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OUR
BOARD MEMBERS
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President
Brian Kelly (Russell, ON)
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First Vice President
Henry Pascone (Hemmingford, QC)
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(450) 247-0202
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Second Vice President
Dr Rex Decroix (Lorraine, QC)
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(450) 435-3511
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Secretary Treasurer
Gabrielle Naud (Sainte-Julie, QC)
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(450) 649-5519
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Director
Marcel Beaulieu (Hemmingford, QC)
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(450) 826-1248
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Director
Eric Dufresne (Sainte-Julie, QC)
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(514) 244-3291
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Director
Brian Law (Perth, ON)
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(613) 267-7349
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Director
Robert Poupart (Bolton-Est, QC)
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(450) 292-4166
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The ECCHA wishes to thank Mr Yves Masse, retiring
VP, and Mrs Sylvie Fritsch-Paquette, retiring director, for all that was accomplished in 2009.
WHAT
IS CUTTING ?
The art of Cutting was born out of necessity on the cattle drives and working
ranches in the early 1800’s. Individual cows had to be isolated or cut from large herds for branding, medical treatment
and grouping purposes, and it was discovered that such separations could be performed easily and efficiently by using a specially
trained horse. It marked the creation of the cutting horse and the practice of cutting.
By the mid 1880’s, the sport of cutting began to evolve as cowboys
held impromptu contests to determine who had the best cutting horse. It gained increased popularity as a sport in the early
1900’s. Cutting events were featured at rodeos and cowboy gatherings. As the sport expanded, it became apparent that
a standardized set of rules and guidelines were necessary. This led to the formation of the National Cutting Horse Association
in 1946 and later, the Canadian Cutting Horse Association.
In modern cutting contests, competitors have two and one half minutes
to cut or separate as many individual cows from the herd as they choose, usually two or three. As the horse slowly walks into
the herd, the rider begins the process of selecting one cow to cut from the rest of the group. Once a cow is selected and
the cut made, the rider loosens the reins, grabs the saddle horn and allows the horse to take control of the contest. The
horse must now prevent the cow from returning to the herd.
If the cow becomes inactive or loses interest in returning to the herd,
the rider may lift the reins, signaling to the horse to "quit the cow". The cow is allowed to return to the herd and the rider
repeats the selection process.
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