A youth judging contest scheduled for the National Cutting Horse Association (NCHA) has been canceled.
The NCHA announced that the contest, which was sponsored by Holy Cow Performance Horses, would not be held as planned Dec. 4-5 in Fort Worth, Texas.
Officials say the contest was scrapped because it would have been difficult for participants to attend as many colleges and high schools have changed their semester schedules due to COVID-19, in addition to some related travel restrictions.
“We are disappointed to have to cancel the NCHA Holy Cow Performance Horses Judging Contest this year,” NCHA Director of Judges Pete Fanning said in a statement. “I know a lot of people look forward to coming each year, but we felt it was the best decision to cancel. We are looking forward to hosting the contest again in 2021.”
Scheduled to be held at Will Rogers, the 2020 Youth Judging Contest had divisions for college-age student as well as those that are still in high school. It planned to offer cash prizes — $2,000 to the first-place team — as well as buckles and trophies for top-placing groups.
The NCHA has historically held a judging contest during the NCHA Futurity, adding a division for high school-age students in 2018 in order to introduce younger students to the sport.
Any questions about the judging contest can be relayed to Tammy Kimmel at [email protected].
