range, herds would tend to meander together and ranchers would have to sort through them in order to separate them again.
Cowboys would have to use their best horses in order to separate individual cows from the herd, and it was the horse’s job to keep the cow separated. Given a good horse, the rider is simply there to look pretty; the rest is autopilot. In any remuda, there were several different horses, all with certain skills and abilities that contributed to the success and smooth operation of the ranch. The cutter was always the exclusive member of the remuda.
The first documented and advertised cutting horse competition dates back to 1898, held in Haskell, Texas, at the Cowboy Reunion. It was said that a whopping 15,000 spectators showed up as a result of the advertising as seen in Dallas and the surrounding areas. All attended by horseback or on a wagon. The stakes were high as the prize money for the winning contestant was $150, not exactly pocket change back in those days. From there, the rest is, quite literally, history.
To read more pick up a copy of the November 2018 NTFR issue. To subscribe call 940-872-5922.
By Krista Lucas Wynn
Each year, when the professional rodeo season wraps on Sept. 30, the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association and Women’s Professional Rodeo Association announce the Nutrena Horse of the Year, presented by the American Quarter Horse Association, in each event. This is a prestigious award, voted on by the members of the associations. To be named Horse of the Year by fellow competitors is a high honor only a few achieve.
To read more, pick up a copy of the November edition of North Texas Farm & Ranch magazine, available digitally and in print. To subscribe by mail, call 940-872-5922.
By: Krista Lucas Wynn | Copy Editor
The name, “Daddy of ’em All,” instantly brings to mind the world’s largest outdoor rodeo and western celebration. Cowboys and cowgirls from all across the country dream of competing on the iconic Cheyenne arena dirt.
Every July, pro rodeo contestants travel to Cheyenne, Wyom. to vie for the title of champion of the Cheyenne Frontier Days. The rodeo is steeped in western tradition and celebrated the 125th year this summer. With nearly two weeks of rodeo action, fans watched bareback riding, calf roping, breakaway roping, saddle bronc riding, team roping, steer wrestling, barrel racing, bull riding, and steer roping.
Steer roper, Tuff Hardman, knew winning “the Dad” was a tall order, but with a good horse and a few prayers he left no doubt who the best steer roper at Cheyenne was when it was all said and done. After two rounds, Hardman qualified back for the finals tied for ninth place with a time of 30.8 seconds.
To read more, pick up a copy of the September issue of NTFR magazine. To subscribe by mail, call 940-872-5922.
Utilizing the horse to human connection.
By: Hannah Claxton | Editor
Deep in the heart of Texas, both humans and horses at Stable Strides Farm in Pilot Point, Texas aer demonstrating just how big their hearts really are. Founded by Mandy Cleveland in 2001, Stable Strides Farm serves dozens of Equestrians with Disabilities and Veterans each week.
Deep in the heart of Texas, both humans and horses at Stable Strides Farm in Pilot Point, Texas aer demonstrating just how big their hearts really are. Founded by Mandy Cleveland in 2001, Stable Strides Farm serves dozens of Equestrians with Disabilities and Veterans each week.
“My boys have been riding since they were 18 months old, and for the first 17 years they had a leader and sidewalker. When we moved here, and Mandy started teaching them, she just said, ‘Let’s see what they can do,’ and they ride independently now,” Danielle Frank explained, whose two sons, Adison and Aiden, ride with Stable Strides Farm. “Mandy is amazing beucase she doesn’t place any limits on them, she always wants to see what they can do.”
It is her dedication to never setting limits that earned Cleveland a spot as a national finalist for the NSBA 2024 Dianne Eppers Cowgirls Reaching-Out-to-Community Award. The award was established by the NSBA Foundation to recognize cowgirls across the industry for their selfless contributions to the equestrian community.
To read more, pick up a copy of the September issue of the NTFR magazine. To subscribe by mail, call 940-872-5922.
(Photos Courtesy of Hannah Claxton)
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