A Balance of Passions

There are two passions in my life, real estate and cutting horses and I think all of us need to have a balance between our work and play. In my life one fuels the other but they also complement each other. I grew up on a ranch and we always looked at horses as a tool for the trade and I really never looked at them as my escape to play until I had a job that would fuel my habit.

Some of my best clients have become best friends through the sport of cutting horse competitions. I have helped my horse friends find their dream properties and if you want to just talk cutting or visit about finding or selling properties, stop by my office in Twin Bridges, Montana or call me at 406 684-5686. Let my passion become your passion, be it work or play.

Here is just a short explanation of cutting since some of you might not understand the concept of cutting and it certainly does not involve sharp objects which will hurt you.

Cutting horses were derived from the need on a ranch to separate a single cow from a herd to doctor, brand, or move to a new location. Cattle are a herd bound animal that want to return to their ”friends” and so began the quest for the agility and “cow savvy” mount of the rancher to make his job easier.

Today this multi-million dollar sport is nationally recognized with its own sanctioned shows and set of rules used to judge the completion for a 2 ½ minute time frame where a single animal is separated from the herd and a dance begins with the horse matching the cow’s every move to regain his position back to the herd without a rider reining his horse. The quarter horse has a natural instinct to work this moving target just like a border collie would be trained to work cattle or sheep with his master’s cues. It takes years and many hours to train a cutting horse but the reward to watch their agility and feel of a well -oiled machine is an adrenaline rush that a rider will never forget.

For a complete explanation on the judging and describing the rigors of the sport you can click on this link http://www.thehorse.com/articles/12445/focus-on-discipline-cutting-horses. The National Cutting Horse Association can also be a great source of information if you are interested in joining the ranks at NCHAcutting.com.