Cutting club celebrates 35 years of dedication to their sport

The Central Wyoming Cutting Club (CWCC) celebrated its 35th anniversary last Saturday with a banquet at Hot Springs Hotel.Original members James Johnson, Martin Bader, Melody Robinson and Mel Dahl were recognized during the event. Current club president Hayden Heaphy sat down with the founders, along with director Bruce Keller, and spoke about the importance of all the original founding members and their anniversary. Original founding member Martin Bader was unable to attend. 

Heaphy said, "Thirty-five years is a heck of a long time for any organization to survive, especially a volunteer group of people that have been together and pursue their sport."

Heaphy added that the original members, "laid a foundation that younger people like Bruce Keller and I have just been able to build on and follow up on...The whole idea, not to speak for these guys, was to find a place where we could come consistently and every year, and people from all over the state who wanted to ride cutting horses could get together and pursue their sport and their passion."

The CWCC has participants who not only come from all over Wyoming but also from Montana.

Heaphy continued and said, "I say it's a long-time thing because we've all talked to people in Nebraska, in Montana, Colorado, Utah, who've tried these kinds of informal cutting clubs, and they have not survived."

When asked what contributes to the CWCC's longevity? Heaphy replied, "I think of the volunteer commitment and interest of the people who set it up. We've done everything to make it convenient and affordable for people who want to show their horses in the winter. Affordability is a big thing." 

According to Heaphy, "In today's world, if someone goes to a National Cutting Horse Association show, which is an umbrella national organization, the cost is $378 to show your horse one time." 

"Most people like to show their horse a couple of times, and some people have two or three horses, so you can see how the dollars add up. Here, by comparison, until this year we've been able to do it for around $100 per horse per show. We've just this year, due to increasing cattle and hay costs, we've increased that to $140, but it's still less than half of what you would pay anywhere," added Heaphy.

Other cutting clubs, such as those in Montana, have observed how the CWCC has been running and succeeding. Heaphy said, "They look to the Central Wyoming Cutting Club as being a model for local cutting clubs and we've even had the national directors from the NCAA ask us, 'What are you guys doing? How are you guys so successful?' All I can say is it's the commitment of the founding members and leadership to put on a good show and then the people who want to show their horses. The members keep coming."

Founding member Melody Robinson said, "I live for winter time to go to the shows. They start in October, they're done in March, and that's what keeps me surviving. I've got friends there I've had forever. I used to show and I just quit showing like a couple of years ago."

But, when asked what it is about cutting that makes Robinson's heart come alive, she replied, "It's the thrill. There's nothing else you can do that gives you the adrenaline rush that cutting does. To me, that is, I've never done anything on a horse that makes me so happy. Like today, I haven't been on a horse for two years, I got on this cute little horse, brought him around, and it just made my body very happy. I just love the club and I love what everybody has done. Everybody supports everybody. Everybody roots for each other and we're real, strong competitors. I always liked competition."

Bruce Keller said about CWCC, "I think the biggest thing that I have is we're very happy to still have three of the founders able to be here with us because they worked pretty hard to get this thing to fly and it got in the air."

Founding member James Johnson said, "I think what makes this club really go other than the price of the entry fees is the classes. We have classes for beginners that can get started. You can't learn to cut at an NCHA because it's just too expensive, too prohibitive. If they come here, they can show against people their own skill level, their own horse level. Then maybe next year they'll buy another horse and advance up. I think they feel comfortable here I think that's what really holds this club together." Johnson added that there have been many beginners who have advanced to higher levels. The CWCC allows that opportunity.

Not only that, Robinson said that the CWCC helps the trainers because it exposes them to people that they can help through the winter. These cutters and trainers both improve. 

Founding member Mel Dahl said, "The opportunity that we give to carry on for the non-pros...If it wasn't for the non-pros and the novice cutters and the youth, we would have a tougher time making a living. That's what the club is all about. It was given to the non-pros, giving them an opportunity to excel in the same way as the novice and the amateurs, and the youth. We push and try to help them the best we can and make it easy for them and cheaper to get that experience from us. Carry it on and go from there...We go by NCHA rules, but we don't have to abide by prices and stuff like that."

Regarding scholarships for students, Heaphy said, "High school rodeo statewide never had a place where kids from Wyoming could go cut, learn how to cut, learn how to ride their horses so that they could go to the state show or in a national show and be competitive with the kids from other states. I'm sure you understand the importance of high school athletics to the people of Wyoming. What the High School Rodeo Association did was send all of their kids to us and say, you guys put on all the cuttings for our youngsters, teach them how to cut, help their horses get better so that they can be successful when they go to the state and the national competition. We've had kids for the last several years competing at the national level that do almost all of their cutting here with these trainers, coaching them and getting their experience right here in Thermopolis. It's a big deal."

When it comes to the economic impact on the community from the CWCC, they have a great relationship with many of the lodging entities in Hot Springs County. At some locations, they block 30 rooms a month. The CWCC meets once a month for three days, from October through March all in Thermopolis. This brings in about 60 people and they rent 100 stalls at the fairgrounds. All their trucking is done through Ryan Brothers Trucking. For the last 20-plus years, they have spent half a million dollars on cattle that they leased locally. 

Keller added, "Just about everything that we bring in stays here in the community and does support the community."

Johnson also said, "Between the motels and the cafes and the filling stations, you know, this brings in a lot of money over the winter in this town."

Heaphy brought additional perspective and said, "The other side of that is that we have enjoyed the hospitality of Thermopolis for 35 years. Everybody in the community has been great. There are all kinds of businesses that sponsor prizes and awards for the cutting club people. The fairgrounds has hosted us for all these years. They go the extra effort to make the facilities suitable for every sport, and I can't say anything other than thanks for letting us be here."

Heaphy also described how the CWCC gives back to others by making donations to needy families and needy causes in the community. Heaphy said during a recent Christmas fundraiser they donated about $1,200 "as a small way of saying thanks to somebody in the community that needed it." They also made a donation to Owsley's family after their house burned down.