From Staff Reports
The Augusta Futurity is a cutting-horse show, where a rider and horse try to "cut" a cow out of a herd of cattle and then attempt to prevent its return to that herd.
Riders have 2 1/2 minutes in each ride to show the ability of the horse to control a cow once the cow is cut. At least two cows must be cut at different times during the ride. Some riders cut three.
Five judges rank a ride on a scale between 60 and 80 points, with half-points being allowed. The final score is reached by dropping the high and low score and taking the total of the remaining three scores. The highest possible score is 240.
The highest score in the 23-year history of the Augusta Futurity is 227. Any score above 220 is considered exceptional.
Last year's highest score was a 223.5 in the Classic Open finals by Sean Flynn on Purdy Aristocrat.
Basically, this is a one-on-one battle between the horse and the cow that has been cut from the herd. Cows that fail to respect the horse run back to the herd, bringing the highest penalty from the judges (five points from each judge). It is said that a horse "lost a cow" when it fails to hold it.
