horse chasing a cow during cutting
The Augusta Futurity is celebrating its fortieth anniversary show with The 40, a $40,000-added any-age cutting. The show kicks off Jan. 12 in Augusta, Georgia. • Photo by S. Sylvester Photography.

$40,000-added Any-Age Cutting Headlines 2019 Augusta Futurity

The Augusta Futurity is known for its Southern hospitality, but organizers are kicking it up a notch for the show’s 40th anniversary in 2019. The $219,000-added show, slated for Jan. 12-19 in Augusta, Georgia, will feature The 40 – a new $40,000-added any-age cutting.

Created to replace the Mercuria/National Cutting Horse Association (NCHA) World Series of Cutting leg previously held during the Augusta Futurity, The 40 will be split between a $20,000-added Open and $20,000-added Non-Pro division. It will have one go-round and a working finals, similar to the former Mercuria series events.

Augusta Futurity Show Manager Sherry Fulmer said the goal of The 40 was to highlight the show’s history and give people an incentive to make the trip east.

“When you think of Augusta and 40, to us, that gives Augusta credibility in how serious we take the sport and how dedicated we are to it,” she said.

Show management also is trying to make this year’s show special by moving the exhibitor party, which includes a barbecue dinner and dance, to a more convenient location for participants – the Hippodrome.

“We’re sort of bringing the party to the cutters,” Fulmer said.

This year’s show will feature the Atlantic Coast Cutting Horse Association (ACCHA) Subscribed Stallion Stakes Auction and the return of the Augusta Futurity Horse Sale. The event will kick off with a bull riding and also include the annual family funfest at the James Brown Arena.

Augusta Futurity Board of Directors member Becky Elliott, who along with her husband, Miles, sponsored the added money for The 40 Non-Pro, said the sponsorship was a way to give back to a show that has meant a lot to the promotion of cutting on the East Coast. The 40 Open is sponsored by the ACCHA.

“If you talk to most of the people over here, that’s how they found out about cutting, was actually going to that show,” Elliott said.

The Augusta Futurity’s longevity is a testament to the dedication of ACCHA President and Show Chairman of the Augusta Futurity, W. S. “Billy” Morris III, Fulmer said. Morris, of Augusta, also is chairman and CEO of Morris Communications Co., which owns Quarter Horse News.

“He’s put so much energy and love for 40 years into this sport, and what a leader he’s been,” Fulmer said.

For more details, visit augustafuturity.com.

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