Celebrity Cutting puts Actors and Actresses on Horseback for Fundraiser
The crowd was electric in the Will Rogers Coliseum on Friday, November 29, as celebrities from the hit television series ‘1883’, ‘Yellowstone’, and ‘Lioness,’ and top non professionals of the National Cutting Horse Association (NCHA) took to the show pen for the first annual NCHA Celebrity Cutting.
The 2024 Celebrity Cutting, presented by Icon Global, benefitted the UT Southwestern Medical Centers’ new state-of-the-art cancer center being built in Fort Worth, Texas.
“Be charitable. Give away your stuff. You can’t take it with you,” said Bohen, as he encouraged people to mark their calendars for the 2025 Celebrity Cutting.
The event consisted of 14 teams, one celebrity and one NCHA Non-Pro per team. The riders’ scores were combined, and the team with the highest score claimed the championship.
Celebrity Cutting Teams
Austin Hebert & Darren Blanton
Aminah Nieves & Gwyneth Gaughan
Michelle Randolph & Todd Quirk
Forrie Smith & Katie Gaughan Banuelos
Brecken Merrill & Bella Michelle Anderson
Bernard Uechtriz & Olivia Uechtriz
Paola Pimienta & Jessica Banuelos Feiner
Mo Brings Plenty & Taylor Sheridan
Jen Landon & Bella Hadid
Lamonica Garrett & Barnwell Ramsey
Ian Bohen & Elizabeth Quirk
Brandon Sklenar & Eva Blanton
Thad Luckinbill & Rachel Patton
Jefferson White & Mary Crow
It was Bohen and Quirk who came out on top, after a spectacular, bridleless run from Quirk sent the pair soaring to the top of the leaderboard.
“I had heard she was going to take the bridle off, “ said Bohen, who learned to ride a cutting horse just hours prior to competing. “I didn’t believe it, I said, ‘haha, that’s funny, why would anyone do that,’ but I can see now how it works and I sure as heck appreciate the art to it.”
Elizabeth Quirk riding Mighty KD Cat bridleless. * Photo by Hannah Claxton
Quirk rode a homegrown gelding, Mighty KD Cat (High Brow Cat x KD Shorty x Kit Dual), while Bohen rode Bobs Smart Badger (Reys Dual Badger x Bobs Smart Choice x Bob Acre Doc), owned by George & Charlene Lane.
The NCHA Metallic Cat World Champion Futurity has housed celebrity cuttings sponsored by different organizations and benefitting different causes for more than three decades, bringing fans of the sport and mainstream media together each year to raise money for worthy causes.
“Giving back to a greater good is just so fulfilling,” explained Elizabeth Quirk, one of the winners from the event.
Quirk followed up and said, “We see people like you [Ian Bohen] on our TV’s, but when we see you come out to things like that and donate of yourself, it means so much to see that you have heart and passion, and that you just care.”
Bernard Uechritz, the man behind Icon Global, not only presented the event, he also rode alongside his daughter in the cutting. Icon Global is a globally connected company specializing in unique, often complex, one-of-a-kind real estate opportunities. Uechritz led the record-sale of the W.T. Waggoner Ranch in Vernon, Texas.
The camaraderie and excitement was palpable throughout the Coliseum and the night is one that won’t be forgotten by new and old fans of the sport alike.
Ian Bohen cutting on Bobs Smart Badger. * Photo by Hannah Claxton