Top cutting horses and riders shine on day 1 of the Calgary Stampede

Elite cutting horses and riders from across Canada and the United States delivered outstanding performances during the two-day Calgary Stampede Cutting Horse Competition.

Presented by the Western Performance Horse Committee, the event welcomed top competitors to the Nutrien Western Event Centre to compete for championship titles across several classes while giving thousands of spectators an up-close look at the remarkable skill of both horse and rider. 

Leduc County, Alberta's Mckena A. Fleischhacker claimed top honours in the $75K Ltd Amateur class aboard Smart N Cattys Rey.

"My horse worked phenomenal and the cows were great today. It was a really great show," said Fleischhacker. "My horse thrived off the crowd. People were really engaged in it and the announcer did a great job explaining the event."

Other Cutting Horse Competition champions include:

Non-Pro class: Julie Clarke of Bend, Oregon riding Hotty MC Hotty

Open class: Brielle M. Croake of Lincoln, California riding Bohemiann Rhapsody

Unlimited Amateur class: Emily Clark of Bend, Oregon riding Heat Reyz

Youth class: Rylan Seymour riding Dual Over Me

Judge Brian Kelly of Russell, Ontario, who has judged cutting horse competitions for approximately 13 years, said the level of competition continues to impress.

"The competition was really good again this year. There were competitors from across Canada and the U.S. Now that the Americans are coming back again it makes for an even better show," said Kelly. "I'm from the east and judge in the west a lot, and the calibre of riders and horses in the west is top notch."

All results for the Calgary Stampede Cutting Horse Competition can be found on this page.