By Mary Ellen Gorham
I grew up in the West but I was raised in a city, which meant I knew next to nothing about what is sometimes called the Old West. The world of ranches and cowboys and rodeos fascinates me, but I still am not familiar with that lifestyle.

When I was in Montana this past summer, I picked up a copy of the Sweet Grass County Cutting News and learned a lot about cutting horses.

What is cutting?

Cutting originated in the Old West when ranchers used the cutting horse to separate individual cattle and to move them into corrals. When it was time to move the market, the cutting horse was used to form the cattle into herds and to keep them in line on long cattle drives.

How is the cutting horse used today?

Cutting-horse competitions offer tremendous excitement and are one of the fastest-growing equine sports. The horse and rider are asked to select a single calf from the herd and gently guide it into the center of the arena. The challenge for the horse is, with lightning-fast starts and turns, to prevent the calf from returning to the herd.

How do the horse and rider make the cut?

Approaching the herd, horse and rider must concentrate on moving into the cattle to separate one animal from the herd without provoking disturbance. Performance is judged in part by the activity of the calf, so the animal is singled out by choice, not randomly. After the rider has indicated a specific calf to the horse, neither horse nor rider may change calves without penalty.

How is the skill of the horse shown in the competition?

Once the team has isolated the calf in the center of the arena, the rider must give up control of the horse by loosening the reins. On its own, the horse matches the calf move for move to prevent its return to the herd. Penalties are given if the horse is reined or visibly cued.

The contest allows two to three minutes for the horse and rider to complete their work.

How is the winner chosen?

A five-judge panel evaluates the performance of each contestant. Key factors are the challenges made by the calves that have been selected and cut out from the herd. The horse's instinctive reactions and errors in judgment made by horse or rider are critical.

According to the Sweet Grass County Cutting News, cutting calves attracts men and women alike from across the nation and from all walks of life. Diverse as cutters and cutting fans are, they share a feeling for the Old West, a craving for excitement and a heartfelt love of horses.

Mary Ellen Gorham, Pullman, Wash., is a contributing editor to DVM, The News Magazine of Veterinary Medicine.

© Copyright 1996, The Salt Lake Tribune

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