Basics and Terminology of Cutting from a Beginner’s Point of View

By Nancee Ward

I had my first ride on a cutting horse three years ago. Having been raised around halter and pleasure horses my whole life, cutting was something of a mystery to me. To feel the very musculature of the animal strain and shift beneath you as every move he makes on the cow comes from his own critical second by second decisions, there is nothing like it in this world.

The first opportunity I had to ride on my first cow, I knew next to nothing. As I listened to the trainer that was coaching me, I kept trying to figure out how I was going to control this cow. And I realized a critical point. I was not in control. The horse was.

And then I understood.

It seemed that time stood still for me in those first few seconds. In fact, I think I didn’t even breathe. It was the most intense moment of my life, just struggling to stay astride the thousand-pound beast beneath me. Every micro-bit of training he had so carefully and purposely been given had culminated in a series of very deliberately timed motions, which he executed with break-neck speed and accuracy. What an honor to ride such a horse! And what a gift he had given me! After that, I was hooked on cutting and have loved it ever since.

How a Run Works
Competitors are allowed two and one-half minutes to complete a run. A team of four riders are selected by the rider as his help: two herd holders and two turn back riders. The herd holders position themselves on either side of the herd while the turn back riders are positioned further towards the center of the arena.

Herd holders and turn back helpers are an important part of the rider’s run. They’re actions can hurt a potentially winning run by allowing a cow to get past them and back to the herd, or allowing the herd to scatter and disrupt a horse while working a cow.

The time starts as the horse and rider team crosses the timing line. The rider quietly enters the herd from either side. The herd holders assist in moving the herd forward so the rider is better able to select a cow to work. The rider must make at least one deep cut per run. He or she may select a cow one of two different ways. They may wait for a small group of cattle to filter back to the herd and wait for all but one. Or the rider may simply take a cow from the edge of the herd.

Once the rider has selected a cow and has driven it towards the center, he allows his horse to hook or lock onto that particular cow, preferably in the center of the arena, which is considered a good, clean cut. As soon as the rider feels his horse is locked on, he drops his hand and the horse begins to work the cow. The turn back riders assist in keeping the cow in a central zone and to keep the cow from running to the opposite end of the arena. Ideally, all work should be performed in a center zone of the arena.

A cow’s natural instinct is to return to its herd once separated. The horse’s job is to defend the herd and hold the cow. The horse is shown on a loose rein which demonstrates the horse is working on his own and without the aid of his rider.

If a cow fails to honor the horse and rider or quits working, the rider may quit the cow and return to the herd and select another. A minimum of two cuts are required, but three cows are fairly typical.

Scoring is a scale of 60 to 80 points, with extra credit earned for style, assertion, driving and setting up a cow, and handling a difficult cow with finesse. Points are deducted for losing a cow, missing, a horse and rider falling, a horse turning away from a cow, changing cows after committing, and hot quits. A miss is considered a loss of working position. An example of this is when a horse is too long or short on a cow. He either can’t keep up and is unable to anticipate the cow’s moves, or he runs too far past the cow, giving the cow enough time to turn the other direction and get back to the herd.

The rider’s posture and balance is very important. If the rider’s balance is off, it can have a negative affect on a horse’s performance. Like any other equestrian sport, horse and rider must be in sync with each other and both must be well balanced. A cutter’s slump is necessary to stay in the saddle, as is holding onto the saddle horn. Cutting saddles are designed particularly for a cutter’s posture and the horn is tall and slender, enabling the rider to easily get a grip.

Cutting is a sport not only of great physical impact, but it is also a test of intelligence. A good cutting horse is able to “read” a cow, or anticipate a cow’s moves with being overly aggressive. An athletic cutting horse with good cow sense will be able to “mirror” or match the cow’s moves. Competitors must also be able to pick the cows that will help their performance. A perceptive rider will watch cows before their run to see which ones they want to cut. Good cows appear alert and curious while bad cows may appear lethargic or uninterested in what is going on around them. Often these cows have been used too much for cutting and will no longer react to a horse and rider’s presence.

A great run is not solely dependent on a horse’s performance alone. It takes a coordinated effort between competitor and his or her team. It takes knowing which cows are best to work and selecting those cows. And it takes a well-trained horse that is tuned and ready to perform. All of these things must come together in a partnership to result in a good score.

Definitions and Terminology

Cheating: when a horse looks for any way out of working a cow correctly such as running past the cow or rounding his turns.

Commit: showing intent on working a particular cow and stepping towards it.

Cutter’s Slump: The rider’s posture during a cut. He or she sits deep in the saddle on the rear pockets with the back relaxed and curved slightly forward.

Deep Cut: when the rider goes to the back of the herd along the wall and drives through the center of the herd. The opposite would be picking a cow from the edge of the herd. At least one deep cut is required in each run.

Drop of the Horse: the crouching position a horse maintains during his cow work.

Dry Work: cutting training on a horse without the use of any cattle.

Heading: the positioning a horse just in front of the cow to stop the cow or make it change direction.

Herd Bound Horse: a horse that is too close to the herd.

Herd Holders and Turn Back Riders: The herd holders position themselves on either side of the herd to help keep the cattle from scattering during a run. Turn back riders help keep the cow from running to the other end of the pen. These riders also help keep the cow in the center working zone, which helps a rider’s score.

Honoring: when a cow turns toward, looks at, and reacts to a horse and rider.

Hooked/Locked: a horse that has his entire focus and attention on a cow.

Leaking Up/Bleeding Into: when the horse works his way closer to the cow he is cutting.

Long: when a horse works too far past the cow, usually resulting in a loss of working position.

Numb/Soft Cow: a cow that is neither threatened nor challenged by a horse and rider’s presence. These cows show little desire to return to the herd and give little opportunity for the horse to really show good work.

Out of a Working Position: when a horse is unable to respond quickly enough to a cow’s actions and loses its working position.

Peeling: when a rider has selected a cow to work and removes them from the flow of the herd.

Pressing Off: when the rider uses his or her cow side leg (leg closest to the cow being cut) to push the horse further away from the cow.

Pressing Up: when the rider uses the herd side leg to push the horse away from the herd and closer to the cow being worked.

Quit – Cold and Hot: When the rider has the opportunity to stop cutting that cow and go back into the herd for another one. A correct or cold quit is when a cow has either obviously turned away from the horse and rider or has come to a complete stop in the arena. If a rider stops working a cow at any other time, such as when a cow is still honoring the horse or moving towards the horse, it is a hot quit, and will result in a penalty. The rider’s signal for a quit to the horse is usually sitting deep in the saddle, lifting the reins, or placing a hand on the back of the horse’s neck.

Rating a Cow: when a horse times its paces and movements to that of the cow.

Run: the two and one-half minutes allotted a rider for competition

Shaping the Cow: moving a cow from the center of the herd and driving him towards the center arena to prepare him for working.

Short: when a horse does not keep up with the cow, resulting in the cow gaining the working position.

Sweep: the action of the horse sitting back on his haunches and moving his front end, legs extended, with the cow.