nycha-bravehearts-shootout

Young Cutters to Partner with Veterans in Bravehearts Shootout

The National Youth Cutting Horse Association (NYCHA) will partner with veterans to present a new team competition — the NYCHA Bravehearts Shootout — at the 2021 National Cutting Horse Association (NCHA) Summer Spectacular.

The NYCHA BraveHearts Shootout will feature regional champions in both the junior and senior divisions from each of the eight NCHA regions alongside veterans from the BraveHearts program in a team cutting invitational. Each team will consist of a youth regional champion partnered with a veteran, who will be trained by some of the industry’s top trainers from around the country. 

“We are excited and honored to be a part of this event,” NCHA Director of Youth Michael Simmons said in a statement. “Not only will this be an amazing event to watch, I believe it is important for our youth to share the sport they love and doing that while honoring our veterans makes it that much more special.”

BraveHearts Program

The BraveHearts program is nationally recognized for providing equine-assisted services to veterans. BraveHearts has the largest equine-based program in the nation for military veterans comprised of riding, ground activities, and gentling wild mustangs.

“BraveHearts is an organization where people can find their greatness through healing horsemanship,” Bravehearts BraveHearts President/COO Meggan Hill McQueeney said in a statement  “The Shootout event, in partnership with the NYCHA, affords military veterans an amazing opportunity like no other.  We are honored to begin planning this and look forward to how many people and horses will be touched by it.” 

The Bravehearts Shootout

This NYCHA BraveHearts Shootout will be held in conjunction with the NCHA Summer Cutting Spectacular and the NYCHA Youth Convention Week in July of 2021 at the Will Rogers Memorial Center in Fort Worth, Texas. 

Following the competition, NYCHA will host a banquet and dance that will honor all of the competitors from the event along with the veterans, active duty military and their families. 

Anyone interested in volunteering during this event can contact Simmons at [email protected], Amy Lippincott at [email protected] or Meggan Hill-McQueeney at [email protected].