AUGUSTA, Ga. - The 27th annual Augusta Futurity begins at 8 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 19, in the Augusta-Richmond County Civic Center with some of the best amateur and professional cutters from across the nation and foreign countries competing for a purse totaling more than $1 million.

The Augusta Futurity not only is the largest cattle cutting competition east of the Mississippi River with 600-plus horses and 3,600-plus cows, but it also ranks in the Top 10 cutting events in the nation in terms of number of entries and the amount of the total prize money offered.

Last January, the 26th annual Augusta Futurity sanctioned by the National Cutting Horse Association featured 671 entries from 31 states and Canada and Italy and paid out a total purse - counting the Western Horseman Cup prize money - of $1,016,051.

In cutting, a horse and rider must successfully separate two or three cows - one at a time - from the herd within two and one-half minutes. The horse is judged on how expertly it controls the cow and its degree of athletic ability. Once the cow has been separated from the herd, the rider may not use the reins to guide the horse. Rider and horse can only "quit" - stop working the cow - when it clearly has stopped moving or obviously is moving away from them. Each contestant starts with a score of 70 points. Points are added for positive actions such as controlling a challenging cow, or subtracted for infractions such as being out of position or "losing" the cow - letting it slip back into the herd.

From its 1980 beginnings as a three-day show with about 100 entries, the Augusta Futurity has grown into a Western-flavored festival spread over 10 days.

Even non-cutting enthusiasts flock to the Augusta Futurity show every year because of its related offerings such as a major bull riding competition, the annual Futurity country dance open to the general public, the Wrangler Family Fun Fest enjoyed equally by children and their parents, an extremely well-attended horse sale and some of the finest Western-theme vendors in the nation selling everything from custom-made saddles and fine paintings to ornamental metal signs and one-of-a-kind jewelry items.

Some key dates this year are:
* Jan. 19-28: Augusta Futurity competition, Civic Center.
* Jan. 19-28: Augusta Futurity vendors, including Western Expo vendors in adjacent Bell Auditorium Jan. 25-28.
* Jan. 20: Bull riding competition benefiting USC-Aiken baseball team, Civic Center, begins 8 p.m.
* Jan. 21: Wrangler Family Fun Fest, Civic Center Plaza, Noon-3 p.m.
* Jan. 25: Futurity Country Dance, open to general public, 8 p.m.-midnight, Julian Smith Casino, Broad Street at Milledge Road.
* Jan. 26: Classic Finals, Civic Center, begin at 6 p.m.
* Jan. 27: Western Horseman Cup Finals, Civic Center, begins 6:30 p.m.
* Jan. 28: Augusta Futurity Horse Sale, Civic Center, begins 8:30 a.m.
* Jan. 28: Futurity Finals, Civic Center, opening ceremonies begin 5:30 p.m.

Admission to the Wrangler Family Fun Fest and to vendors in Bell Auditorium Jan. 25-28 is free. Admission to the Futurity Dance is $5 advance (tickets at Augusta Futurity booth in Civic Center or at cashier's office, The Augusta Chronicle, 725 Broad St.) or $10 at the door.

Tickets to the cutting events are:
* Daily Daytime Events, Thursday, Jan. 19,-Friday, Jan. 27. General Admission: $2, children younger than 13 or $6 adults.
* Youth/Amateur Finals, Begins 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 21. General Admission: $10 per family. Reserved seats: $5 children younger than 13 or $13.50 adults.
* Classic (5/6-Year-Old Horses) Finals, Begins 6 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 26. General Admission: $2, children younger than 13 or $12 adults. Reserved seats: $5 children younger than 13 or $13.50 adults.
* Western Horseman Cup Finals, Begins 6:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 27. Reserved seats only: $5 children younger than 13 or $14.50 adults.
* Futurity Finals, Begins 5:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 28. Reserved seats only: $5 children younger than 13 or $16.50 adults.

Tickets can be bought:
* By phone, Ticketmaster (706) 828-7700 or (404) 249-6400 with credit cards accepted. There is a charge of $4.50 per ticket plus $2.70 per order for handling.
* Ticketmaster Outlets with cash only with a $4.50 per ticket handling fee.
* Augusta-Richmond County Civic Center box office, either cash or charge with no handling fee. Call (706) 724-2400, Ext. 537.

The sport of cutting evolved from the working ranch horses of the early 1800s, when cowboys needed to separate or "cut" cattle from the herd for branding, weaning, medical treatment or sorting for market. They found the best way to cut a cow was from horseback and some horses were more adept at separating and holding cows than others. Impromptu competitions began. The modern sport of cutting and the eventual formation of the NCHA developed from these early matches among cowboys.

The National Cutting Horse Association has been a trailblazer in the equine industry since its grass-roots beginnings in 1946. The NCHA today has more than 14,000 members throughout the United States and 19 countries.

For more information about The Augusta Futurity, visit augustafuturity.com or HorseCity.com or call (706) 823-3417. For more about cutting and the National Cutting Horse Association, visit nchacutting.com or call (817) 244-6188.

ELIZABETH NORRIS
FURTURITY MEDIA CHAIRMAN
(706) 833-9599

DON RHODES
FUTURITY PUBLICITY CHAIRMAN
(706) 823-3214