Third Annual Cutting Horse Show Displays Canadian Ranch Talent

Hailing back to the occupations of the western ranchers years ago, competitors from locally and abroad channeled their inner vintage cowboy and cowgirl at the Third annual Energy City Cutting Horse Show over the weekend at the Estevan Exhibition Grounds.

"It was what we call a double-points show for the Canadian side of things, horses were coming that were competing for Canadian championships, so we had some of the best horses in Canada," explained Show Director Rod Thiessen, "Coming from Abbotsford (BC), all the way across to Winnipeg, we had horses from all four provinces. Some of them were the horses that are leading Canada in their events. It was some really good cutting competition."

Local horses and riders were among the top of the herd, from Lampman, Estevan and Midale, and some of the riders participating in their very first show. Some from Lampman and Midale took top in their categories.

"Our local people are competing with whoever shows up, from wherever, so we have a good base of talent here as well," said Thiessen, who also took a moment to explain how the sport works, for those unfamiliar.

"It goes back to the old days of ranching, where horses were used to primarily do all the work. You would sort your cattle out on the range, and you would have horses that could cut one out of the herd and separate it, then it would get put into a different group of cattle. That's how they managed their livestock way back. This has just evolved, like a lot of horse and rodeo events have, into competitive nature. So now we have rules, we do it in an arena, but it's still showcasing the talent of the horse."

Winners of such events carry on to similar competitions in other locations across the prairies, striving to build as many points as possible to bolster their national ranking.

The full list of winners is below...courtesy of Tammi Goetz and Rod Thiessen.