A former member of Canada’s cutting team is bringing this exciting competition to the Russell Fair for the very first time on Sunday, September 7.

Brian Kelly, a renowned local horse trainer, wasn’t sure when he was first approached about bringing a cutting competition to the Russell Fair if the competition would “cut it” in Ottawa, never mind in the Russell.

“But, it was a great opportunity to bring the sport to Russell,” he says. “We limited it to 20 entries and we are full.”

In fact, adds Kelly, the Russell open cutting competition just may be the second largest open class in Canada. Up for grabs is $1,000 in prize money and coveted trophy buckles.

A second class, two-handed ranch cutting, in which riders may rein their horses, offers jackpot money, plus trophy buckles. In total, the September 7 show is offering $5,000 in prize money.
The Fall Cutting Show will also feature a demonstration of brideless cutting by professional rider Gary Hughes, and a demonstration of youth cutting by 17-year-old Lauren Minshall of Hillsburgh, Ontario, the top-ranked senior youth rider by the Ontario Cutting Horse Association (OCHA). In 2007, Lauren was named Non Pro Rider of the Year and Most Improved Rider by the OCHA.

Cutting is when horse and rider, working in sync, separate a calf or group of animals from a herd. Kelly likens it to sheep herding with a border collie, only instead of sheep, it’s cattle, and instead of a dog, the herder relies on a highly trained horse, usually a Quarter Horse or Quarter Horse mix. The rider cannot pull on the reins to direct the horse, but instead, once an animal has been selected, must release the reins and let the horse do the work.

Among the riders who will be competing in Russell are a former Calgary Stampede champion, and one of the top high school rodeo finalists from the U.S. Riders will come from Michigan, Quebec and Eastern and Southern Ontario and are from all walks of life, says Kelly.

To explain the competition and provide a running commentary, Kelly has hired two ‘very good” announcers, who will ensure that the competition is both informative and entertaining for spectators.
Judging the competition will be Kelly himself. “I used to train horses for cutting, but now I do mostly English disciplines (hunter, dressage and jumper prospects, and polo ponies). I’ve done well at cutting and I’m donating my time to judge the Fall Cutting Show.
“We want to put on a really good show in Russell; we want the public to come out and see it, see horses working with a purpose and loving it, and we want the public to enjoy it.

“If you like watching border collies, you’ll like this. And the riders love what they do. Anybody who does it finds that it is very, very addictive.

“We want it to be the best possible show we can put on.”
Admission to the Fall Cutting Show is included in the price of admission to the fair on Sunday.

The Canadian Cutting Horse Association offers the following description of “making the cut”.

The art of cutting was born of necessity on the cattle drives and working ranches in the early 1800s. Individual cows had to be isolated or cut from large herds for branding, medical treatment and grouping purposes, and it was discovered that such separations could be performed easily and efficiently by using a specially trained horse. It marked the creation of the cutting horse and the practice of cutting.

By the mid 1880s, the sport of cutting began to evolve as cowboys held impromptu contests to determine who had the best cutting horse. It gained increased popularity as a sport in the early 1900s. Cutting events were featured at rodeos and cowboy gatherings. As the sport expanded, it became apparent that a standardized set of rules and guidelines were necessary. This led to the formation of the National Cutting Horse Association in 1946 and later, the Canadian Cutting Horse Association.

In modern cutting contests, competitors have two and one half minutes to cut or separate as many individual cows from the herd as they choose, usually two or three. As the horse slowly walks into the herd, the rider begins the process of selecting one cow to cut from the rest of the group. Once a cow is selected and the cut made, the rider loosens the reins, grabs the saddle horn and allows the horse to take control of the contest. The horse must now prevent the cow from returning to the herd.

If the cow becomes inactive or loses interest in returning to the herd, the rider may lift the reins, signaling to the horse to “quit the cow”. The cow is allowed to return to the herd and the rider repeats the selection process.

Events are scored by a panel of expert judges. Each entry begins with 70 points from each judge. The judges then add or subtract points from this amount based upon the competitor’s performance. The score is based on several key points including the challenges made by the cows that were cut, the horse’s instinctive reactions and errors in judgment made by either the horse or rider during the competition.