The success of the second annual Cutting Horse Show at the Estevan Exhibition Ground helps to emphasize the importance of word of mouth.
The show, which is put on by the Saskatchewan Cutting Horse Association, took place Aug. 19 and 20 and is their last show of the season. There was $20,000 in prize money available for participants.
“It's a lot of work,” said event organizer Rod Thiessen. “I'm the SCHA director here but I have a lot of people who help me here with getting people for sponsorships, workign the ground, setting it up and tearing it down. It's a lot of stuff to look after those two days, dealing with all the people that are there and all the stuff that needs to be looked after.”
Cutting horses are when a horse and rider work as a team, before judges, to demonstrate the horse's athletic ability and prowess to remove cattle from a herd.
People and their horses came from as far away as northern Alberta this year. They grew by 30 cuts a day from last year's event, something Thiessen attributes to the word of mouth from those who enjoyed last year's show. People went back after the show, with the good run, good cattle and told the rest of the circuit about it.
“It's significant,” Thiessen said, thanking the sponsors for the efforts they put into helping it out. “We hope to have a show again next year. This community is driven by the oil industry. It was a little bit better this year than last year. So if things are still positive, that helps an awful lot. Our sponsorship came from the oil industry and the agriculture industry and some businesses in town. The economy makes a difference and the added money we have affects how many competitors will come here.”
There was $500 added per class in most of the classes, and then a portion of the entry fees also goes back into the pot.
“Between the two, the classes could have paid $1,000 to $1,500 in prize money,” he said.
The SCHA show season concluded with the show, but part of the deal they made with the Exhibition Association means they'll be helping out at this year's CCA Rodeo, Sept. 1-3
