The Canadian Cutting Horse is a breed that was derived from the American Quarter Horse; it resembles it physically and in behavior as well as its speed. The Canadian Cutting Horse Association is not a true breed association; its main purpose is for the promotion of the sport of cutting cattle through an association in Canada. In fact, the website of the association does not recognize the Canadian Cutting Horse as a real breed of horse but more so of a class of horse.
This breed of horse is named after the phrase "cutting"; this word means to rope an animal to separate it from the rest of the herd. The art or sport of "cutting" has been around since the 1800's, "cutting" was required in order to check for or treat any injuries on a cow or for branding purposes. There are some cases where a Canadian Cutting Horse can maneuver a cow or some other animal from a herd with little help from the rider or sometimes without a rider all together. In order to perform this task, the horse needs to be fast and agile; able to turn sharply at the horse's top speed. In the days when cattle's ranching was a more common task for a farmer, these horses were in high demand. Today they are in popular demand for cutting, western type competing and basic pleasure riding.
In 1946, the National Cutting Horse Association was formed in order to provide systematic regulations and oversight to the sport of cutting.
This horse is also known for its well developed cow sense; this makes it easier for the horse to outsmart and out maneuver a cow when they have to be roped up. They get this cow sense from the Spanish horse that they are based from. The breeding of these horses is done through a careful process, so they are born with cow sense and the ability to carry out the job.
In 2005, at Texas A&M University in Austin, Texas, the first cloned horse in the United States came from a cutting horse. It was a colt named Paris France, born on March 13, 2005. The horse was cloned from adult skin cells biopsied by its donor by a French company named Cryozootech; they work for the preservation of more than normal horses in the use of cloning offspring.
A Cutting horse by the name of "Gunner" won the Open Derby Championship in two separate events in the same year of 2000. He won the first Championship in May of 2000 CCHA Spring Cutting Spectacular in Claresholm, Alberta and again in Red Deer, Alberta at the Canadian Supreme in September of 2000.
Parker County of Texas is known in some circles as the Cutting Horse capital of the world, it tends to bring in some celebrities. Some such celebrities include: country singer Tanya Tucker, actor Barry Corbin and model Christine Brinkley.
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