Cornbread Thinks: Judging in the Bigs

There is a manure load of money to be realized in the Bigs, events with $100,000 minimum. Prize money is actually the little money in cutting. Big money is a mare having 20 babies selling for $50,000 apiece. Or a stallion breeding a full book of mares for a couple of decades at $10,000. Each.

Somebody has to decide which pony got the job done best. All cutters are experts. We should be able to decide who was best amongst ourselves. Right? Honey Baked Hams will be franchising in the Middle East before that works.

Until then, we will stick with the five judge/monitor/video review system. The one we have been using for 25 years. It is complicated. It is expensive. It has more moving pieces than a Swiss watch. It is as fair as humans can make it, eliminating anything that could even possibly have the appearance of unfairness.

Frankly Speaking: The Time Has Come

Over the past couple of years, you’ve heard me speak about the urgent issues of building and encouraging youth horsemen, along with the problems the horse industry faces because of ever-decreasing numbers in membership. Even though these are two separate issues, they really go together as one impacts the other. I have asked you to become aware of this dual-edged dilemma because it really could be the most important factor in determining how the equine landscape looks in the future.

Cornbread Thinks: John Carter & Paint

The NCHA Summer Spectacular is now in the books and was as good as any. The 10 days of rain and coolness was a real mood fixer. But there was also heartache. John Carter passed during the show and the services were in the coliseum one evening. It brought us all together with a reminder of what a family we really are, along with many memories of good times.

Jimmy Bankston

Cornbread Thinks: Them, They and Us

Jimmy BankstonWell, Cornbread and Buttermilk went to the National Cutting Horse Association (NCHA) Convention. The overall tone was excellent and upbeat with plenty of signs of growth. The best convention I ever attended. It was a chore, even living 10 minutes away, ’til I walked in and was at peace. Family – it’s a very good thing.  

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Learning Your Lessons

bankston jimmyIn cutting – really everywhere, but cutting is all that matters – we tend to have a higher estimation of ourselves than is correct. We think we are fine, everybody else thinks we are rough. Buy us for what we are worth, sell us for what we think we are worth, and you’d have a nice profit. This makes for a poor student. If you have to learn all your lessons the hard way, you will be bruised and battered, like a chicken fried steak.

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Moving With Horses

trucktrailerSalem, Ore., realtor Catherine Ulrey, of Keller Williams, specializes in buying and selling horse properties. As a competitive horsewoman, she understands the value of finding the perfect horse property, and also makes sure her clients understand the value of a well-planned move.

Moving a family and household can be stressful enough, without the additional work and concern of moving a barn and horses. 

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Decisions

bankston jimmyCutting and life are similar in that they are both long, forked trails. Decisions beget decisions. Some are harder than Chinese arithmetic. Making no decision is a decision. Allowing others to make your decisions is a decision. All decisions are ultimately yours. No one always makes the right decision, but making the decision the right way for the right reasons will go a long way toward making it the right decision. Making the right decision for the wrong reasons may well doom the decision. 

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Buying Your First Horse Property

01 Driveway 13CPhoto courtesy of Coalson Real EstateThe right facility is one of the most important tools a horseman can have. Whether you are a professional trainer or a breeder with a few mares in the pasture, the right facility can make horsekeeping at home easier. However, many people find the real estate search to be intimidating and overwhelming. A few real estate professionals in the horse industry and some experienced buyers offer their advice on the matter of buying that first place.
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Investing In Gen Z

art-catherine-nicholsArt and Catherine Nichols of Wagonhound Land & LivestockGeneration Z – they’re the Google Generation, the iGeneration and Generation Now. But most importantly, sitting in front of tablets, cell phones and on-demand TV are the curious minds of future horsemen and women.

“When you look at children ages 5-9 years old, their ultimate love for horses is not reining, cutting, Western or English. It’s a unicorn, a My Little Pony and a Breyer horse,” explained Todd Branson, the director of youth development for the American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA). So how should a parent fuel the interest of a youngster that is captivated by horses?

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Fun!

bankston jimmyJimmy BankstonCutting is fun. It is supposed to be fun. Fun is a very important component of Cutting. If you, your trainer and/or your next of kin are not having fun, then your program is all messed up.

People tend to get it backwards. They aren’t winning, so it isn’t fun. Not winning isn’t fun, but quitting the fun part won’t make you start winning. When it isn’t fun is when the winning quits. If the only thing that makes you happy is winning, then you won’t be happy very often. After all, the Cutter’s prayer is, “Lord, I don’t need to win, just let me be third. Every time.”