2024.01.02
Horizon Yachts Attends 2015 National Cutting Horse Futurity Event in Texas
2016-01-08
Horizon Yachts was proud to attend the 2015 National Cutting Horse Association (NCHA) Futurity Championship last week to celebrate the best of the best in the cutting horse sport; this popular competition takes place all year long on a worldwide scale, culminating with the Futurity in Fort Worth, Texas where horses and riders compete to take home the grand cash prize and the honor of being titled “Futurity Champion.” This year was a special one as it marked Horizon’s first year as an official sponsor of the NCHA Horizon Senior World Tour Championship, a sector that allows open, non-pro and amateur riders who are 60 years of age or older, and meet all other NCHA rules regarding status and membership, to compete to win an expenses-paid trip to the Horizon Yachts Rendezvous; it was also special as Horizon Yachts CEO John Lu and team members Roger Sowerbutts and Elise Moffitt from Horizon Yacht USA were there to represent Horizon at the Futurity.
Horizon’s trip to Fort Worth was filled with new and exciting experiences thanks to NCHA President and Horizon yacht owner Jo Ellard. From day one, Horizon was immersed into the cutting horse world – John and his wife Alice went to famous local spot Cavender’s in Fort Worth with Roger and Elise to outfit themselves with the true Western symbol: a cowboy hat! During the visit, Jo also treated the Horizon team to an amazing helicopter tour of Fort Worth, downtown Dallas, and one of her EE ranch locations -- after landing in a field among her 1,200 acres, she led everyone through her ranch and its operations, showing us her prize-winning stallions, baby colts, and state-of-the-art facilities where she breeds as well as boards horses. What an incredible learning experience and in-depth look at the “behind the scenes” of cutting horses!
The Futurity finals began on Thursday evening with the amateurs, then Friday was the semi-final pro riders turn to compete. The cutting was spectacular, with everyone biting their nails to see who was going to make it into the final championship on Saturday. During the finals, the Horizon team met many riders who competed in the Horizon Senior World Tour and wanted to thank us for our sponsorship. They showed off their engraved belt buckles, a coveted prize in the sport, and told us how much fun they had with the tour – which is of course the whole point!
On Saturday, it was down to business with the Futurity finals -- a total of 22 horses and riders competed, and Jo’s booth was filled with spectators enjoying the sport, clapping and yelling for the horses as they expertly worked the cows. As soon as we saw Stevie Rey Von’s run, we all knew that he could take home the prize – and that he did, with a 225-point championship win and earning $200,000!
“After experiencing the NCHA Futurity, we have immense respect for all involved in the cutting horse sport,” said Horizon CEO John Lu. “The amount of time, enjoyment and dedication that goes into cutting horses actually reminds me of yachting. While on the surface there may not seem be much in common between the two, once you delve deeper you see that what connects them is simple: passion for the experience and the adventure.”
Horizon wants to extend a sincere thank you to Jo Ellard, the NCHA, and all the competitors in the Horizon Senior World Tour – we are grateful to be a sponsor and part of this amazing sport!
Horizon’s trip to Fort Worth was filled with new and exciting experiences thanks to NCHA President and Horizon yacht owner Jo Ellard. From day one, Horizon was immersed into the cutting horse world – John and his wife Alice went to famous local spot Cavender’s in Fort Worth with Roger and Elise to outfit themselves with the true Western symbol: a cowboy hat! During the visit, Jo also treated the Horizon team to an amazing helicopter tour of Fort Worth, downtown Dallas, and one of her EE ranch locations -- after landing in a field among her 1,200 acres, she led everyone through her ranch and its operations, showing us her prize-winning stallions, baby colts, and state-of-the-art facilities where she breeds as well as boards horses. What an incredible learning experience and in-depth look at the “behind the scenes” of cutting horses!
The Futurity finals began on Thursday evening with the amateurs, then Friday was the semi-final pro riders turn to compete. The cutting was spectacular, with everyone biting their nails to see who was going to make it into the final championship on Saturday. During the finals, the Horizon team met many riders who competed in the Horizon Senior World Tour and wanted to thank us for our sponsorship. They showed off their engraved belt buckles, a coveted prize in the sport, and told us how much fun they had with the tour – which is of course the whole point!
On Saturday, it was down to business with the Futurity finals -- a total of 22 horses and riders competed, and Jo’s booth was filled with spectators enjoying the sport, clapping and yelling for the horses as they expertly worked the cows. As soon as we saw Stevie Rey Von’s run, we all knew that he could take home the prize – and that he did, with a 225-point championship win and earning $200,000!
“After experiencing the NCHA Futurity, we have immense respect for all involved in the cutting horse sport,” said Horizon CEO John Lu. “The amount of time, enjoyment and dedication that goes into cutting horses actually reminds me of yachting. While on the surface there may not seem be much in common between the two, once you delve deeper you see that what connects them is simple: passion for the experience and the adventure.”
Horizon wants to extend a sincere thank you to Jo Ellard, the NCHA, and all the competitors in the Horizon Senior World Tour – we are grateful to be a sponsor and part of this amazing sport!
